Best beard in brewing

BY JOHN H. WALKER

ob Jones says he’s had a beard “Ever since I could grow one.”

Well, he grew a good one, because readers of Brew Scene have named his beard as the “Best Beard in Brewing” in the latest Reader’s Awards competition.

“That’s great,” Jones, who is multimedia coordinator at New Bern’s Tryon Palace, said with a chuckle. “Really, there have been very few times in my adult life when I can remember not having a beard.”

Jones said that on his wedding day, his then-future wife, Dawn, told him she wanted him clean shaven.

“So I did and that was that,” he laughed, adding that the beard soon started to grow again.

Jones has a full, reddish-color beard that can’t be missed. It is neatly trimmed and even.

“I trim it every week, once a week,” he said. “I work for the state, so it’s a requirement of the job, but I want it to be neat and trimmed. I don’t want to look like a Saturday night hobo.”

He said he trims out the longer hairs as well as stray hairs and curly ones.

“There was a time when I went to the barber to get it trimmed, but that got expensive,” he said. “So I learned how to do it myself.”

Jones said the most common question he gets is, “How long did it take (to grow)?”

He said he really couldn’t answer that, because he started growing his beard about four years ago and that the effort is more a work in progress than anything.

And just like bad hair days, there are bad beard days as well.

“Those days, I just try to keep it in check and keep it trim.”

Jones said he makes his own beard oil to help with grooming.

“I have sensitive skin, so I messed with several different oils that work,” he said. “It’s good on my skin and it eliminates dandruff, too.”

That’s right. A beard that is not maintained well can result in dry, itchy skin as well as dandruff.

Jones said he began making his own mixture because, just like the trims at a barber shop, the costs add up.”

Jones said he would advise someone just starting to grow a beard to be patient.

“Don’t touch it for three months, as it is growing to grow at different speeds at different spots on you face. Give it a chance to fill in before you decide you don’t like it and cut it off.”

When he’s not brewing his own beer or working at Tryon Palace, Jones might be found spending time with his wife and their four children, coaching baseball or teaching newbies how to brew their own beer.

Jones, who has been brewing for 25 years, teaches the Introduction to Home Brewing class with Brutopia Brewing owner Tim Dryden at Craven Community College at part of Craven’s Workforce Development department.

“I wanted to share the knowledge that I have gained over the last 25 years of brewing,” Jones said in a Craven Community College news release. “When I

Rstarted brewing, information was garnered from brewer to brewer in person. Today, there is a wealth of information on the web, but can it totally be trusted?”

Jone said he tells people the difference in purchasing a beer from a microbrewery, such as Brutopia and from a megabrewery is that instead of the money going to buy another vacation home or yacht for the CEO, it goes to help pay for braces or dance lessons.

“It’s buying local, and it really does make a difference and it really does impact people and their lives.”

Finishing in second place was Aaron Avery of Big Game Brewing in Kinston while Jones’ teaching partner, Tim Dryden of BrÜtopia, took third.

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Rob Jones

2nd - Aaron Avery (Big Game Brewing, Kinston NC) 3rd - Tim Dryden (Brutopia, New Bern, NC)