Business
www.SanTanSun.com
February 15 - 28, 2014
19
Hitting the road: Donors help direct craft beer show BY BETH LUCAS
James Swann is ready to hit the road. Destination: You decide. Swann is host and beer expert of “Adventures in Brew,” a local Web-based show launched in 2013 to celebrate craft beer in Arizona. He and his small crew have featured local breweries with how-to tours and satirical beer challenges. He’s ready to expand his local show and take it to renowned breweries nationwide with a fundraising effort that allows the donors to decide where the show heads first. His vision is a national show that highlights Arizona as a craft beer destination. But also a show that educates Arizonans about craft brewery—at home and around the globe. “I love watching what’s happening here in Arizona during the last few years with craft beer,” Swann explains. “Just how it’s grown up, all the amazing places that have opened.” The show is using www.CrowdBrewed. com, a popular crowd-funding site for craft breweries. The idea is donors vote on where the show visits. Top votes of funders will direct where the show films its first out-of-state segments. Top contenders are areas considered renowned for craft brew, locations like San Diego and Denver. To hit the road, the crew needs $10,000 in donations. That estimate should fund two trips, based on numbers the show provided.
DONORS VOTE: Local Web-based “Adventures in Brew” show asks donors to help fund and then map a trip that takes the show on the road. Submitted photo by Charissa Heckard
If there are enough funds for multiple trips, the votes will decide where the show goes first, then second, Swann explains. The fundraising goes directly toward travel expenses and production crew as the show grows. Going on the road, for instance, may require a second camera operator. Swann began his love of brew in London, where he grew up and began his career working in pubs—a lifestyle that he says transferred easily to the growing interests in Arizona. Craft brew is growing as a popular social activity in Arizona, as more local breweries open, and more home brewers make their mark, Swann says. Craft brew encourages people to try new things—and to share the experience, he explains. “I’ve been drinking craft beer for as long as I can remember,” he says. “Even before it was hip. Arizona has the largest home brewer club in the United States, the
CRAFT BEER: Chandler resident James Swann, host of “Adventures in Brew,” is seeking to take his local Web show national with unique fundraiser. Submitted photo by Charissa Heckard
Arizona Society of Home Brewers. It’s really growing in interest here. “Beyond that, there are just people who are looking for, and finding, better options,” he adds. “As people get older, they get wiser. Their palates are growing, and they are looking for better experiences. Craft beer has become such a wonderful thing, even ‘wine snobs’ are getting into beer because of all of the different delicacies and intricacies that go into the process of brewing these amazing brews.” The shows take a serious look a craft beer and how it is made, and adds a twist of fun with a silly competition among brewers, Swann says. Because of its current Web broadcast, the show already gets outof-state viewers, but Swann hopes to grow the show dramatically nationwide. “We want to bring it all back to our
buddies in Arizona and show them what else is out there,” Swann adds. Swann promises to continue to make his mark locally by featuring five new unique brews of his own at The Perch Pub and Brewery opening in downtown Chandler this month. “All of the beers we brew will certainly contain really unique flavors,” he says. “Strange things you don’t expect to find in beer. We will be brewing on a regular basis. Craft beer doesn’t have to be intimidating. It can be a lot of fun.” His brewmaster at The Perch, Andrew Bauman, says the craft brews will also be used in some recipes, or paired with meals. Ideas circulating for unique craft beers include a grilled grapefruit Belgian beer and honey pear golden ale. About 24 kegs of unique beer will be brewed each week, and guests can sit in a park-like setting and watch the brewing behind glass. “I’d say craft beer generally comes from the heart and soul of beer,” Bauman says. The show provides new options for craft beer lovers seeking more. “People are starting to get in touch with their food and they want it presented in a fun way.” To donate and vote, visit https:// crowdbrewed.com/rewards/campaigns/ adventures-in-brew/. Beth Lucas is a freelancer for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at news@ santansun.com.
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