Southern Craft Beer Magazine

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your

KENTUCKY

BEER JOURNEY begins at

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N RD, LOUISVILLE, KY

WWW.HOPCAT.COM

1064 BARDSTOW

40+

KENTUCKY DRAFTS DAILY FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE

TOP 10 FRENCH FRIES IN AMERICA

XINGTON, KY 410 W. SHORT ST. LE S O C R A F T B E E R M AG.CO M

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CONTENT 18 CHARLESTON: RICH IN HISTORY & BEER!

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HAVE YOUR CAKE & EAT IT TOO!

28 OYSTERS & ALE NEW ENGLAND STYLE

36 EDMUND’S OAST: THE HOLY CITY’S THREEHEADED ANGEL

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ON THE COV ER

“Its Good to be the King” Join us for a sip of “Trop Hop IPA” from King’s Calling brewery. We sit down with founder Austen Kroll, star of Bravo’s hit TV show Southern Charm, and find out why it’s good to be the King!

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CONTENT

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COVER STORY

TRAVEL

SPOTLIGHT

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AUSTEN KROLL: GOOD TO BE THE KING

TAILGATE: BURGERS, BARBECUE AND BEER

HOPE SPRINGS DISTILLERY

ON TAP

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34 DSSOLVR HAS ARRIVED

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MEET CINCINNATI, OHIO’S URBAN ARTIFACT

46 BOW & ARROW BREWERY SHINES IN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

56 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE’S CROSSTOWN BREWERY BLOWS UP

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62 AN INTRO TO LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY’S COUNTRY BOY BREWERY

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EXPLORE TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

54 STEER ME!

60 SUITE SPOTS

SOCIAL

69 CHUKKERS FOR CHARITY

70 BOOTLEGGERS BASH

71 CIGART

New

same great beer.

The doors to our world-class taproom and brewery are officially open!

Come enjoy your favorite Yazoo brews, now paired with scenic views from our taproom patio, as well as an all-new brewery tour experience.

We can’t wait to see you. Cheers!

Yazoo Brewing Company 900 River Bluff Drive Madison, TN 37115 YazooBrew.com Linus Hall, Owner/Brewmaster

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SOUTHERN

MANAGEMENT

SALES & MARKETING

CEO/ PUBLISHER

US SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER

Craig Disque

Luke Koferl luke@socraftbeermag.com

COO/PRESIDENT Didi Rainey

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING

didi@quemedia.press

info@quemedia.press

EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

GUEST EXECUTIVE EDITOR

WRITERS

Doug Mulford

Eric Abodeely, Chris Chamberlain,

doug@quemedia.press

Scott Douglas, Jeff Hulett, Jeff

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

priestpointwineandspirits.com

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Kennedy, Doug Mulford, Tristan

Milton White

Riesen, Ale Sharpton, Rob

milton@thefashionoffice.com

Shomaker, Nancy Vienneau,

DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHERS

LAYOUT AND DESIGN

Jay Adkins, Tiffany Bessire,

Tahir Butt

Frozen Exposure, Peyton Hoge,

tahirbut89@gmail.com

Michael Parks, Charika White

QUE MEDIA PRESS, LLC 1127 Nashboro Blvd.

Nashville, TN 37217

@SOCraftBeerMag

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Cheers Everyone!

Even though I’ve worked for breweries, written about them, and made a career promoting the beverage industry as a whole, those of you that know me would say that first and foremost, I am a beer geek. As a huge fan of this industry, especially the artistic expression in today’s brewing culture, it was a tremendous honor that the owners of Southern Craft Beer Magazine asked me to be the guest editor for this issue. And of course, when I heard we would be featuring South Carolina, I was all in! Especially since I got to explore the scene alongside the always fun COO Didi Raney and longtime friend and beer guru, the incomparable Ale Sharpton!

We start our journey in the food and beverage Mecca, Jewel of the South, the Holy City: Charleston, South Carolina! This is where Fridays start on Wednesday. After dropping our bags at the majestic Restoration Hotel in the heart of downtown (Suite Spots), Ale, Didi, and the rest of the squad hit up Edmund’s Oast, one of my favorite culinary destinations; then we did a bottle share with reality TV star Austen Kroll of Southern Charm who justly got the cover story discussing his new King’s Calling brewing venture. Impressive breweries Commonhouse Aleworks, Dockery’s, Mount Pleasant’s iconic Westbrook, plus the Brew Cellar were also gracious hosts who happily kept our glasses filled.

And do yourself the favor of not sleeping on Greenville, SC; it’s culinary, hospitality and overall scene is exploding. Hit up the Euphoria Good Festival next year to see what I mean. The word is out on Charleston, but Columbia, Rock Hill and Greenville have got it going on too.

Of course, we feature other Southern gems including where to go in Tuscaloosa, Memphis, Chattanooga, Asheville, and Lexington to name a few, so grab a brew, kick back, and check out our hard work putting this fun issue together. And a special shout out to everyone supporting this magazine and preserving the art of journalism!

Thanks for the gracious hospitality South Carolina. You are a state to watch!

And for those of you that haven’t been yet, go and ecplore! You won’t be disappointed

Doug Mulford Guest Executive Editor Southern Craft Beer Magazine

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CON TRI BUTORS

Dennis Malcolm Byron aka Ale Sharpton is a world-renowned beer authority, awardwinning journalist, blogger (AleSharpton.com), photographer, and creative director for numerous projects. While passionately traveling the globe to cover what he terms the world’s best beverage, follow Ale on Twitter (@alesharpton) and his captivating Instagram (@realalesharpton).

Eric Abodeely is an A/V and security system salesman with a long-running passion for all things craft beer. As an amateur homebrewer and former craft beer brand manager for a prominent wholesaler in New Hampshire, he has a wide range of experience in the world of craft beer. While eating his way through the vibrant Southern cuisine of Charleston SC, Eric is perpetually in pursuit of the perfectly paired craft beer. Prost!

Rob Shomaker is a longtime craft beer enthusiast from Knoxville, Tennessee. He has written about the craft beer scene since he cofounded his blog, knoxbeersnobs.com in 2010.

Rob has been a part of many beer adventures including the Knoxville Area Brewers Association (KABA) and the Tennessee Winter Beer Fest, founded in 2011, which benefits New Hope Blount County Children’s Advocacy Center.

He is a Certified Cicerone® and a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Certified Beer Judge.

Nancy Vienneau is a food writer and cookbook author living in Nashville Tennessee who appreciates how a golden lager can transport her to a beach on the Sea of Cortes, a citrusy saison can turn a supper into a celebration and a milk stout can make the most seductive chocolate cake.

Jeff Hulett is a freelance writer, musician, and PR consultant in Memphis. He lives in the Vollintine Evergreen neighborhood with his wife Annie, two girls Ella and Beatrice, and two dogs Chalupa and Princess Freckles.

Design by Adam Jones | ALJ Innovations

We’re thrilled to finally offer our flagship beers Dos Perros and Pale Ale in cans!

Look for 12-packs wherever Yazoo Beer is sold.

A Nashville Original.

YazooBrew.com

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FEATURE STORY

“Charleston Rich in History and Beer” You may know Charleston, SC, for its rich history, culture, or more likely, its food, but have you explored this city’s beer? Writer Rob Shomaker gives us the insider’s perspective on what places are a must on your next visit to Charleston and justify why it’s quickly becoming a prime beer destination in the South.

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Join us for a

Cruise or book your Private Event

Visit schoonerpride.com Call (843) 722-1112 Aquarium Wharf, 360 Concord St, Charleston, SC 29401

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T

he water off the coast of Charleston may not be warm enough by mid-April to go for a swim at the beach or to talk a buddy into taking the boat out for the first time of the season, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any aquatic activities in the Low Country. Coinciding with the 350th anniversary of the founding of Charleston, Sperry Charleston Race Week is April 23-26 for its 25th anniversary regatta—the first of three boat races coming to the area this spring.

