Robby Collins - Brewer at 7Peaks Brasserie

Please introduce yourself, telling us a bit about who you are and what you do
My name is Robby Collins and I am a Swiss mountain brewer in the village of Morgins. I was born in Kansas, USA and moved to Switzerland 10 years ago while working for a large multinational. After 10 years of climbing the “corporate ladder”, my wife and I decided to do something with our hands, so we started brewing.

Why did you decide to start your own craft brewing company? Why did you choose to set up business in the Alps?
We decided to start our own craft beer company for 2 reasons: 1) We like good beer and don’t think there is enough of it, and 2) After many years working for multinationals, we found that too many decisions were made based on raising stock prices, to the detriment of customers and employees. We decided to flip this on its head, putting customers and employees first. And we do this in the Swiss Alps. Why? Because we love our village and the Portes du Soleil. We want to contribute to the region by offering something that not many ski resorts in the world can offer: great beer made with unfiltered fresh Swiss alpine water!

What were you doing before?
Before brewing, I was a management consultant in a fortune 100 company. My job was to help factories to improve their way of working. I spent between 30 and 40 weeks per year in hotels and on airplanes throughout Europe, the US, and China. If I think about my day-to-day tasks, I was basically just walking around and drinking coffee. I really didn’t have the feeling to have accomplished anything substantial. This is why I took up brewing as a hobby. If you have ever brewed, you know that regardless of how the beer turns out, you can’t possibly finish brewing and say “I don’t feel like I did anything”. Your back will remind you that it is extremely physical work and, a few weeks later, your finished beer will remind you why you made the effort. That is a substantial accomplishment!

How do the Alps influence your beers?
Our beers are made with fresh, untreated and unfiltered mountain water from the Alps. Many other brewers must adapt water chemistry because they need to remove excess chlorine that makes the water potable. We are very lucky to have a great water quality that works well with brewing. Since the water quality has a large impact on the final taste of the beer, we can say that our beers are 100% influenced by the Alps!

Tell us a bit about the name of the company
7Peaks Brasserie is a mix of English and French because we live a multicultural life. My wife is Swiss, my son is Swiss and American, and I am American and Swiss. We are one of those families that starts sentences in one language and finishes them in another. Since our life is a mix of French and English, so is 7Peaks Brasserie! The “7Peaks” refer to the Dents du Midi and each of our core beers are named after one of these 7 peaks.

What is your favourite 7Peaks beer and why?
My favourite 7Peaks beer changes daily (YES, I drink beer daily!). Each beer is different and I choose the beer I want to drink the moment I want to drink it. I always suggest this approach in drinking craft beer. We are so easily stuck in a “rut” of IPA, or wheat beer, or blonde… I think it is a shame to always drink the same thing.

What is in store for the future with your business, any exciting projects in the pipelines that you can share with us?
​We have lots of things going at the moment. We will be opening a taproom at the end of January. You will be able to come drink a beer at the brewery, have a look at our equipment, and even take some beers home with you. We will also be holding the 3rd edition of the 7Peaks Riverstyle on the 30th and 31st of March in Morgins. This is a free freestyle ski spectacle that you can’t miss! And lastly, we have a little surprise for those who plan to attend the Rock the Pistes event this year in Suisse. You will have to come and see for yourself! That isn’t the exhaustive list, but it keeps us busy. Like our Facebook page and we will keep you updated.

This season, you're partnering with Cookie Cafe. Tell us about this project
Starting this winter, we will be working closely with Cookie Café. We thought Cookie Café would be an ideal spot to offer our beers, so we called them. After introducing ourselves they said “We were just talking about you and were going to call you next week!” So the partnership begins… We have a few ideas for the winter season. For example, we will organize a beer tasting at the Cookie Café in the month of March. Stay tuned for exact dates and times!!

How do you think 7Peaks beers pair with Cookie Cafe's menu? Any pairing recommendations for our readers when they go there to try out your beers?
I am personally looking forward to having a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with the Haute Cime. However, burgers and craft beers always go well together. And with the best burger at 2277m, you can’t go wrong.

Finally, if someone was coming here for the first time, what would you suggest they absolutely must do or see in resort?
Firs timers MUST absolutely see the Dents du Midi. You can’t come to the Portes du Soleil and NOT see them. It requires some effort, so in the summer you need your hiking shoes and, in winter, your skis. They can be seen from any high altitude vantage point in the region. You won’t be disappointed! And if you are up to it, why not do the “Tour des Dents du Midi”. It takes 3 days or so and you can hike around the “dents” while sleeping in refuges along the way. If you don’t have the time or energy, you can always come to our brewery taproom and do the “tour des dents du midi” from the bar by tasting all 7 of our beers. You won’t need to walk as much, but you will need a designated driver! The choice is yours!