Renegade Brewing Company has been serving up “Offensively Delicious” beer in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe since June of 2011. They brew beer for those “who do the don’ts and don’t the do’s…the renegades.” Earlier this month, Renegade continued a tradition of bucking tradition, naming Ali Benetka Head Brewer – making her the second female head brewer and, at 24, the youngest in the state of Colorado…and possibly the youngest in the nation.

We caught up with Ali to pick the brain of the Chairlady of the Brew.

How did you first develop an interest in brewing?

I was very interested in cooking and baking and I started drinking a lot of craft beer, and I felt that it was a natural progression so I started homebrewing. I was also studying biology in college and I was on the med school track. When I took a microbiology class, I realized that I could do something really fun with a science degree. So I decided I wanted to try and get into the brewing industry and enrolled in The Siebel Institute. I was really lucky because I don’t feel that I would have been able to go if I wasn’t already living in Chicago but it was only a 4-mile bike ride from my house, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Where did you first start brewing professionally?

I worked at a brewery in Chicago called Finch’s Beer Company. I was interning, working in testing, but I am originally from Denver and I was really ready to move back. There are so many job opportunities there. The number of breweries affords a lot more options. It worked out well with the timing that I had chosen to move back because that’s when I heard about the opening at Renegade.

Have you had any obstacles so far, being a female in a male-dominated industry?

I haven’t really thought too much about it. I knew I wanted to brew and when I set my mind to something, I work really hard and I will get to where I want to be. The only thing, and I don’t even really call it an “obstacle,” but I feel like everything in the brewery, like equipment-wise, was made for someone 6 inches taller than me. But it’s not really a big deal. I’ve gotten really good at standing on stools to do everything. It definitely has improved my balance!

How long were you with Renegade before you were promoted to Head Brewer?

I just started working here in the beginning of January. In the end of February or early March, the Head Brewer at the time got into a bad accident playing rugby. It was a really bad injury and he was out for about 3 weeks. Brian (O’Connell ) called me on a Sunday night and let me know about the accident and that I’d have to take over. I think how I handled that situation for the next few weeks impressed him.

Are you doing some of your own brews now or are you still brewing mostly Renegade recipes?

I have already done one of my own brews. It’s a hoppy American wheat. We actually just decided on a name – it’s going to be called Alpha Maiden. It’s all ready to go and it will be on tap soon.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a brewer?

I would probably be working in a lab somewhere. My original thought when I was thinking about med school was pathology. I have always been interested in lab work, but there’s plenty of lab work in a brewery.

Are there any big events that are coming up for Renegade that people should look out for?

Well, this is really soon, but this weekend we’re having our 2 year anniversary party. We’re closing part of the block that we’re on and we’ll have a lot of small batches of beer…experimental stuff for the party in addition to the 8 taps that we have in our brewery. It’s going to be a great time and we hope to see our Colorado friends there!