“It’s really the gift that keeps on giving,” said Randy Draftz, event director of Sperry Charleston Race Week and owner of the outfitting company Charleston Yachting.

“As the event has grown we’ve seen more and more interaction between European and domestic competitors and manufacturers.”

In 2019, there were 179 races spread across four days. Customarily, the fourth day¬—Sunday—is reserved for medal ceremonies, but due to inclement weather on Saturday, the completion of the Pursuit Hybrid and Pursuit Race events were delayed until the following day. Ultimately, five of the six Pursuit events came down to the final stretch, with ten boats in the fleet battling 20-22 knot winds that had gusts of up to 30 knots. The 2020 Sperry Charleston Race Week promises more of the same, with world-class competitors showing up for what has over the last decade become the world’s largest keelboat regatta, and quite a party to go along with the racing.

CHARLESTON RACE WEEK

BY JEFF KENNEDY

Sperry Charleston Race Week is April 23-26 for its 25th anniversary regatta,the first of three boat races coming to the area this spring.

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“Last year we served over 16,000 Dark and Stormy cocktails across three nights,” said Draftz. “That’s seventy-five cases of Gosling’s Rum and 400 pounds of limes.”

And while the event’s signature drink is a cocktail and not a beer, Draftz says that beer is available at the beach party, buffet, and bar that takes place the first three nights of the event from 6-9pm. “We had a sponsorship with Sierra Nevada a few years ago, but for the last two or three, we haven’t had a craft beer partner. We’d love to have one, though! It’s such a great event for Charleston.”

The Sperry Charleston Race Week isn’t the only race coming to Charleston next year. On May 10, two weeks after Sperry Charleston Race Week has concluded, a different race will begin in the port city of Brest, France. The Transat, short for Trans-Atlantic and the oldest solo ocean race in the world, has sailors coming from the coast of Brittany to Charleston on single-occupancy tri-hull IMOCA 60sailboats.

Sixty years ago when the competition began it could take roughly forty days to get from Europe to America, but now it takes anywhere from eight to 23.

Draftz said, “The Transat is really an endurance race. The competitors are living off of twenty-minute cat naps the whole time they’re out there and burning 7,000 calories a day.”

The Transat usually has obstacles of fog and ice to contend with, and there’s even been collisions with whales in the place that have damaged boats. The further north the racers go, the more likely they are to encounter chunks of glacial ice; if they venture too far south in their journey, they’re going to add hundreds of miles onto their path.

This is the first time the course of the Transat will take its racers as far south as Charleston. Traditionally, the race has finished in northern cities like Boston, New York, and Newport.

“It’s exciting to have ships from Europe coming into Charleston on our 350th anniversary,” said Draftz. “Hopefully Charleston will becoming more and more of an international destination for sailboat racing.”

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND. (THE ONE NOT HOLDING THE GLASS.)

One good tap deserves another. The Drink KY app connects you to Kentucky’s amazing Kentucky Proud craft beer and wine scene with just a few taps of your device. Download the app and start exploring, checking into Kentucky breweries and wineries, sharing your tasting notes and earning rewards as you visit taprooms and vineyards across the state. The app is free and available at your preferred app store.

Available for iPhone and Android devices.

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FEATU RE STO RY

Charleston: Rich in History &

Beer!

BY ROB SHOMAKER

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here is something whimsical in the air. The weather may be hot, cold or have just enough warmth to justify a brisk run along the beach. It doesn’t matter, Charleston has an aura about it that many find so captivating that they never leave.

For those of us in the South, Charleston is easily accessible from land or air and sea. It offers not only rich history and culture, but also beaches, golf, and an unrivaled culinary scape. Ultimately, there is something here for everyone!

As one of America’s oldest cities, originally founded in 1670, the roots of history run deep. Past generations have made their mark as evidenced

by The Battery’s beauty at the city’s most southeast point, Fort Sumter’s historical first shots of the Civil War, beautiful antebellum homes, the CSS Hunley, USS Yorktown, and of course, then there is the beer.

Charleston has found a way to so beautifully intertwine food and beer through its renowned chefs and incredibly talented brewers. It’s hard to enter any dining establishment and find not only craft beer but local craft beer on draft. There is a keen sense of community and support of local businesses from the farm, to table, and back… Go…. Go hungry! Expect to move your belt a notch before you leave. Indulge in Charleston with what it has to offer not only in fare, but also what it will offer your soul in rich history and class.

When one arrives in Charleston, the senses are easily captivated by a multitude of choices. While the following list is by no means exhaustive, these are a few of the must stops:

Charles Towne Fermentory Just west of downtown you’ll find Charles Towne Fermentory which, as of recent, may be creating the most buzz both inside and outside of Charleston. Co-owner Adam Goodwin’s brewing vitae includes Trillium Brewing in Boston which, for hops heads, means Adam knows his way around a good IPA. Hops not your thing? No worries, there’s more to be found here including a kitchen structured to accommodate visiting chefs on a regular basis. No two visits to Charles Towne will ever be the same.

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Coast Brewing Company If you find yourself in North Charleston on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday afternoon, be sure to stop by Coast Brewing Company. While Coast may perhaps be best known for their herculean leadership in the Pop the Cap South Carolina efforts, the art exhibited through their beer will not be forgotten. The 32°/50° Kölsch is a must and it, as well as the Hop Art Pale Ale, can be readily found about town. While you never know what they may have on tap, they are known to play and if you are lucky, you might find their Boy King DIPA, or a barrel-aged Blackbeerd Imperial Stout on tap.

Edmund’s Oast If you do nothing else in Charleston, go here.

There are three destinations: the restaurant, the brewery, and Edmund’s Oast Exchange. The restaurant contains a nano brewery—an extensive draft list of both Edmund’s Oast beer and beer from across the globe. Along with the beer being phenomenal, the food may very well outshine the taps. While the menu does rotate, the charcuterie program is exceptionally well done and worth your attention. Go early, stay late, thank me later. The Exchange is right next door with plenty of to-go options of both carefully selected beer and wine from both near and far. The brewery isn’t far away and is a great place to get a bite, enjoy a more expansive Edmund’s Oast draft list, and, like the restaurant, is always worth the stop.

Freehouse Brewery Freehouse can be found just a short drive northwest from Edmund’s Oast. While you may think you are venturing into an industrial area, you’ll be pleased to find Freehouse on the backside of a building overlooking an incredibly picturesque marshland area. Be sure to try their saison and ask the bartender about their use of organic ingredients.

Holy City Brewing Company, Baker and Brewer Holy City Brewing Company got its start in North Charleston behind a Honda motorcycle dealership. This fall, they will make their final move to their new location in Park Circle not too far away. What began as a small homebrew operation in the back of the Charleston Rick Shaw Company grew into one of Charleston’s most well-known craft beer brands. Each beer pays homage to the area in some way, shape or form with names like Pluff Mud Porter, Washout

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Wheat, and Slanted Porch Pale Ale. Thanks to a collaborative relationship with the premier wood-fired pizzeria in the area, Evo Pizzeria, Baker & Brewer is another extension of the HCB team that is well worth the stop. This collaborative enterprise combines the excellence of Holy City’s beer via an onsite brewhouse with Evo’s creative and incredibly delicious culinary masterpieces. You can find Baker & Brewer on Stuart Street just north of downtown and within what’s known as the brewery district.

House of Brews A Charleston favorite, you’ll find HoB in Mount Pleasant just before the bridge going to Sullivan’s Island. It is what it sounds like, a house, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll miss it. There’s always a great draft selection and a very cool bier garden in the back. However, the best part is hunting for beer in the dimly lit converted bedrooms. You never know what treasure you might find. You’ll also encounter a knowledgeable staff who can bring you up to speed on all things Charleston beer while you enjoy a pint or two.

Munkle Brewing Company Co-owner Palmer Quimby’s uncle Rob, a beer-brewing monk, not only inspired Palmer’s passion for craft beer, but also the brewery name, Munkle. Staying true to uncle Rob’s brewing roots, Belgian and abbey-inspired beers with this brewery along with some barrel aged specialties. Uncle Rob’s teaching has made an impression both within and outside of Charleston as Munkle may be one of the city’s most awarded breweries. Well worth the stop.

