War correspondent turned Brooklyn Brewery king

Steve Hindy went from war correspondent in the Middle East to desk guy back in New York to beer master. All in the blink of an eye. Or rather, 10 years.

Sounds like a path I would take, though as a journalist, I've never covered a war or any event outside of Hawaii. No complaints, just saying ...

Brooklyn Brewery was born out of a love, dedication and passion for great beer. Hindy's story on The Big Idea was so compelling, it made me want to explore his brewery and even more breweries than I had in mind. What started as Hindy's homemade beer in a New York apartment had its roots in Saudi Arabia. It was there that he learned the mechanics of home brewing from other Westerners, all living in a dry nation.

Underneath the business success — $15 million in revenue last year — is Hindy's passion and perseverance. His company was one of the first microbreweries to sprout on the East Coast during a time when the West Coast was the bastion of the movement. Hindy left a good-paying job with Associated Press to pursue his dream, but I wonder if he ever imagined in the early years that it would blossom like this.

Just one more reason to visit New Yawk City!