Bill Howell has been an avid craft beer drinker and homebrewer since 1988. Upon retiring from the U.S. navy in 2004, Howell moved to Alaska where he blogs about the Alaskan craft brewing scene at alaskanbeer.blogspot.com. In 2007 he created a beer appreciation course titled the Art and History of Brewing, which he teaches annually at the University of Alaska. He is the founder of the Kenai Peninsula Brewing & Tasting Society and serves as a media consultant to the Brewers Guild of Alaska.