Revelry Brewing Company A short hop north from Baker & Brewer are the innovative folks at Revelry Brewing Company. From their Gullah Cream ale and the Lefty Loosey IPA, to creative sours, Revelry does not disappoint. Their rooftop bar is a must-not-miss as is The Hold, their barrel room and event space just a short walk away.

Westbrook Brewing This article wouldn’t be complete without Westbrook Brewing. Westbrook is one of the most recognizable names in Charleston craft beer as they continue to expand their distribution footprint in the South. While we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention them, you can find a full article on this leading brewery in this issue, so read on.

Charleston. Rich in history, containing a depth of culinary opportunities, and flowing with artfully inspired, quality craft beer. What’s not to love?

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In 14th Century Germany, the northern town of Einbeck was notorious for brewing a strong, malty beer. Bavarian monks borrowed this stronger style to enjoy as a supplement during times of fasting.

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B REWERY P RO FI L E

Have Your Cake

&

Eat It Too

BY ERIC ABODEELY

Photos by Michael Parks

Coming up on a decade of producing some of South Carolina’s finest, rarest, and most sought-after beers, Westbrook Brewing Company shows no signs of slowing down. Founded by Edward and Morgan Westbrook in 2010, the brewery showcases creativity and care in every beer they produce to keep their diehard fans always coming back for more.

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t’s a casual late summer afternoon in Mount Pleasant, a rapidly growing suburb of Charleston, South Carolina. In this area of the state known as the Lowcountry, the balmy summer weather—as I know it as a native New Englander— will continue for at least another month. I’m inside the comfortably air-conditioned tasting room of one of the forefathers of the craft beer scene in South Carolina with an opaque beverage in front of me reminiscent of orange juice in appearance. The nose is a combination of lemon rind and ripe peach flesh is not dissimilar from the hazy IPAs of New England that are all the rage of the craft beer community at present moment.

At a time when there were only two other breweries in the Charleston area, Westbrook debuted with an interesting take on the popular Belgian White style of beer most commonly represented by Blue Moon. But rather than go down the typical path of brewing their wheat beer with the classic additions of coriander and orange peel, Edward Westbrook decided to take a Southeast Asian detour and use lemongrass and ginger instead. The result is White Thai, a uniquely citrusymeets-spicy beer that excites and refreshes the palate.

Even when they were one of the only craft breweries in the Lowcountry, Westbrook still wanted to push the boundaries of what beer can be.

Upon first sip, the taste profile is that of unapologetic tropical fruit juice with no discernible bitterness you would expect from a traditional IPA created way back when the British were looking for a way to keep beer fresh on shipping routes from England to India. The description of the beer would make zero sense to a beer purist: “Hollandaise milkshake double IPA brewed with lactose, lemon, and egg yolks.”

But then you have to remember where you are. Westbrook Brewing Company has built their brewery and reputation on thinking outside the box when it comes to their approach to beer recipes and flavor profiles. And this HollanDaze IPA is the most recent example of what you can do when you don’t confine yourself to traditional beer style rules.

Fast forward nine years later and the number of breweries in the Lowcountry has increased nearly tenfold with 28 currently in operation and more in planning. And despite the new company in this ever-growing craft beer landscape, Westbrook still stands alone when it comes to the sheer number of unique beers they have the ability to conceptualize, brew, and release to the public. Once considered outlandish, the still sought-after Mexican Cake is the beer that made Westbrook a household name to the ever-growing craft beer community across the country. Cake is a 10.5% ABV imperial stout that is modeled after mole sauce and is brewed with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and fresh habanero peppers. First crafted by Edward and Morgan as

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a homebrew they bottled up and gave away as favors at their wedding, Cake Day is now a biannual event.

Locals flood the brewery twice a year for the regular releases in May and the ever-changing barrel-aged versions that are sold later in the year. Westbrook also keeps a wide cellar selection of their rare barrel-aged Cake variants that can be purchased and consumed on-site at the brewery.

Part of the inspiration to keep innovating comes from working alongside fellow brewer Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the mad scientist behind New York City’s Evil Twin Brewing. Jarnit-Bjergsø famously got his start in the U.S. beer scene as a gypsy brewer which is someone who utilizes other existing breweries to contract brew their recipes. With Westbrook having the foresight to put in enough brewing tanks to allow for sustained growth for the foreseeable future, that left extra brewing capacity that Jarnit-Bjergsø was happy to take advantage of. So in the fall of 2011 Jarnit-Bjergsø started contract brewing at Westbrook and brought his wildly imaginative liquid ideas with him. One such idea is Imperial Doughnut Break, an 11.5% ABV imperial

porter that has literally thousands of actual donuts added during the brewing process. Westbrook and Evil Twin have also collaborated on beers, combining their individual expertise in pastry stouts to create exciting new concoctions such as Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break, which is essentially a mash-up of Mexican Cake and Jarnit-Bjergsø’s Imperial Biscotti Break, and has almost every beer adjunct you can imagine including coffee, cinnamon, cocoa nibs, vanilla, almonds, and habanero peppers. And even though Jarnit-Bjergsø now has his own brewing facility in New York City, he still uses Westbrook for some of his more unique recipes.

“Basically if it’s a beer that’s kind of a pain to make, we make it for him because we’ll say yes,” says Westbrook General Manager Brendan Webb.

Another example of Westbrook’s forward-brewing mantra is their Gose and its many variants. Originally brewed because Morgan’s Oma suggested it, and essentially shamed her and Edward for not knowing what the style was, Gose has become a staple year-

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round beer for the brewery. Gose (pronounced “go-za”) began as a regional sour wheat beer created in the German town of Goslar back in the year 1000. Gose was originally brewed with water that had high salinity and was spontaneously fermented (fermenting without the specific addition of yeast, but rather exposed to naturally occurring yeast in the air) to create a tart, almost lemony beer with a noticeably salty finish. Eventually brewers learned they could achieve the same sour taste profile with traditional top-fermenting yeast and lactic acid, which made the process a little easier and more predictable. The style became so popular in the 18th century that it dominated the region with Gose-specific breweries shooting up in high concentrations in the bigger nearby cities of Leipzig and Halle. But later, after World War II, the style all but disappeared after the last brewery producing the style closed its doors. Gose remained a lost style for decades, only making brief and limited reappearances until surging back into the spotlight more recently with the growing popularity of sour beer in the US. Back in 2015, New York Times wine and food critic Eric Asimov called Westbrook’s Gose the best American version of the style. Oh, and they were the first brewery in history to put a Gose in cans. One could argue that Westbrook puts out a hipster Gose, because they were doing it before it was cool.

Gose isn’t the only classical beer style that Westbrook brews. More recently they dove headfirst into the bottom-fermenting world of European-style lagers with their Low & Slow series which includes a Helles, a Doppelbock, and a couple of different Pilsners. Webb is excited about this new focus for the brewery.

“We’re not known for it yet but anybody that’s really into lagers and clean beers is realizing that what we’re doing is pretty special,’’ Webb says.

While Westbrook is historically known for unique and in-your-face flavor profiles, the lagers are designed to be clean, crisp, consistent, and refreshing. Using highly aromatic American hops, souring cultures, and flavorful adjuncts like cocoa and vanilla create delicious beverages but often mask the intricacies of the base beer. Brewing these traditional lager styles requires a strong technique and comprehensive lab testing to ensure a clean and consistent product.

Webb says, “You want to see how good a brewer is, drink their pilsner.”

Utilizing traditional horizontal fermentation tanks to keep the bottomfermenting lager yeast happy and healthy and a special side-pour faucet to serve the beer in the taproom, Westbrook is all in on the lager movement.

One of the most impressive things about the brewery has been its ability to consistently grow without the use of sales reps on the street. Even in a crowded market, Westbrook shines as a gold standard of craft beer but with more and more great breweries becoming available through multi-state distribution, you need to be more than that nowadays.

