The Firkin Saga: Brewing Up Entrepreneurial Adventures and Pioneering Tales with the Prince of Ales by David Bruce.
What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Child sports and arts… and I look at issues with drug use, alcohol addiction, and homelessness.
Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
The Grateful Dead.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Mauritius.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Snow leopard.
The Firkin Saga: Brewing Up Entrepreneurial Adventures and Pioneering Tales with the Prince of Ales by David Bruce.
What charity or cause are you passionate about?
Child sports and arts… and I look at issues with drug use, alcohol addiction, and homelessness.
Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
The Grateful Dead.
What vacation spot is on your bucket list?
Mauritius.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
Snow leopard.
Off the Cuff
ack in the day, Wieboldt’s department store in Chicago had a resident chef, and David McCarthy’s Irish grandmother held the job. Her example, further catalyzed by a gig at a sports bar near Wrigley Field while studying architecture, inspired McCarthy to make hospitality his career. He earned degrees in French culinary arts in Chicago and brewing in Germany. A love of mountains drew him to Denali Park, where he set up eateries. “I was working in a dream bucket location for a global audience,” he observes.
As CEO of Northern Hospitality Group, McCarthy oversees 49th State Brewing and its sister companies. He states, “My goal in life is to make hospitality a noble career choice.”
David McCarthy: I’m a long-distance motorcycle rider… [In 2005] I took a ride all the way up the Alcan in the beginning of April… I would try to ride in the rut where the trucks cleared the snow. It’s a miracle that I made it.
AB: What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
McCarthy: I call out, “Daddy’s home.” And there’s usually a call and response between my two sons… I have to remind myself that I’m now in the role of husband and father.
AB: What do you do in your free time?
McCarthy: Spend it with my children and my wife.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
McCarthy: Get a captain’s license to take my family out on boats.
AB: What are you superstitious about?
McCarthy: Fans of baseball have superstitious beliefs… So if I go to a sports game and I put my rally cap on or wear the same shirt, my team will probably win.
AB: What’s your best attribute and worst attribute?
McCarthy: Tenacity towards a goal… On the flipside, that clearly comes with the challenge of time management.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
McCarthy: International travel and the study of gastronomy. If you go into my kitchen, you’re going to see products like clear soy sauce from Japan.
AB: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
McCarthy: Jack Sprat [in Girdwood].
