Turning Wheels Craft Brewery was created by Michael Nikkel, the Chief Brewer. We caught up with him and asked him some questions to know more about his passion for brewing.

Short History/ Why did you venture into brewing?

I never liked beer, in fact, I hardly ever even drank beer before discovering Craft Beer. Craft Beer took me by complete surprise. With mind-blowing flavors and complexity, I simply couldn’t believe it was beer that I was drinking. From that point on I became fascinated with Craft Beer and all that made it Craft.

Why the passion for Craft Beer?

Craft beer is so intriguing.

The flavors, textures, and aromas of Craft Beer are so different than that of mass-produced beer. These complexities are all an artistic expression of the individual Brewers’ brewing style and flavor preferences.

What is the story behind the name?

Turning Wheels adopted its name through the passion of cycling, and the correlation between beer and bikes. Many cyclists love to indulge in a good beer after a strenuous ride, or simply treat themselves to one (or five) after achieving a certain goal of theirs on their bike. I aim to bring the two together through my brewery, as that is what brought my biking friends and I together in the States, giving us the opportunity to truly get to know each other. Had there not been beer involved, there likely would not have been so many memorable post-ride activities and conversations.

Who are your market?

Young professionals, travelers, foreigners, artists and connoiseurs. Anyone who can appreciate my craft, and who is interested in learning more about the art of brewing fine beer.

What makes Turning Wheels unique from its local competitors?

Turning wheels is the first Craft Brewery here in Cebu and is a ground up, garage-built operation, and completely cycling-themed at that. We started here in Cebu on our very small home-brewing equipment in order to make our beer publicly known and put it out in the market as soon as possible. In order to spread the word of Craft Beer and teach more people about it we are now producing our own homebrew kits, allowing people to begin brewing their beer, with ease, in their own homes. We’ll be hosting homebrewing events, classes, and many other things homebrewing related.

What are your future goals for the brewery? (Bottling, stand alone establishment, etc…)

As a cycling themed brewery, our ultimate goal is to move our brewery into a stand-alone establishment with our own taproom and place to to teach brewing. We would then have the opportunity to bring the cycling culture to life here in Cebu through many beer-related cycling events.