As with many breweries, the Castle Church story began with a love of home brewing and a quest to develop a recipe for Martin Luther's favorite beer. Somewhere along the way, many more people began to join us on brew days and we ended up with something better than a perfected recipe.
A community had developed around our craft beer. People were offering to use their talents to help out in ways like cooking food, playing music, making artwork, and bringing friends. Even though our quickly growing community was a mix of "churched" and "unchurched" types, we noticed that the setting was really conducive to having deeper conversations about life, prayer, and religion.
We began to explore a more intentional community over a year and a half of developing strategies for both a church plant and a craft brewery. We've been grateful to tap into the support and guidance from countless people along the way with experience in both areas, and are excited to be launching the first craft brewery owned by a church! We have been called to this new ministry and are blessed beyond measure.
A community had developed around our craft beer. People were offering to use their talents to help out in ways like cooking food, playing music, making artwork, and bringing friends. Even though our quickly growing community was a mix of "churched" and "unchurched" types, we noticed that the setting was really conducive to having deeper conversations about life, prayer, and religion.
We began to explore a more intentional community over a year and a half of developing strategies for both a church plant and a craft brewery. We've been grateful to tap into the support and guidance from countless people along the way with experience in both areas, and are excited to be launching the first craft brewery owned by a church! We have been called to this new ministry and are blessed beyond measure.
Our Founders:
Community Development Manager
Chris Dickman |
While growing up in restaurants, on stages, and in church, Chris found his passion for all things in the hospitality and service Industry. He is a born and bred central Florida native with over 25 years of experience and has filled any roll you can think of from dishwasher to director and from short order to the finest of dining. His college years were spent at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu earning him degrees in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management and is also a Certified Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers) and Certified Specialist of Wine (Society of Wine Educators).
Chris is also very active as a member in the church as a volunteer worship leader, the Lay Chair of the Space Coast Conference of the Florida Bahamas Synod, and is currently on the Synod Council within the ELCA. His recent history also includes years of being a volunteer in youth ministry in the local, state, and nationwide settings. Chris is incredibly excited and humbled to be a part of the Castle Church family and can’t wait to see how he can bring his passion and experience for the church and for genuine hospitality together unlike anything he’s done before. He would also be remised if he didn’t take a moment to thank his wife and kids for coming along on this journey with him, he truly couldn’t do it without their love and support. |
Head Brewer
Ed Ruble |
Growing up, Ed was always fascinated by how things worked. This curiosity drove him to attended Northwestern University where he studied Chemical Engineering. Ed joined the world of brewing in 2001 as an assistant Brewer at Avery Brewing company, then a 5000 bbl/yr operation. A few months in the industry was enough to convince him that he wanted to make brewing his career. Next, he landed at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Newark, NJ as the midnight shift Quality Manager. This proved to be the start of a very rewarding 8 years with AB in a variety of roles from project management to new product development at AB’s pilot brewery in St. Louis. In 2011 Ed seized the opportunity to return to his craft roots when he joined the team at Bell’s Brewery. Ed’s first role was to install and commission the new 200 bbl brewhouse at Bell’s production facility. During 4+ years with Bell’s Ed managed the Engineering and Maintenance Dept as well as Beer Production. Ed started working with Brewery Vivant in March 2016 as a consultant and just kept showing up. He joined the team full time on in September of 2016 as the Production Manager.
