About our team
We are an interesting crew at Nature’s Beer. Not one of us ever thought we’d be here, doing what we are doing, but ever so glad we are. Let’s give you the basics on our crew so when you take a swig of our tasty beer, you’ll know how it got to you.
Jason Aamodt, is an attorney who specializes in Native American Indian and energy law. A dedicated beer drinker with undergrad degrees in both Chemistry and Biology, he started tinkering with beer brewing in his garage in Tulsa. He started making some impressive beer and folks started to encourage him to open a brewery. Jason had been hunting and fishing in Norfork for years and had always felt at home and happiest when he was here, knee deep in the Norfork River or exploring natural wonders in the Ozarks. Jason would tell you that Norfork is the Shire, a thought that evokes the magic of the Tolkein. So, it seemed like the right place to launch a little brewery was in Norfork in an old building that once housed both the grocery store and post office.
Kristy Huff came to us in 2019 in sales and distribution, walking in to just about every liquor store in Arkansas and a bunch of restaurants to get them to carry our beer. She discovered that once someone tasted the beer, it sold. Kristy also managed our marketing duties and has done every single job on the road, in the taproom, and in the brewery. In 2020 she decided she wanted to concentrate on brewing. So, we sent her to school and she’s been our Head Brewer ever since ! In 2021 our Woodsman Pilsner place 1st in its class in the Arkansas Times Craft Brewery Review with the EZ Ryder Lager and Scurvy Dog IPA both placing second. Great job Kristy!
Mitch Krauss, Jason’s best friend from his college days, came out here in late 2019 to take over the general manager duties. He comes to us with degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Science, something invaluable in a brewery, and a background in manufacturing. Mitch moved to this incredible place, lock, stock and barrel— including his lovely wife and two wolf dogs late last year, and in spite of the ups and downs associated with any brewery growing so quickly, he is happily here. Mitch was the sustainability director for Burton Snowboards, and during that time served as the Chairman of the Sustainability Committee of the National Outdoor Apparel Manufacturer’s Association. Before that, Mitch worked for IBM Microelectronics Division in various roles of facility, environmental, chemical, and product stewardship management.
Luke, thanks to his faithful servant and amazing photographer, Curt Lewis, has become our official Scurvy Dog since the sad passing of the original mascot. Luke loves to come to the taproom most everyday to meet new friends, both four legged and two legged. He was a bit skeptical when someone rode a horse up to buy a beer, but he did get over it. Luke really does enjoy the fame he is experiencing and is thinking of multiplying his fee, which we would point out is pointless as zero multiplied by anything is still zero.
We hope you enjoy the beer as much as we enjoy getting it to you.