Westbrook’s approach has always been to carefully and deliberately expand their distribution footprint into markets where they believe their brand fits without oversaturating. After recently expanding into Eastern Tennessee, they are still only in six states outside of South Carolina, but they do also ship internationally to Europe.

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With the ability to brew beers ranging from outside-the-box to clean, traditional styles, plus a thoughtful, deliberate approach to sales and growth, Westbrook Brewing Company has all of the tools to continue to be a leader in the Southeast craft beer market without an end in sight. Which is great because I’ll always know where I can find whatever kind of beer I’m in the mood for.

Drink More Local Beer with

THE CHARLESTON

BREW HOP PASS If you love experiencing the local craft brew scene then you’re going to love the new Charleston Brew Hop Pass! (brewhoppass.com) The pass will include discounts such as “buy a pint get a pint” at 27 of Charleston’s top breweries, taprooms and also includes $8 off axe throwing.

Here’s how it works: •

•

• • •

The app is free to download in iTunes and Google Play. Search “Brew Hop Pass”. You’ll be able to use the app, however, you will not be able to redeem offers unless a subscription is purchased.

To redeem up to $189 in monthly redeemable offers either a 24, 48 or 72-hour Pass (best for visitors), MonthlyPass (best for locals) or an Annual Pass must be purchased.

After purchase is complete, enter your login credentials in the app to begin.

Simply open and present the app to the bartender to redeem offer.

Monthly and Annual Pass subscribers can redeem offers 1x every 30 days at each participating location.

Click here to watch a video demo: https://vimeo.com/369356831 Created by Keith Simmons, “Charleston’s craft brewery scene has been exploding with new breweries opening all of the time. The goal of the Brew Hop Pass is

to encourage fellow beer lovers to utilize the pass to experience and support the amazing craft beer scene in the city.”

Simmons adds, “the mobile app will help educate locals and tourists about the vibrant brewery scene while promoting our partners in a new and entertaining manner.”

For more information visit: brewhoppass.com.

Subscription options: • • • • •

24 Hour Pass - $13.99 48 Hour Pass - $15.99 72 Hour Pass - $17.99 Monthly Pass - $29.99 - less than $1 a day Annual Pass - $299.99 - two months free

Participating Breweries & Tap Rooms include: • Westbrook Brewing Co. • Holy City Brewing • Charles Towne Fermentory • Low Tide Brewery • Ship’s Wheel Hard Cider • Lo-Fi Brewing • Ghost Monkey Brewery • Palmetto Brewing Co. • Baker & Brewer • Crafty Draught • Cooper River Brewing Company • Tradesman Brewing Company • Two Blokes Brewing • Munkle Brewing • Freehouse Brewery • Snafu Brewing Company • Indigo Reef Brewing Co. • Fam’s Brewing Co. • Wide Awake Brewing Company • Pawley’s Island Brewing Co. • Edmund’s Oast Restaurant • Edmund’s Oast Exchange • Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. • Fatty’s Beer Works • Blade & Bull Axe Throwing • Charleston Beer Works • House of Brews

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Tailgate: Burgers, Barbecue and Beer Tailgating is about having a great time and consuming a great deal of the 3 B’s. In the South that would be burgers, barbecue and beer. It’s time to up your game.

Incorporate as many of these recommended options as you can. Some of these elevated options were sourced from Southern artisans and vendors. All are guaranteed to win!

For tailgate etiquette and recipes please visit socraftbeermag.com

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Fashion & Lifestyle Editor: Milton White, The Fashion Office Photographer: Charika White Make-up Artist/Hair Stylist: Andrew Pentecost, Bea Rose Salon Models: Emily Lindsey, Tribe Talent Management, Esseri Homes, Tribe Talent Management, Jay Varnado, Tribe Talent Management, Timothy Beasley, Tribe Talent Management DISCLAIMER: All models age 21 and over.

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FOOD + D R I N K

OYSTERS AND ALE:

NEW ENGLAND TASTES

FOR THE SOUTHERN TABLE

BY NANCY VIENNEAU

N

ashville-based food writer and journalist Erin Byers Murray is not exaggerating when she’s says she’s oysterobsessed. While living in Boston, she talked her way into an 18-month job on an oyster farm, an experience she details in her memoir with recipes, Shucked. During that time, too, she befriended Jeremy Sewall, esteemed chef of Boston-area restaurants, Lineage, Eastern Standard, and Island Creek Oyster Bar.

using a combination of Mosaic and El Dorado hops. For Garrison, the art of brewing is ever an evolution. Now we’re curious about the possibilities of batch #18.

Together, they wrote the James Beard nominated cookbook, The New England Kitchen. Through vivid words and photographs, it explores the cuisine of region and how Sewall has enlivened the recipes that define it. Consider: Maple-brined rack of pork. LentilLobster bisque. Sugar Pumpkin Salad. Updated Yankee Pot Roast.

And, of course, Oysters.

RECIPES:

The favored mollusks appear throughout the book in delectable combinations: raw in a spicy mignonette, simmered in a rich creamy stew, baked with leeks, bacon and paprika, and these gems, breaded-and-fried to golden, and bursting with sweet briny taste.

Double breading the oysters makes them super-crispy, while

Boosted by green tomato relish and a dab of smoked paprika aioli, Sewall’s crispy fried oysters would find their way easily onto a Southern plate, and enjoyed with pint. For pairing, we say, try a New England IPA. We found a luscious one crafted by Kirby Garrison, head brewer and co-owner of Monkey Town Brewing Company in Dayton, Tennessee.

FRIED OYSTERS WITH GREEN TOMATO RELISH From The New England Kitchen by Jeremy Sewall and Erin Byers Murray FRIED OYSTERS serves 8 encasing their creamy succulence.

32 medium to large oysters, carefully shucked, bottom shells reserved 1-cup all-purpose flour 8 large eggs, whisked with 4 tablespoons water 6 cups panko breadcrumbs 2 cups kosher salt, plus more to taste 3 cups canola oil Green Tomato Relish (recipe follows)

When Garrison was 14 years old, the Dayton native moved with his family to the North Fork of Long Island, a place that shares New England sensibilities. It was there that many of his preferences for food and drink got shaped. Now brewing full-time in his hometown, he’s tapped into those tastes.

½ cup Smoked Paprika Aioli (recipe follows)

Evolution IPA #17 is his double dry-hopped New England IPA. One of the “haze-craze,” it’s a cloudy, golden brew with silken mouthfeel and imparts notes of pineapple, melon, citrus and pine. The name is a nod to Dayton’s history, which was the home of the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 and the number refers the batch, this one

Pour the flour into a medium bowl. Divide the eggs and breadcrumbs in half, placing each half into separate bowls.

(Once half the oysters are breaded, use the remaining eggs and breadcrumbs. This technique will cut own on crosscontamination.)

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Wash the bottom shells of the oysters, scraping off any remaining oyster meat. Set aside.

Drain any liquid from the oysters.

Carefully roll each oyster in the flour so that it is completely covered; shake off excess.

SMOKED PAPRIKA AIOLI makes 2 cups

Dip the oysters into the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs, making sure they are completely coated. Dip the oysters a second time into the eggs, and then coat with breadcrumbs. Cover the oysters with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

(Pack extra breadcrumbs around them to absorb any moisture.)

¼ cup white wine

Silken in texture, smoky sweet heat in taste 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 2 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Just before frying the oysters, in a small bowl, mix the salt and ¼ cup water to create a thick paste. And set aside. The paste will be shaped into mounds and used as a pedestal to hold the oysters for presentation.

In a wide heavy-bottom pan, heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees. Fry the oysters, a few at a time, until golden brown, turning them halfway through as needed—about 45 seconds per oyster. Transfer to paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

On a large platter, place nickel-sized dollops of the salt paste around the platter, placing a reserved shell on each dollop.

Place one warm oyster in each shell and top with a small amount of aioli and then a little relish. Serve immediately.

GREEN TOMATO RELISH makes 4 cups This makes a bright, tart complement to the oyster’s brininess.

