NANCY HOALST-PULLEN, Ph.D., is a world traveler, professor, and beer writer. Nancy has interviewed hundreds of people and imbibed thousands of beers to (re)discover the stories surrounding the geographies of beer. As a National Geographic Explorer, she has visited hundreds of locales across six continents - from historic breweries of Belgium to backyard home-brews in South Africa - to understand how beer and brewing have evolved over time and place. Nancy has published various articles on beer, with particular emphasis on the role of sustainability in the beer industry, as well as co-edited the book The Geography of Beer - Regions, Environment, and Societies with co-author Mark Patterson.
MARK PATTERSON, Ph.D., is a geography professor at Kennesaw State University. By day, Mark is a researcher with Nancy Hoalst Pullen and examines sustainability trends in the beer industry. By night, Mark is an avid home-brewer, strategically planning his next research trip to breweries around the world. As a National Geographic Explorer, he has traveled nearly 200,000 miles (and counting) on his quest to identify the nuances of the beer industry and of course, to sample the flavors of this time-honored craft. When he is not traveling the globe, Patterson can be found playing ice hockey or working on a script for a pilot series on the US craft beer industry.