It’s a classic example of how to start a small brewery, beginning with a passion for brewing and beer.

I first became aware that our friend Bruce was planning to open a brewery in late 2010. Once his beers debuted at local beer festivals I must admit to developing a fancy for Irie IPA and its blend of hops and piney aroma. Incorporated in 2010, the brewery opened its doors a little over a year later in Mundelein, Illinois, which is just about the average time it takes to jump through all the hoops of incorporation, construction, and set-up.  The 15-barrel brewhouse has the capacity to produce 3,500 barrels annually. Partner Billy Oaks is the head brewer.

Since receiving his first homebrew kit as a gift in 1993, Dir has learned from some well established veterans of the brewing business. A founding member of BABBLE Homebrew Club of Lake County, Dir added to his 16 years of brewing experience by attending the world-renowned Siebel Institute of Technology Brewing School in Chicago. “Siebel definitely provided me with the guidance and consultation on every aspect of the industry,” said Dir. “That proved really valuable while creating the business plan and building the brewery.”

The tiny community is named for Chief Niwot, the peaceful leader of the Southern Arapahoe tribe that inhabited the area when prospectors arrived in the mid-1800’s in search of gold. In the Southern Arapahoe dialect, Niwot means “left hand.”

The treasure hunters continued west into the nearby mountains seeking the mother lode, but Left Hand Brewing has struck gold (and silver and bronze) numerous times in its 17-year history. In 2009, Left Hand’s Smokejumper Smoked Imperial Porter won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. The previous year, the brewery’s silky-smooth Milk Stout was awarded gold at the prestigious World Beer Cup competition.

“Our purpose is to brew beer that we’re interested in drinking and, hopefully, that other people are interested in drinking, too,” explained Wallace, who now holds the title of president. (Doore, the other co-founder, is no longer active in the business.) There’s little question that the brewery’s eclectic collection of ales, lagers and wheat beers have captured the interest of craft beer enthusiasts both locally and in more distant locales. Left Hand beers can be found in 27 states and a handful of European countries.

But a quaint town about an hour’s drive east rivals Portland’s Beervana badge by beating just about every other American city in craft breweries per capita.

Home to three brewpubs and less than 7,000 residents – or one brewery for every 2,345 people – tiny Hood River, Ore., was officially named “Beertown, USA” not long ago by Charlie Papazian of the Brewers Association.

Full Sail Brewing, 27 this year, is Hood River’s elder statesman. With a host of national and international awards, it is also the most recognized and largest brewer. The other breweries – a tiny brewpub ironically named Big Horse and Double Mountain, which turns three this March – could both fit inside Full Sail’s ample brew house with room to spare.

Housed in a former fruit cannery, Full Sail’s brewery and the brewpub/tasting room can be spotted from Interstate 84; it’s a stunning drive into the Columbia River Gorge to get there, as the road follows the mighty river and waterfalls tumble off cliffs looming overhead.

Surprisingly, outdoor recreation—not beer—puts Hood River on the map. It’s the windsurfing capital of the state and is also not far from Mount Hood, popular for snowboarding, hiking and other pursuits. Many of Full Sail’s 47 owner-employees – it’s the largest majority-employee-owned craft brewery in the country—are experienced outdoorsmen and women.