Micah Pickinpaugh’s road to becoming an owner of Alpha Brewing Operations starts in Lincoln, NE. Born 4 years behind brother and Alpha President and enduring his torture, she graduated from Lincoln East High in 2001. Micah wasted no time entering the work force as a civilian contractor managing the benefits program for the Nebraska Army National Guard. In 2006 Micah began an 8 year stint at Norland International where her uncanny ability to organize, multi-task, manage processes and care for customers saw her rise from receptionist, to office manager, to customer service manager. Nobody wears more hats at Alpha and there’s no question of who runs the show. From financial controls, to logistics, to purchasing, she is a professional. As VP Jon Marco puts it “she’s worth her weight in gold.”

“I love the comradery here at Alpha that stems from shared values and high standards. I’m humbled by the opportunity to work with some great people and to be here for each and every client and make them feel like part of the family. Not to mention provide the best brewery equipment out there.”

When not keeping Alpha on the rails Micah cares for her dogs, cats, horses and stray, or injured animals that seem to flock to her. She can be found in the saddle around the family ranch, or through the Rockies. You might see her working sun-up to sun-down with her husband on their acreage. She loves camping, boating, and simply having a good time with family and friends

James path to Alpha has been full of curves and forks in the road. Born on Cape Cod and raised in Braintree, Massachusetts, his career within the brewing industry began with his first homebrew batch in college.  While the first batch was a drain-pour, James was driven to improve and make the best beer he could.  His passion for brewing quickly exceeded his interest in the original career track.  He volunteered for a local brewery which led to his first paid position as Assistant Brewer.  Nine years later James has been through the Siebel Institute of Technology and has been co and lead brewer at a few innovative and quality-driven breweries across New England and down the east coast.
When you grow up in “Braintree” you must be smart, so James has been hired to consult and execute startup breweries. These opportunities married his engineering education and passion of brewing. He was able to use his CAD drafting prowess to design the space and his process engineering background to plan infrastructure for glycol, steam, drainage, electrical and much more to put it all together. James heard about Alpha Brewing Operations and the thought of managing and designing brewery startups and expansions full time was very appealing. He reached out to Alpha and Alpha found the missing link. He moved his wife and two little girls all the way from Jacksonville, FL to Lincoln, NE.

“Joining Alpha’s family has been incredibly fulfilling as I get to share the knowledge and experience I have acquired over the course of my brewing career and share it with those who like myself, are crafting their passion into a career.  I have a unique opportunity to design incredible brewing systems, brew in dozens of breweries each year across the U.S. and continually educate myself through our customer’s experiences.”

James and his wife share a passion for brewing. They enjoy traveling to check out new breweries and hanging out with their dogs. Jame’s first assistant brewer was born in 2012 and his future cellar manager came two years later. For now his little girls are teaching James how to play with dolls.

In January of 2018, James purchased a brewery in Chicago, IL, called Urban Renewal Brewery.  James will always be a part of the Alpha Family - we wish James and his family the best in this endeavor.  

Bryson Monroe is a native son of Lincoln, Ne. After running track at the collegiate level for University of Nebraska he chose to follow through with a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter. Through patience and perseverance he earned a highly coveted position on the Lincoln Fire Dept. When not fighting fires Bryson is a do-it-all machine in the shop at Alpha, from wiring up massive brew house control panels to building crates. After receiving a box store brew kit from his wife 2 years ago Bryson dove head first into home brewing. The smile on her face after every first sip of a new brew continues to feed that flame.

“I am often told by people how lucky I am to have two jobs in the two fields I am most passionate about. I would have to agree. I have my 5 month old first child at home, a wife who likes beer, loves me and my lawn is perfect. I hope my luck never runs out!”

Russ is Alpha’s “Jack of all trades.”  His years of experience in fabrication, electrical, mechanical and customer service trades make him a well-rounded leader as our shop foreman. Russell’s skill as the Alpha grill master and his passion for craft beer further his roundness!  We take full advantage of those skills whenever we can here at Alpha and we’re all a little rounder for it.

In his down time, you can find Russ riding his motorcycle, drag racing, spending time in the mountains of northern New Mexico with his wife and family, and grilling up his favorite treats while enjoying an ice-cold craft brew or two.

After his time in the U.S. Air Force, Toby (Ewok) spent many years in the automotive industry. Toby was looking for a change and a challenge and he heard about this place called Alpha from long-time friend Russell Brenaman our shop foreman. Toby found a home at Alpha and a new-found love for craft beer and some great material for his weekly podcast. Because Toby brings popsicles and hard-to-get craft beer frequently he has been shown favoritism by management. We tried to nickname him Toby Wan, but his resemblance to Wicket from Star Wars is uncanny, so Ewok it is.

When he is not building brew houses and canning lines he spends his free time with his wife and volunteering for non-profits, co-hosting his podcast, relaxing with their rescue pup, tinkering with his motorcycle, collecting arms and teaching as a certified fire-arms instructor.