¼ teaspoon cayenne 1 garlic clove 1-cup canola oil ½ cup extra virgin olive oil In a small saucepan, simmer the wine with the smoked paprika for about a minute. Allow to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the yolks, wine mixture, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne, and garlic. Process on the lowest setting for 30 seconds, until smooth. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil followed by the olive oil. Thin with water if necessary.

The aioli will be shiny and the consistency of thin mayonnaise.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use, or for up to 2 days.

It’s a marvelous use for those end-of-the-season green tomatoes, available until the first frost.

6 medium green tomatoes 1 large Spanish onion 2 red bell peppers 2 cups white wine vinegar ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1-teaspoon celery seeds 1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick ½ cup sugar Finely chop the tomatoes, onion, and peppers. Placein a finemeshed sieve (or colander lined with cheesecloth) and drain for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining ingredients over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer the tomato mixture to a heatproof container and pour the pickling liquid over it. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 2 hours or overnight. The relish will last, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

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COVER STO RY

Good to be the King

BY DOUG MULFORD

Photos by Michael Parks

Wait!

Austen’s one of us That’s right, you can relax your grip on that over-ripened fruit you were about to hurl at me for writing this article.

As a beer geek, I was skeptical too when I heard that Austen Kroll from Bravo’s hit reality TV show Southern Charm was opening his own brewery. With an eye roll, I thought to myself, Here comes another celebrity that thinks having their own brand would be… neat… but probably doesn’t give a crap about the beer. Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered that Austen is as passionate about beer as the rest of us reading this magazine. If you met him in person, it would become immediately clear that he was a beer guy first and foremost; the famous person thing just kind of happened, not the other way around.

I got to sit down with Austen at Uptown Social on King Street, a local favorite spot for meeting up with friends to knock back a few pints. Uptown is one of only a handful of places to find Austen’s beer—“King’s Calling Trop Hop IPA”—at least for now, he says. Currently, Austen is contract brewing with Thomas Creek out of Greenville, South Carolina, to make this juicy IPA. The plan is to begin construction on a brick and mortar facility at the beginning of 2020. At that time, the hope is to increase distribution and bring other styles to the market. When asked about what new beers he was excited to release, Austen revealed that he is playing around with the recipe development for a “crushable wheat beer to beat the Charleston heat,” and maybe something crazy like a peanut butter porter. But before I get too far ahead of myself, let me tell you about the beer we went there to drink.

Trop-Hop IPA is a tropical fruit-forward IPA that includes Galaxy, Centennial, Cascade, Chinook and Citra Hops at a sessionable 6.1 percent ABV. Watching the bartender pulling the first pint, I was shocked to see that the beer is relatively clear. Don’t get me wrong, I was thankful to see that I wasn’t going to just be handed a glass of orange juice masquerading as an India Pale Ale. The

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sighting produced the hope that this beer might be balanced after all! The server puts my beer down on the table in front of me and a second later, my nose is hit by a welcomed wave of bright aromatics even from an arm’s length away.

Passion fruit, citrus, guava… is that peach? Orange zest?

Hmmm… Going in for my first sip… Whoa! I think I like this beer. Second sip… I think I REALLY like this beer!

The only way I can describe it is if Creature Comforts’ Tropicália and Stone IPA had a love child and raised it in New England. That being said, it’s perfect drinking for Charleston because even in the sweltering humidity of a low country summer, I would gladly have another one. So I do. Several in fact. And being a gracious host, Austen joins me pint for pint, and that’s when the story’s started to come out.

“So where did the IPA’s name come from?” I asked him. It was an innocent enough question—or so I thought. I knew that Austen’s social media handle is @KrolltheWarriorKing; it sounded familiar, but I couldn’t think why.

“Do you remember the movie How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days?” he asks.

“With McConaughey?” I replied “Yup!” he answers back. “You know the part where Kate Hudson is convincing him to name his penis? [Did I mention we were drinking?] She is trying to name it something like ‘Princess Sofia’ or another emasculating pet name. McConaughey’s character responds with something to the effect of, ‘If you are going to name a ‘member,’ it’s got to be something super masculine like Krull The Warrior King!’”

So, on a dare, Austen changed his handle to “Kroll the Warrior King” and it’s been that way ever since. The shared last name sealed the deal.

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The second part of the title is a little easier to follow and certainly more meaningful.

As I mentioned earlier, Austen cares deeply about the Charleston beer scene and the industry in general. He feels like bringing good beer to market is his calling and if he is the “King”—which, by the way, he would never call himself except maybe in jest—good beer is the “King’s” calling. Austen wasn’t always the lord of the manor, however. He certainly paid his dues like many of us have in the industry. After working at a craft beer bar in college, he went to work as a cellarman at Palmetto Brewing company, South Carolina’s first craft brewery. From there, realizing his talents were better spent out in front of a brand talking to people and selling in placements, Austen went to work for the Georgiabased Red Hare as a supplier rep.

Austen recounts people saying to him ,“You have the best job in the world!” regularly at events. And while I can tell you that yes, being a rep is fun, it is also a busy, demanding position.

People get to see the happy brand ambassador hawking his or her beers at a pint night, festival or beer dinner, but what they don’t see is that after going to bed at 2 a.m., that same rep has to get up and drive two hours to be at an 8 a.m. distributor meeting, woo 80 wholesaler reps who are juggling 75 other brands in their portfolio, and… Sorry! Beer rant. What was I saying? Oh, being a rep is hard work, and something that very few people can do well for any measure of time.

The dream is always to have your own brand, but unless all the stars align, including having a great idea, the funding behind it, and are willing to work your ass off, it’ll stay just that: a dream. Luckily for Austen, when the opportunity presented itself, he hit the ground running and now we all get to enjoy some pretty great beer because of it. So I am here to tell you, it’s ok to like this beer. In fact, if you are still skeptical and happen to see Trop Hop or any other of King’s Calling beers at your local imbibery, I invite you to administer your own “Pepsi challenge” and see for yourself.

You too might be pleasantly surprised.

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It’s (finally) time to get weird with

DSSOLVR

Asheville’s beer scene is about to get that much more amazing.

BY SCOTT DOUGLAS

A

fter years of work, one of the most anticipated breweries in the South is set to open its doors in November of 2019.

DSSOLVR, a name familiar to many through an exhaustive collab tour spanning the East Coast from Maine to Miami, is finally settling into its home on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

Few breweries hit best-of lists or get written up in Forbes before they open, but DSSOLVR has garnered attention early and often. Despite the buzz, DSSOLVR is far from another hypebeast resting on its laurels; for co-founders Vince Tursi and Mike Semenec, it’s a labor of love.

With a cavernous taproom alongside its production floor, DSSOLVR’s 20-tap bar will pour everything from hazy IPAs and sours, to English pub ales. General Manager Clinton Walker plans to create a culture that caters to novices and beer geeks equally, leveraging Tursi’s diverse portfolio to satisfy a broad swath of thirsty customers.

“We’re pouring our heart and soul into this,” emphasizes Tursi. “It’s not some sort of regurgitated marketing campaign. It’s the stripped-down, truest version of ourselves, expressed through the medium of fermentation.”

“We’re gonna blow some minds, change some minds, and bring folks into the craft beer fold who may have felt excluded,” Walker says. “We want to open doors to the curious, but we also want the nerdiest of the nerdy to nerd out here.”

Tursi’s brewing background, including stints at Night Shift, Lord Hobo and Burial, provides the fermentation expertise to create exceptional products. Semenec’s experience marketing massive brands like New Balance and Otis Spunkmeyer facilitates not only a sophisticated marketing strategy for DSSOLVR, but also the construction of a distinctive narrative that reflects its founders’ sensibilities.

DSSOLVR will expand its fermentation experiments to encompass mead, wine, ciders, seltzers and beyond. While distribution will be limited to collaborations and events, 16-ounce cans and 500 milliliter bottles will be packaged to allow those outside Asheville to engage with DSSOLVR’s ethos and aesthetic.

