Deschutes Brewery’s next director of brewery operations will come from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Mark Fischer, former senior plant engineer at New Belgium, will join Deschutes on April 30, the company announced Thursday. Fischer fills a role held by Karl Ockert, who left the company to become a consultant in the craft beer industry.

Fischer said he’s had an affinity for Deschutes Brewery since he visited in 2009 for an industry meeting. “They were just every warm and friendly and passionate about craft beer,” he said. He will report directly to CEO Michael LaLonde.

Fischer spent 15 years at New Belgium, where in various roles he managed all brewing operations, maintenance, wastewater treatment systems and the expansion of production capacity from 250,000 barrels per year to 700,000 barrels per year, Deschutes Brewery stated in a press release. Fischer also was instrumental in the design, construction and startup of New Belgium’s brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, Deschutes stated.

— Bulletin staff reports