10 Questions with Petra Wetzel from WEST

1) Why is your brand so special? Give us your best cocktail party pitch.

Our ethos is ‘Glaswegian Heart. German Head’. Germans have the desire to make the very best, striving for nothing short of perfection. Glasgow is a creative arena, fiercely proud of its institutions and artisans and full of character. We use centuries of expertise to produce the best quality beer but we do it all with the renowned Glaswegian spirit.

2) How did you get to where you are now?

A combination of really, really hard work, the fierce determination to make the idea for WEST a success and the best team of people doing it with me.

3) What has been your greatest learning in this job?

Don’t go into business with your husband!

4) What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received along the way?

“Eat an elephant one piece at a time”. There’s no point in trying to do too many things at once.

5) What has been the most edifying moment of your working life to date?

This will be a slight contradiction to my answer for the first question but when we built our new brewery to expand our production, without hesitation I went straight to the leading German manufacturer with the age-old belief in German engineering, thinking it would be the most efficient project and we’d end up with the very best equipment. A catalogue of errors ensued and, whilst we still ended up with the best equipment and a great facility, we were over a year behind schedule and I am still dealing with the fallout.

6) If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing with your life?

I believe I was always destined to end up in Scotland and if I wasn’t running WEST then I’d love to run a tree nursery in Perthshire. I love putting on my jeans and wellies, running around Scotland’s great outdoors and getting my hands dirty.

7) Name your ultimate dinner party guests and what would you serve them to eat and to drink?

If I was to choose anyone in the world to host at a dinner party it would definitely be both sets of my late grandparents. I miss them terribly and would love for them to meet the person I am today and spend time with my son, Noah. On the Menu would be WEST beer (of course) and Sauerbraten, which is a traditional dish from my native Franconia.

8) If a film was made of your life, who would play you and why?

I’ve been told I look like both Claire Danes and Clemence Poesy and, out of the two, I’d pick Claire Danes. She’s proven in Homeland that she can play a tough female character who gets it done but who also has a human side too. I don’t think she’s done many comedies but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she’s got a sense of humour as well.

9) What would you order as your desert island drink?

I would honestly say, without any bias, that if I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life it would be St. Mungo. Served in a tankard so the beer never gets warm. As well as being dear to me because it’s the first beer ever brewed at WEST, it’s named in homage to my adopted home, it’s a blend of two classic German styles of lager, it’s light yet full-bodied, crisp and refreshing, so balanced it complements almost any dish – it really is pure heavenly lager.

10) What is your one guilty pleasure, or are there more than one?

Bread. I try to give it up and cut down and, no matter how determined I am, bread always wins.