DRINK SPRING 2020
You, Too, Can Brew There’s nothing like a beer to make things better
O
NE COLD, BRIGHT SATURDAY, MEMBERS OF BARLEY MOB BREWERS, A LARGE homebrewing club in Chattanooga, sit around a long table at Hutton & Smith. The ambience is half April-colored sunshine, half cave-cozy. Around the table, beers stand in various states of half-full to half-empty: Hutton & Smith’s Promenade IPA, a couple of Pilsners, a German-style Altbier, and a richly colored Schwarzbier. By Jenn Webster Pulse contributor
Generous with their time, a half dozen folks from Barley Mob have gathered to enjoy a cold one and discuss the joys of home brewing. Chris Arnt, current Barley Mob president, came to brewing as a rugby player for Tulane in the late 1980s. He started drinking craft beers in New Orleans when such drinks were difficult to find, and thought to himself, “How do I get more of these?” The obvious answer was to brew them himself. 14 • THE PULSE • MARCH 12, 2020 • SRPING DRINK GUIDE • CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM
There weren’t a lot of resources at the time, adds Brian Bender, past vice president and current unofficial IT director of Barley Mob. There was the famous Charles Papazian’s Complete Joy of Home Brewing, but nowhere to buy equipment. Early home brewers converted things they found around their house or garage into brew pots, fermenters, siphons and the like. And while today you can purchase fancy home brewing kits online or in boutique stores, you can still handtool what you need. “Brewing is as expensive or as inexpensive as you want to make it,”
Brian says. He goes on to explain that the American Homebrewers Association was one of the earliest groups to support home brewing. “Barriers started to break down,” he says. “The Homebrewers Association was building teams, hosting panels, funding grants for minorities and women in brewing…it’s starting to open up, and I love seeing that in brewing. There’s more to be brought to the table.” Meanwhile, Chris Arnt and his wife, Tracy, had started a homebrewing club in Atlanta before moving to Chattanooga. With their kids grown
