Ex Novo Brewing Hires Ryan Buxton As Its New Head Brewer

As Jason Barbee moves on from Ex Novo Brewing to start up Level Beer, Ex Novo is proud to announce that Ryan Buxton will take over as its Head Brewer beginning on December 5, 2016. Buxton will relocate with his family from Salt Lake City, Utah where he has spent his professional brewing career at Epic Brewing Company.

During his tenure at Epic Brewing that will end at the end of November, Buxton held a variety of rolls including most recently the brewery’s Head Blender, Head of Cellar, Manager of R&D and Lab Manager. Buxton was instrumental in a few of Epic Brewing’s more popular beers including Sour Brainless on Peaches and Big Bad Baptist that were from the brewery’s large barrel program of over 2000 oak barrels and 12 foudres.

Buxton also helped with the brewery’s expansion into its brewery located in Denver, Colorado a few years back. He also was responsible for Epic’s Tart ‘N Juicy Sour IPA.

Here are additional comments from Buxton and Ex Novo founder Joel Gregory from the brewery’s press release.

Statement from Ryan Buxton:
“From the very first time I drove through The Colombia River Gorge to visit Portland nearly 8 years ago, I knew it was home for me. Living in Utah I have always had a passion for the outdoors. Portland is a unique place where both amazing landscapes and the nation’s best beers seem to be woven together in the fabric of the culture. I have worked hard in my career as a professional brewer, always with aspiration in mind that I would one day end up in Portland; working around those who I have come to love and admire in this industry. Ex Novo for me is the ultimate destination in my career. Not only am I joining an amazing innovative team of brewers and co-workers, but together we get to make a difference to our community by doing what we love and do best… brewing craft beer!

As a passionate advocate for social justice, craft brewing, and outdoor recreation, I couldn’t be more excited to join the Ex Novo team as we strive to continue making a difference in the Portland community; by seeking to produce high quality hand crafted beers in one of the nation’s most innovative craft brewing scenes. Ex Novo has built a reputation for all of these, and I intend to help Ex Novo take our mission and goals to the next level for the greater good.

I am often asked what my favorite styles of beer to brew are, and it seems my answers change all the time. I like to brew and drink beer seasonally. Ex Novo excels in producing a huge variety of craft ales and lagers, from killer IPA’s or Berliner Weiss, to tasty Mexican lagers. Ex Novo is a good home for me because our diverse portfolio of beers allows us as brewers to make beers without limits, rules, or guidelines. I love to constantly push the boundaries and expectations of what beer can be. Ex Novo is the perfect brewery to continue revolutionizing the definition of craft beer.”

Statement from Joel Gregory, Founder & President:
“While we will certainly miss Jason Barbee and appreciate all that he has done to create the portfolio Ex Novo is becoming well known for, I’m very excited to welcome Ryan to the team in a really great phase of the business. We’ve established ourselves in this market, but still have a lot of growth ahead of us, and we’ll be obsessed with maintaining the quality of our beer across the board. The passion and skill set that

Ryan brings to the team is amazing, and I’m really looking forward to what he will bring to the community of Portland.”