We were fortunate to meet up with Daniel Morales and Christopher Campos of Fourth Age Brewing at a local beer fest recently. After we got to trying their beers and talking with them a bit, Daniel shared the following with us.

I know that Christopher and you are behind Fourth Age Brewing. Tell us a little not only about Fourth Age but yourselves too.

Ah yes, the origin of our name. It is a tale more akin to the tragedy of man than a mere creation myth of biblical origin. It is a name born twentyfour moons ago in retaliation to the powers that be. For too long man has stood idly by as Marx’s “Overman” dictated on to us the meaning of a proper ale. We at Fourth Age Brewing threw down the chains that bound us, and chose to walk our own path and create libations of adventure and mystery. Young Oliver, much like Gilgamesh’s epic, our story has no ending. Our insignia is that of struggle. The struggles to explore, cultivate, and understand this world. For much of the same reasons, our name’s origin is not about where we come from, but where we are going. Where all men and women are going!

In all seriousness though, Fourth Age Brewing is just two guys. Christopher Campos and Daniel Morales. Christopher is a mathematician who teaches by day and brews by night side by side with Daniel, who is an Anthropology major and works abroad uncovering past Celtic relics.

Are you planning on taking things to the next level?

We are currently working on our business plan and seeking investors to help get Fourth Age Brewing up off the ground within the next year. I can’t blurt out all the details but we are planning on a full production brewery with a tasting room.

How did each of you become so interested in beer? Is yours another “Mr Beer Kit” gone-wild story?

Chris actually was a beer hunter for years, always staking out all the little spots that harbored any good and rare brews. I was introduced to craft beer through him I say about six years ago at Abraxis lounge. We just drank the stuff up until a few years ago a friend of ours had a little extract kit that had been sitting around for longer than it should have been. He invited us over we brewed the kit and had a blast while doing it. We had to make an emergency run to the now gone Brew Box for some viable yeast and drank our creation a few weeks later. It was the worst damn Nut Brown I have ever had but it sparked our interest and from that moment on, we have been brewing now stop.

Are you guys mainly self-taught?

We did take a class at Brew Box Miami when we first started out but most of our process has been learned through internet research and trial and error. Our ¿Flan? recipe took over a year to get down and we still play with it.

Tell us about your first batches of brew...

Let’s just say that there was a lot of over-carbonated bottles gushing all over my living room after the first few batches. A lot of our first ideas did not pan out, so we would repeat with new approaches to achieve what we were looking for. Our first pumpkin beer was a mess but it taught us what not to do.

What's unique about your beers?

We get inspiration for our beers from a lot of places, sometimes our cultural heritage being that we are both of Cuban descent. Sometimes its food we like or even film and literature. We just like our beers to be bold and flavorful creations that make you wonder how it was made. We like to play with styles and do not necessarily feel we have to stick to any as though they are written in stone. We like to play with spices, herbs and fruits.

Your Flan Stout is unreal. What other beers have you brewed that generate that sort of a response? What’s your favorite so far?

There have been a few hits that we have poured recently that generate a big response such has our Lost City. Its a light golden ale that has bready notes and a lemon finish from the addition of lemon grass. It literally smells like Fruit Loops. Our Balrog Sneeze gets a big response too. Its our American strong ale that is usually way up there in abv. and sits on roasted habanero peppers for awhile. It sometimes also gets aged in our whiskey barrel. As for picking a favorite, that's like asking a parent to choose their favorite child but, it really depends on what we’re doing that particular day. Each of our beers are pretty distinct from one another.

If we were to open your fridges at home, what beers might we find?

Right now we have Avery Maharaja, Rayon Vert, OPB2, The Perfect Crime, a few cans of Jai-Alai and a bottle of the Beast.

So how can other South Florida craft beer geeks get a taste of your beers?

For the time being, just be on the lookout for us at events in the South Florida area. You can check us out on Facebook for upcoming events and tastings. The Fourth Age is coming to Miami, hopefully if all is well, within the next year.