Life changed pretty dramatically in late 2017 when he and his family decided to answer a call to ministry. In January 2018 he started pursuing his Masters in Divinity as an online student at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. When Ed learned about Castle Church Brewing Community, the opportunity to blend his past experience in brewery operations with his goal of public ministry was just too good to pass up and he joined the team as Head Brewer. Ed and his wife Lisa were married in 2005 and have three rambunctious sons: Thomas (2009), Josiah (2011) and Benjamin (2014). They are avid waterskiers and enjoy spending time outdoors. |
Brewery Advisory Board:
Jim Armstrong Jim is the Resident Partner of the Central Florida offices of Walton Lantaff Legal Firm, where he works on civil litigation. Outside of his formal cases, he has received numerous awards for pro bono work. Passions of his include serving as an advocate for children in the foster care system as Attorney Guardian Ad Litem and Board Chairperson of Lawyers for Children America, Inc. He also serves as legal representative of IDignity Seminole, Inc., an organization that obtains identification for the indigent and homeless. |
Kelly Champagne Kelly is currently the North American Marketing Manager for F-Secure, a global consumer security company headquartered in Finland. In her role, Kelly collaborates with F-Secure’s US and Canadian partners to develop, deploy, and analyze their go-to-market strategy. Most recently, she was the Marketing Manager for an Orlando-based automotive live chat company. Kelly has worked with brands such as Comcast, Charter, General Motors, Audi, BMW and Volkswagen. She holds a Bachelor’s in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and is a lifelong Packers, Brewers, and Badgers fan. Kelly currently resides in Orlando, Fla with her husband and fur babies, Bella the orange tabby cat, and Zula the boxer mix. |
Tony Donnelly Tony graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York and is now a Certified Executive Chef with the American Culinary Federation. He moved to the Kissimmee area in 1981, where he began a 20 year tenure as a Food and Beverage Executive with the Resort Division of Disney Co. This included travels to France and Italy, where he was instrumental in their resort and cruise line openings. Since then, he has served as Opening Director of Food and Beverage for the Champions Gate Golf Resort and, currently, as the Executive Chef for SAVOR Osceola. He loves the outdoors, golfing, fishing, cooking, and is most happy when he is with his wife and three children. |
Tom O'Reilly Tom O'Reilly is President and CEO of Aptaris. He has spent decades developing an understanding of retail from both the store and vendor perspective with hands-on, in-the-details experience in advertising and promotion, including new media innovations. He is an entrepreneur with a history of driving innovation, growth, and profitability. Tom reads voraciously, keeping up to date on cutting-edge ideas in business. And he enjoys biography and fiction in his spare time. He is involved in numerous local and statewide church leadership bodies, mission and ministry organizations, and enjoys singing in choir, antique cars, and baseball season. |
Jessica Rivera Jessica’s commitment to public service began when she became a Sergeant in the United States Army in 1998, where she received the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and two Army Commendation Medals. After fulfilling her military contract in 2002, she moved to Orlando and became an advisor to four different elected officials as Legislative Aide/Community Outreach Liaison. She also has experience in the private sector, having supervised all areas of human resources for a multi-unit organization in the U.S. and the Bahamas. In January of 2013, she founded her own firm, “No More Mondays, LLC,” which does Human Resources and Governmental Affairs consulting for other organizations. |
Jacob Schmalzle Jacob has a business degree from Wittenberg University and a dynamic resume that includes launching three of his own companies. He works as a private consultant, specializing in comprehensive business plan writing. Jacob's experience ranges from transport logistics to dog food manufacturing, and everything in between! He maintains a focus in business on sustainability, the environment, social empowerment, and he has become an integral part of our organization. Jacob is actively involved in the church, and always ready for a friendly round of golf! |
Our Church Council:
Jose Aenlle Jose is Cuban raised but was born in the Dominican Republic after his family fled the Castro regime in the 80’s. He studied Piano Performance at Stetson University and went on to pursue his Master’s in Orchestral Conducting and Arranging at the University of Central Florida. Jose has been passionate about worship since his early youth. Currently he serves at Spirit of Joy Church in Orlando, Florida, and is a member of a Worship Band named One Sacrifice that blends traditional worship, modern, and original compositions, seeking to raise the spirit in worship to God. |
Sister Michelle Collins Michelle is a graduate of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN with an M.A. in Educational Leadership. In 2011, she was consecrated as an ELCA Deaconess, joining a community of women whose history, theology, and lifestyle centers around service, leadership, advocacy, and mutual commitment to faithful living. Since then she has served as Director of Faith Formation at Advent Lutheran Church, Melbourne, FL and in various youth and leadership ministries throughout the Florida Bahamas Synod. She is passionate about supporting young children and their families to live an intentional life of faith. |
Evie McDougall Evelyn hails from New England, though she's a Florida girl, having grown up in Winter Haven. She studied Business Management and French at the University of Florida (go Gators!) and currently works as a data analyst in health insurance benefits at Aon Hewitt. To balance out her logistical side, Evelyn enjoys singing, painting, experimenting with food, and exploring near and far. |
Kurt Meister Kurt’s passion has been art for as long as he can remember. He received his BFA in Studio art from Michigan State University. In the late 80’s to mid 90’s he made his living selling paintings at outdoor art festivals, moving his studio to Michigan for the summers and Florida for the winters. He eventually moved back to Orlando to be around his Parents and has worked here as a Graphic Artist for 19 years. You could say it’s because of his German roots, that he loves beer. As a true Lutheran, he believes that God conversations should not just happen at church but around a pint as well. |
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