Adore March 2022

Janice Montoya & Alex Peyroux MIEL BREWERY & TAPROOM 405 Sixth St, New Orleans, LA 70115 mielbrewery.com

I n 2013, Janice Montoya was invited by a mutual friend to visit Abita Brewery while Alex Peyroux was working. A tour and a sampling of beers led to a date —Janice says she was impressed by his knowledge of the brewing process —and the two have been together ever since. After living and working in Boston, they decided to join in on the growing brewery scene and moved back to New Orleans to open Miel Brewery & Taproom. Open daily, Miel features unique beers which pair perfectly with a rotating selection of local food trucks and pop-ups. During their down time, they enjoy heading to the park with their dogs and traveling for inspiration.

What do you love about what you do? Janice: I love communicating through our product. Each beer has a different story, feel, and vibe. I really enjoy the entire process of visually communicating our product to our guests from designing the label to putting together photoshoots of the cans. I love that each day is different as a Creative Director of Miel and that keeps me feeling inspired. Alex: I am very interested in beer history, so I love being able to brew classic styles of beer like German Hefeweizen and Vienna lagers and bring those styles to New Orleans. I also like to experiment with some wilder ingredients like pickle juice and sour candies. What have you learned while working together? Janice: Alex and I process things differently. Things that stress me out do not faze him and vice versa. We really are opposites in a good way. He is always a reassuring voice though stressors, and his optimism and positivity really kept me going through the pandemic. What makes your partnership work? Our backgrounds and skills come from two completely different fields, so we don't step on each other's toes at work. We really rely on the other's knowledge to make the best decisions. It requires having a lot of trust in the other person.

What is your favorite thing about each other? Alex: Janice has such an amazing eye for details and her vision is what really makes the brewery great. Her creativity is incredible, and we really wouldn't be where we are without her talent. Janice: He is so passionate about the brewing industry and constantly working towards making the next best beer. He sets his own bar really high and it's so inspiring. Watching him push himself makes me want to work harder. What is currently inspiring you? Janice: My degree is in Visual Arts, New Media and Animation, and I'm always thinking about the art history classes I took. I try my best to continue learning, whether it's history through a podcast or new skills in visual arts.

What is your favorite part about living and working in New Orleans?

Alex: You can't beat the food and the cocktails! Some of the most fun beers we've made were inspired by local cocktails. Janice: Being close to family. Our parents have been a huge help and we couldn't do this without them!

ADORE • MARCH 2022

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