Capital Pint by Travis Persaud is published every second Thursday at OttawaMagazine.com. Follow Travis on Twitter @tpersaud.
Jean Paul Fournier blames his obsessive nature.
A DJ for over two decades, Fournier had zero interest in beer. In fact, he didn’t even like it. (We’ll guess, based on the weddings and corporate events he worked, that he was more of a rum and Coke, wine spritzer kind of guy. No judgment. Really.)
But, he somehow stumbled onto a few home brewing books and began sampling craft beer in earnest. Soon after he was part of a local home brewing club, and in March 2010 he started making is own variations. He had become a full-on beer enthusiast.
Fournier is as mild-mannered and humble as they come. After the first time we met, he brushed aside my business-like goodbye handshake, and opted for a full-on hug. His beer-making personality, however, is the exact opposite. Fierce, brash, and arrogant are all apt descriptors. And they serve him well.
Five months after he began brewing, he entered Toronto Beer Week’s HomeBrew competition. He walked away with two “Best of Class” awards — Best Stout for his Imperial Canadian Maple Stout, and Best Hybrid for his Caramel Cream Ale.