Hey guys! My name is Nick Heid and I’m an avid surf fisherman and an average beer drinker. I started “How To Beer” in 2023 because I love beer and I think there are quite a few people in this world who share that passion.

I grew up in San Diego (microbrewery capital of the world) and I’ve lived here ever since. After college is when my life really took off; it’s also when I started drinking beer, believe it or not.

I started a surf fishing blog and with it, a surf fishing charter (hence the photo of me with a fish below). Covid hit right around then, I got furloughed from my back up part-time job and went fulltime with my fishing business. Eventually, I had to afford life in San Diego and got a 9-5 but still consider my surf fishing business my fulltime.

There are a few things I value in life: surf fishing, my wife, my family, hockey (and many other sports – playing and watching), and beer. That’s pretty much all you need to know about me, and likely, more than you care to know about me… I guess I put surf fishing before my wife up there. Maybe you should know more about me, lol.

About How To Beer

How did I come to create a website centered around beer, you ask?

It all started on my 21st birthday. Before I talk about that though, I need to give a short precursor. I grew up the third of 4 boys and one saying (of others) that I was well-known for in the family circle was, “alcohol is bad for you”.

Yup, I was always against any form of alcohol. I thought it was immature and if you drank it, you were either 1), immature, 2), weren’t happy with your life and relied on alcohol to bring superficial happiness, or 3), you were simply trying to fit in / look and act more mature than you really were.

So What Changed?

Back to my 21st birthday. One of my best buddies came over for my casual birthday celebration. We sat by the fire and went about our usual conversation, but this night, knowing that I’d never had an ounce of alcohol, he brought a very special beer for me. I’m just playing. I don’t even know what the beer was, but I do remember the tase.

Looking back today, it was probably a standard American lager, but that’s not what matters. Because from that night forward, I changed. I didn’t love beer, but I didn’t hate it anymore.

Why? Honestly, I think it’s because I deeply respected this buddy of mine. I’ve never questioned his character and I knew he wasn’t any of the three things mentioned earlier. And, if he was a truly genuine guy and enjoyed drinking beer, than my second-hand formed opinion was due for some revisiting.

The Aftermath

Since that day, I’ve enjoyed many nights at breweries with a couple of my best buds (including the buddy from the night of my 21st). I’ve also enjoyed long nights by the fire drinking beers and talking about things you wouldn’t normally talk about if beer weren’t involved. And, I’ve enjoyed many beers while playing ping pong and listening to smooth jazz.

If that’s not enough info for you, you might just have to find me at Surf Fishing In So Cal and book a guided surf fishing session with me to get to know me on another level.