Dr. David Ryder, an accomplished brewer, will join City Lights Brewing Company in the newly created position of "Chief Innovation Officer."

A native of England, Dr. Ryder obtained his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of London and subsequently received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, RSA and the University of Brussels, Brussels Belgium.

Dr. Ryder was formerly the International Technical Consultant – Global Operations Manager for Stella Artois, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium. He subsequently moved to Chicago and was the Vice President of Technical Services for J.E. Siebel Sons, Inc., including the prestigious Siebel Institute.

After an illustrious 23 year career, Dr. Ryder recently retired as a Vice President from MillerCoors where he was responsible for their brewing, research, innovation and quality operations.

Dr. Ryder holds 23 patents related to brewing and hops and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

City Lights President Robin Gohsman stated, "We are both excited and humbled to have Dr. Ryder join our team. David brings an unmatched wealth of brewing knowledge and expertise and he is as nice personally as he is accomplished professionally."

Dr. Ryder added, "My passion has always been perfecting the delicate balance between the science and art of brewing. I am excited to join what promises to be a truly exceptional craft brewery and assist the brewing team in creating consistently high quality and balanced, great tasting brews."

In addition to world class brewing innovations, Dr. Ryder will assist City Lights with further educational outreach on all things beer related, government compliance and regulations issues and supporting the implementation of best-in-class brewing and quality policies and procedures.