“DSSOLVR’s brand identity pulls heavily from

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surrealism and psychedelic cartoons, something a little bit more fun and unique than what I’ve seen in the market,” Semenec says. “We can be as adventurous as we want with our branding and artwork, and its backed up by beer that’s awesome.”

According to Tursi, “It’s not just a brewery, it’s a wholistic exploration of fermentation that’s also an expression of our weirdest innermost ideas.”

Andy Shepard, Ben Silvestro, Mike Semenec, Clinton Waltker, Vince Tursi

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Edmund’s Oast:

The Holy City’s Three-Headed Angel Southern Craft visits Edmund Oast’s restaurant with Beer Buyer and Educator Brandon Plyer. Oast’s beer is no joke, but their extraordinary fare also holds its own in Charleston’s revered dining scene.

BY ALE SHARPTON Photos by Michael Parks

A

s the craft beer scene continues to significantly blossom in Charleston, SC, any one of the three entities representing the Edmund’s Oast name is a top priority to frequent. Whether its their original gastropub, its stunning Exchange bottle shop adjacent to it, or the recent production brewery expansion a few minutes away, any visit will leave a beer advocate content. Simply put, it’s an successful trifecta that warrants the national accolades since day one: the rustic-meets-exquisite structural design of all three properties; the mastery of pairing inventive fare overseen by Executive Chef Bob Cook with a plethora of stellar brews they craft and pour; and the seasoned professionals responsible for the conglomerate. Addressing the latter in an in-depth interview, we had the chance to sip

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and dine with Oast’s proclaimed Beer Buyer and Educator Brandon Plyer at their seminal restaurant, an Advanced Cicerone who shares the Oast story, the surge of the “Holy City” beer scene, and the future of both.

Ale Sharpton: Let’s start with how the Charleston beer scene came to be.

BRANDON PLYER: : The beer scene in Charleston has grown from a very niche specialty interest into its own personality in terms of understanding and availability. Since I’ve lived here, we have gone from two breweries to some 30 or so. Bars and restaurants are building their selections

to be driven not only by locally produced beer, but also better beer rather than the major domestic players. Nearly any grocery store around Charleston has a much-expanded selection of craft beer typically accompanied by a “mix a six” section. Style wise, breweries are staying on top of trends like hazy IPA and decadent adjunct stouts, while simultaneously making the word “gose” a household name.

Undoubtedly, Edmund’s Oast was a significant contributor to this progression. Elaborate on that.

Yes. Everything began with The Charleston Beer Exchange [CBX]. What was at the time viewed as a specialty boutique store that may—or more probably not make it, managed to bring great beer to a lot of great people. Being located in the middle of some of the best restaurants in the country, we had the opportunity to meet many amazing chefs, servers, and bartenders. This led to beer dinners and other culinary collaborations throughout the city. Eventually, both founders of CBX—Scott [Shor] and Rich [Carley]—decided that Charleston needed a nerdy, top-of-therange beer bar. After planning started, things started to grow and eventually that love of great food and beer turned into a farm-totable restaurant complete with a small five-barrel brewery.

With the success of the restaurant and acclaim for the beer, the Edmund’s Oast name became synonymous with quality food and beer. A production brewery seemed like it would be successful and offer growth in a similar, yet different direction.

Talk about the culinary strategy with both the restaurant and the Brewing Co. on King Street?

The original brewpub’s menu was meant to be of the same caliber as other nice restaurants in the country. The attention to ingredients, presentation, and dishes would be on the same level. Our Executive Chef, Bob Cook, has taken our menu down an esoteric and terrifically fun road. Flavors from Southeast Asia, India, Japan, etc., have a big influence, but we’re retaining the original vision and level of quality the restaurant has always been known for. Our beer selection and brewing onsite was built around that.

With the kitchen at EOBC, we were looking for a more casual and faster dining experience. Sometimes folks just want stop by and have a few quick pints and a pizza. Aside from the sourdough pizza crust, we also use house-made charcuterie items for the meat components. That pepperoni, ham, and soppressata on your pizza comes from a locally-sourced and well-cared-for pig that was broken down and turned into charcuterie in our kitchen.

We also make our own hot dogs from the same pigs and smoke them here at the brewery.

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Since we’re here at the Pub and the menu is truly extraordinary, let’s break down the creation of what I am eating here, the Thaiinspired Salt Chicken. It’s simply delicious.

Ah! The Salt Chicken is one of those simple dishes that somehow touches complexity, depth, excitement, and comfort all at the same time. Chicken thighs are boiled and then the meat is pulled off. When an order is fired, that meat gets pressed into a hot pan with searing chicken fat and the patty gets crispy, brown, and salty. That gets placed on nutty Carolina Gold Rice, and then sauced with green curry and garnished with makrut lime leaf and cilantro. Bob says this is the chicken noodle soup equivalent in the Thai cooking tradition.

So with the restaurant continuing to perfect itself, the bourgeoning Brewing Co., and the Exchange covering the retail, what are your future plans for the Edmund’s Oast trifecta?

At this point, keeping up production with our growing demand, and continuing to have a good time eating and drinking and bringing people their new favorite thing.

For more information on Edmund’s Oast and its three ventures, visit Edmundsoast.com. Also, visit the Socraftbeermag.com for more conversation with Beer Buyer and Educator Brandon Plyer.

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Tap into our

CRAFTY CREATIONS

From across the globe to down-home Southern fare, explore what makes Clarksville hip at heart and authentic from the start. Plan your trip today at visitclarksvilletn.com.

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Discover Why New Hampshire's #1 Brewery is a Meadery

www.MoonlightMeadery.com

Interested in purchasing or carrying Moonlight?

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Moonlight Meadery 603.216.2162 sales@moonlightmeadery.com

W

hat do you get when you combine a church built in 1873, over 400,000 lbs of fresh fruit, and some funky, wild culture? No, that isn’t some bizarre joke but rather the makeup of Urban Artifact, a brewery located in Cincinnati, Ohio.

And those characteristics barely scratch the surface of who they are and the beer they make. They are brewing amazing sour beer with intense amounts of real fruit. In a sea of new breweries, Urban Artifact stands out as one of the most unique.

One Of A Kind While there has been a dramatic increase in the number of breweries, one might argue that many of them are very similar. You can count on a taproom that is either in an industrial area or has design elements that give it that feel. And for the beer, just about every brewery has a few IPAs, a blonde ale, maybe a wheat beer, and a beer or two that leans to the darker side. Both in taproom appearance and beer styles, we have many breweries that look and feel the same. But that isn’t the case for Urban Artifact.

The Urban Artifact brewers have a different vision that includes big plans to bring fruity, tart beer to the masses, but the style of beer they produce is only part of what makes them unique. Their taproom and event space are in the historic St. Patrick’s church built in 1873. This building is more than 150 years old and provides a character that can’t be mimicked. The taproom experience doesn’t end there, they add in a heavy focus on local, live music. From the flavors to the sights to the sounds, Urban Artifact has a bold mix that you can’t find anywhere else.

Why does this matter to a beer drinker that lives outside of Cincinnati?

Because their culture makes its way into every beer they make. Their beer is just as fun, funky, and inspired as their building and the music you’ll hear if you get the chance to visit. Their product and personality are truly authentic to who they are.

The Style That Put Them On The Craft Beer Map

Meet Urban Artifact.

Real Fruit, Sour Beer . . .

Funky, Wild Culture

BY JEFF HULETT

When a brewery makes a beer that doesn’t fit well into a category, it becomes really hard to let drinkers know what to expect. And while it would be easy to call their primary beers fruited sours, it didn’t do them justice. And with that, they created their own style: the Midwest Fruit Tart (MWFT).

Midwest Fruit Tart While this isn’t an “official” style, it does represent their beers better than any current designation. “Midwest” describes more than their location; it also signifies the locally caught wild yeast and bacteria that are used in very beer. These micro-flora bring the beer to life with a unique flavor. Furthermore, featuring real fruit in their beer is a foundational principle for Urban Artifact.

