Get to know a founder: Nick Norton

To finish off our Get to know a founder series, today we’ve got Barly CEO Nick Norton. Nick cut his teeth in running music organizations and nonprofits, and is ecstatic to combine his skills with his love of beer. But we’ll let him say more about that.

What excites you about working on Barly?

One of my absolute favorite things is introducing people to new experiences, and Barly is a way to do that, with something I love (craft beer) for a crowd beyond the people I’m with at any given time. Plus I like helping things grow, and seeing this go from idea-we-had-in-a-bar to an app that anyone can download has been amazing.

How did you first get interested in beer?

Stone night at Porter’s Pub while I was an undergrad at UCSD, shortly after turning 21. I thought I disliked beer until I came across all the insane flavors in their anniversary series. I was there with friends, and visiting breweries and trying new beers became our group hobbie almost immediately. We definitely spent a lot of time at Hamilton’s.

What’s your favorite beer you’ve tried recently? How about an all time favorite?

Just last weekend I had Rip Current Brewing’s In The Curl, and I’m in love with it. Noble’s I Love It is another recent favorite. As for the old stand bys, Alpine Duet, Alesmith IPA, and Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous top the list, and maybe Rochefort No. 8, Three Philosophers, and Aventinus when the mood strikes. And I always say my all time favorite is Stone’s 12th anniversary stout. I could go on for a while…

What were you up to before founding this company?

Composing, running my music company Equal Sound, playing in a couple of bands with Craig (still am), and working on my PhD.

What do you do for fun?

This! In all seriousness, I try to do things for work that I don’t have to separate from what I love spending my time on. So if it’s working with my best friends to help people drink better beer, that sounds like a fun weekend to me. And if I’m out going to a show, that’s usually influencing or related to my music work. I guess the only non-beer/music thing I do for recreation is to try to get outdoors now and then.

Can you share a ridiculous story about the founders?

If I could, it would involve one of us sleeping in bath tubs often enough that it seems significant.

What are you currently working on for the company?

I’m looking for a bit of angel funding to get the iOS version fully developed, and to be able to bring Barly to more users. If you’d like to help out, drop me a line at nick@barlyapp.com.