Ourshelves

What does an atheist/war buff/microbiologist do for a living? Brew beer, of course. What does he do when he's not brewing? He reads: books on World War II, sociobiology, and beer.

Chip McElroy is a man of many interests, which manifest themselves upon his bookshelves. He is fascinated with World War II. "My uncle was in one of these battalions," he says as he touches the spine of Tank Destroyer Forces by Turner. Next to this sits Hitler's Last Gamble by Richard Anderson, and Battle of the Bulge by Hugh Cole. Chip is a fan of used-book stores, and many of his hardcovers have large yellow stickers on them that indicate a bargain. This is how he became interested in sociobiology -- by perusing the spines of used books and finding The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. "I thought, 'Wow! Somebody writes about this stuff?'"

What exactly is sociobiology? "It's new," he says. "It's the way our biology affects our social interactions." He moves his head in a way that says, sort of. So are his books on religious thought and atheism a part of his interest in sociobiology? "Well, there you go!" he says, which seems to mean it all depends on who you ask.

Chip holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from UT; he cradles his dissertation and reads the title aloud. His wife, Laura, who is expecting their second child any day now, walks by and says, "Blah, blah, blah." Chip agrees that it is a very long title. He continues to hold it while he pulls out other favorites: Who Wrote the Bible by Freedman and Science, the Good, Bad and Bogus by Martin Gardiner. So does Chip consider himself to be a ...

"Skeptic?" he interrupts. "Oh, yes."

"Brewing is all about enzymology, fermentation, and chemistry," he says as he picks up a dense textbook on organic chemistry. "I was the curve wrecker. I loved this stuff." This was when he was enrolled in pre-med psychology, which was right after he majored in advertising and worked for a time in a morgue. He started brewing then. "Everyone was doing something," he says. "I brewed." Does he think his multifarious education and interests help him to brew better beer? "Yeah, I do. I think I really understand the process." And if he doesn't understand something, you can bet he'll read up on it.