Finally, these beers fall closer into the tart flavor profile rather than sour. These three simple words—Midwest Fruit Tart—provide the perfect description to prepare drinkers for the amazing liquid inside each can. Every element is important to the final product, but don’t miss the part about the real fruit, which Urban Artifact sources in fresh doses—over 400,000 pounds of it—for their Midwest Fruit Tarts. This

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creates flavors that are only possible through this process and you taste it in every beer. Be sure to follow them on Instagram to witness their team prepping insane amounts of fruit.

There’s more Note that Midwest Fruit Tarts aren’t the only beers being produced by Urban Artifact. Throughout the year, they release a Gose each season that features flavors which fit the weather and spirit of that time. For example, Keypunch is their summer release featuring key limes for the perfect tart beer on a hot summer days. In addition, you’ll also find barrel-aged sours and occasionally a Brettanomyces beer.

Are You Ready To Try Their Beer Yet? Urban Artifact makes their beer available in Tennessee so you can get your hands on their fruited beer. In fact, they’ve been in East Tennessee since early 2017 and Nashville since mid 2018. They are growing at a rapid pace and are thrilled to share their beer with the Volunteer state. If you’ve ever enjoyed a fruit beer, picking up something from Urban Artifact is a must. Even if you’re not an advocate of the style, still giving them a try is strongly suggested because what they offer goes beyond what

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a standard fruited wheat or blonde ale provides. One of the more important elements to their beer is the amazing way the fruit flavors compliment the tart characteristics.

Both work together to bring about a tasting profile that highlights the actual fruits being used in the beer.

In Tennessee, you’ll find their most popular MWFT, The Gadget, available year round. It features blackberries, raspberries, and vanilla. This is a crowd pleaser with loads of fresh fruit giving it a great balance of fruity sweetness and tartness. In addition, every month there is a new MWFT available featuring different fruits. As 2019 comes to an end, you can expect to see these amazing Midwest Fruit Tarts: Operation Plowshare (Blackberry); Landline (Banana, Raspberry, Orange); and Pocket Watch (Plum, Currant, Grape). Regarding the season Gose, there is the Photo Booth (Grapefruit) and Sliderule (Chocolate, Raspberry).

Ultimately, the entire Urban Artifact portfolio is truly unique and may just alter your understanding of what craft beer can be. “Real fruit, sour beer” is their mantra, and you can experience their wild, funky culture… even in Tennessee.

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BOW & ARROW Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. is right on target for growth

BY CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN Photos by Roberto Rosales

B

ow & Arrow Brewing Co. in Albuquerque, NM, holds the distinction of being the only Native woman-owned brewery in the country, but co-founders Shyla Sheppard and Missy Begay aren’t just resting on the laurels of that achievement. The pair met when they were both students at Stanford University where they discovered a mutual love for craft beers, as well as for each other. They began homebrewing together in the years following graduation while pursuing careers outside the beer industry.

Begay pursued medicine, graduating from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and still practicing as an internist concentrating on sleep issues. She focuses on branding plus marketing and design development for Bow & Arrow in addition to her busy schedule as a physician. Sheppard leveraged her Economics degree and entered the world of venture capital, concentrating on social impact investing seeking out opportunities to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact along with a financial return. As President and CEO of Broken Arrow, Sheppard keeps a laser focus on the mission of the brewery and all the details from large to small, including the development and execution of their business plan, financing strategies, team-building and the design/development of the brewery and onsite Beer Hall.

Recently, Broken Arrow has announced plans for their first off-site tasting room in the Four Corners Region in Farmington, NM, so Sheppard should be plenty busy in the next few months.

Although both founders have experience as brewers, they knew that they wanted to add to their pool of expertise, so they hired Ted O’Hanlan as head brewer to bring his years of experience working in breweries like Fullsteam in North Carolina and Black Tooth in Wyoming. In concert with the founding partners, O’Hanlan has helped Bow & Arrow earn a vaunted reputation for crafting beers inspired by the terroir and ingredients of the Southwest, with a special emphasis on wild yeast fermentations and barrel-aged products.

Visitors to their stunning modern brewing facility and taproom are greeted with an ever-changing roster of beers. Perusing the descriptions of their products is like reading poetry about their native region, and their passion for New Mexico, their heritage and local ingredients comes through in the creative narratives. Coyote Cool Red Saison is described as a “Red Saison [that] spent 8 months in oak barrels with Brettanomyces and invokes a bit of mischief as a gregarious coyote having fun amidst the wandering arroyos and sunlit New Mexican sky.” Bow & Arrow’s seasonal Super Bien Mexican-style Lager is characterized as a ”Crisp,

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Missy Begay & Shyla Sheppard refreshing Mexican-style lager brewed with local blue corn and brimming with sun-kissed toasty floral aroma, finishing semi dry with a little pepper bite from Saaz hops.” Clearly, Begay and Sheppard must have studied at least a little creative writing at Stanford!

Sheppard is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes while Begay is a member of the Diné Nation, and they both strive to maintain Bow & Arrow as an inclusive and welcoming locale for members of indigenous tribes as well as members of the LGBTQ community.

The brewery and its mission seeks to combine ancient traditions with modern sensibilities without sacrificing the artistic contributions of either. A lovely snapshot of Southwestern culture and entrepreneurship, the brewery that Begay and Sheppard have founded is firmly grounded in place and time and should continue to evolve to even greater heights in the future.

Sheppard was gracious enough to take time from her busy schedule to answer a few more of our questions about what she and Begay and accomplished and what’s in their future plans.

SoCraft: How has your previous career prepared you for the brewery business?

SS: In terms of getting things off the ground, my experiences as an investor in small, privately-held businesses gave me some visibility into getting a business started and some of the common pitfalls that new businesses often face.

Describe your relationship working with your head brewer, Ted O’Hanlan.

SS: I work closely with Ted on a daily basis. We work really well together and are both passionate about local ingredients, wild yeast and our wood-aged program. We have unique skill sets and experiences and respect what each of us contributes to Bow & Arrow. On a given day, we may be discussing our pipeline of new beers, brainstorming interesting ingredients, tasting barrels, touching base on our hops contracts or our next bottle release.

How do you describe your beer stylistically?

SS: We brew wild, sour and barrel-aged beers in the heart of the American Southwest. While we give homage to age-old brewing traditions and techniques, we enjoy taking a modern, playful approach to our beers.

Why is it so important to showcase local ingredients, and what have been some of your favorites?

SS: We care about our special place in the Southwest. It’s a unique area and for the most part it’s arid and dry, so showcasing some of the local flora is fun and challenging.

We also want to support local agriculture and the people/ businesses committing themselves to this place. Some fun ingredients we’ve used include Navajo Tea, Sumac berries, and blue corn. Denim Tux is a blue corn lager that has become a staple beer for us. That is one of my go-to beers in our lineup.

How to you go about ensuring that Bow & Arrow remains a radically inclusive space for the local LGBTQ and indigenous communities, as well as anyone else who wants to come drink a great beer? It should go without saying, but why is this so important to you?

SS: It comes naturally to some extent because we represent these minority groups and our values are reflected in how we do business; from how we treat our staff to our customer interactions. I suppose because we’ve experienced the other side of the bar as a woman, as a person of color, we’ve seen and experienced some things we wouldn’t want our guests to at our establishment.

What’s next for Bow & Arrow? Any current releases your especially proud of?

SS: We are working on opening our first off-site taproom, and it’s not in the Albuquerque area. I’m excited to share our beers and experience with a new mar ket. Western Beauty, a Grisette

fermented in oak barrels with brettanomyces on Gruner Veltliner grape juice we sourced from Milagro Vineyards, a local Corralesbased winery, turned out so tasty. The Gruner grape is along the lines of Sauvignon Blanc; it has notes of lemon, lime, grapefruit and green pepper. This beer is just vibrant and our customers have really taken to it.

Who are some other brewers and breweries that you especially admire?

