English Knowles and Jim Knowles are siblings who grew up in the shadow of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. English has a passion for multi-day adventures and has completed treks around the world. She developed an interest in craft beer while working in the fermentation industry in California. English currently works as a Family Nurse Practitioner and splits her time between Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and Chamonix, France. Jim got a taster for the combination of real ale and hillwalking while living in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1990s. He polished his palate on Czech pilsners while teaching in Prague. When not hiking, Jim teaches medieval and early modern literature in the English Department at North Carolina State University. He lives in Durham, NC with his wife and family of hikers.