SS: Brandon Jones who heads up the Embrace the Funk program at Yazoo is an all-around wonderful person and talented brewer. We love what he’s been doing with ETF beers, using local ingredients and the annual Funk Fest he puts together. Another brewery I admire is American Solera. Seriously, everything they do there is outstanding and they’ve made a commitment to brewing worldclass beer in their hometown of Tulsa. I really admire that. As a side note, we were especially excited that recently our first foeder came from them. They are moving to a new, larger facility and it worked out for us to snag one of their smaller foeders. Small to them, but big to us; it’s about a 30-bbl capacity.

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Join Us Friday

March 20, 2020 For The

GO WILD!

GAME

BEER

DINNER SPONSORED BY

sWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY

OconeeFoodAndWine.com March 20-22, 2020 At The Ritz-Carlton, Reynolds Lake Oconee Twynn Takes Photography

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TUSCALOOSA

BY TRISTAN RIESEN

T

ALABAMA

he town has many names. Some have fallen out of favor. To name a few: T-Town, Title Town, Druid City.

It’s one of college football’s all-time best, the rival and enemy to Auburn, and, as well, a barbecue mecca.

But it can also be a getaway. Say you want to get out.

Maybe you want a short weekend trip. Somewhere new.

Not Birmingham, that’s just another city—more people, more faux speakeasies, more hipsters. Go somewhere warm and quaint. Somewhere with people, real people.

Somewhere like Tuscaloosa.

It’ll be a quick and memorable trip. It will certainly help to know where to go. Here’s your guide to Tuscaloosa:

HOTEL INDIGO There are hotels all over, but you can’t beat Hotel Indigo.

Sitting along the southern border of the Black Warrior River, Indigo is accommodating and comfortable without being overbearing. It has chic, new-age architecture, and supplies red bicycles to guests. They’re free to rent, with baskets on the front for any extra gear. Since the hotel is across from the River Walk, guests often take the path via these two-wheeled cruisers.

After checking in at Indigo, take the elevator up to the rooftop bar, The Lookout. It’s one of the best decks—one of the few, in fact—in town. Order a cocktail. The Strawberry Mojito is made with strawberries, and The Bees Knees is made with honey from the beehives on the top roof. Don’t worry though. The bees don’t bother the guests.

Travelers aren’t the only folks on Indigo’s deck, but locals too. In my travels, I like to blend in, to eat with the natives.

It’s a sure sign you’re not only visiting some random where, but experiencing it.

The head chef is Alan Parker. He’s got an outstanding sous-chef, Eric Horton, working under him. Together they make some of the best appetizers in town. There’s blackeyed pea hummus with a bite of chili oil, deviled eggs, and a towering charcuterie board complete with cheeses and meats, pickled okra, nuts, grapes, jam, and, again, that homemade rooftop honey.

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The rooms, as well, are modern and stylish, spread out wide with a large window. A wall-sized photograph of a local bridge adorns the back wall. The showers, too, are gigantic, and make up the size of another small bedroom.

But one of the best parts of Hotel Indigo is that it’s a short walk to the shopping district, where the vibrant town waits.

BLACK WARRIOR BREWING A few blocks up the hill from Hotel Indigo, on University Boulevard, is Black Warrior Brewing. The building was originally constructed in 1953. For the last sixty years it had been a barber’s shop. Today, the inside is rustic and welcoming. The walls are made of exposed brick, and the bar-top is tanned and glossed.

Other parts of Black Warrior—the front doors, the bench lining the wall—were salvaged from the tornado back in 2011, or found at a farm just over an hour away in Clanton, Alabama. It is quite literally built out of refuse.

The beer, on the other hand, is a town favorite.

Black Warrior has fourteen beers on tap. Two of the most popular beers are the Apricot Wheat and Lock 17 IPA, but the list is big enough to support a variety of tastes, moods, and seasons. They keep it consistent, but also throw small batches in a every few weeks.

On your way out, take a peak at the horseshoe on the wall to your left. It’s been there since the brewers moved in. They figured it would be bad luck to knock it down.

ALCOVE TAVERN AND LOOSA BREWS Alcove is owned by local Chad Smith. After traveling around the world for a few years, Smith settled back in his hometown of Tuscaloosa. He opened Alcove in 2009, around the same time the Free the Hops movement took off, and Alabama’s craft beer scene opened to the public.

It was the first nonsmoking bar in town, and for this Smith’s bar made the front cover of Tuscaloosa News. The idea, Smith says, is to be different but not too different; to be small, intimate, and cozy, a new place that looks old. He has undoubtedly succeeded.

To get to Alcove, walk across the street and through the lush Government Plaza. A block farther is Alcove, the bar with the best Old Fashions in town. Davey, the bartender, also makes one of the greatest Bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had.

It’s smooth and still spicy, with just the right amount of kick, made the way a Bloody should be. There’s also twelve rotating beers on tap. If you want to get weird, ask about the mystery beers. They’re $3 each, and you never know what you’re going to get. After all, it’s a mystery.

Rumor has it there’s a hidden room—The Cove—for V.I.P.’s only. But this writer doesn’t kiss and tell.

Loosa Brews is a few blocks down University, toward the stadium. Smith co-owns Loosa with his friend Brad Lee. Together they opened in 2014.

Where Alcove is snug and contained, Loosa is breezy and open, with a large room divided first by a living-room area, then by racks of bottled and canned beer, and finally the bar, one of Tuscaloosa’s draft beer havens. In addition to the cans and bottles, there are sixty-two beers on tap. There’s even a hidden sixty-third beer, but it’s off the menu. Ask and you shall receive.

The back of Loosa has an arcade parlor, and a wide-open patio outside. On a nice day, make sure to check out the patio. There are plenty of cast-iron chairs and tables, and taller bar seats too. They even grow their own hops, which spread up and around the trellis above, and provide respite from the hot Alabama sun.

DRUID CITY BREWING Next, pick up an Uber and head toward Druid City Brewing.

This brewery is more than a Tuscaloosa staple; it’s a reason to call Tuscaloosa home. In 2012 they had a three-day launch party in various local bars since the taproom didn’t

open for another year. The crowd was huge, and Alabama Shakes played on the last night. In order to keep the party relatively low-key, the Shakes played under the pseudonym Boyz Room.

Druid City is a destination place, off the beaten path. It’s tucked away in a parking lot at the corner of Hackberry and 15th, adjacent to a bowling alley, Family Dollar, a Chinese restaurant, and Tuscaloosa’s best record store, Oz Music. Nonetheless, there are plenty of advantages to Druid City’s location.

In a town where the population almost doubles in the school year, parking is a huge asset to this brewery.

Inside is extra funky. The walls are decorated with local artists’ works, and behind the bar is a chalkboard montage drawn by a Druid City regular, Rich Marcks, now depicting superheroes including The Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, and Nick Saban. Patrons play video games hooked up to a couple of televisions in the back, and in lieu of a jukebox Druid City spins its vast collection of vinyl. If they don’t have what you want, walk over to Oz and buy an album. Druid will play your record on request.

Since Alabama breweries can’t have food licenses, on game days and special occasions the owner Bo Hicks will barbecue for all the patrons.

There’s no charge for Bo’s barbecue. It’s on the house.

SOUTHERN ALE HOUSE If you’re hungry by now, there’s no shortage of restaurants in Tuscaloosa.

Southern Ale House is a short drive over the Woolsey Finnell Bridge. It’s a

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bar-restaurant that does more than Southern food, and carries on their family traditions.

Everything is made from scratch. Their meatloaf is wrapped in bacon, and it’s got tomato jam on top. The chicken tenders are brined and buttered for twenty-four hours before they’re battered and fried.

Don’t pass up on the The Meme—pronounced mee-mee and named in honor of the owner’s grandmother—a large biscuit with chicken tenders, bacon, and white gravy. Wash it down with any one of the eighteen beers on tap, all from the Southeast and about a third brewed locally.

WORLD OF BEER WoB is another beer-lovers heaven. The entire wall—more than fifty feet, from the entrance to the kitchen in the back--is a refrigerator stacked with beers. If you can’t think of what you want, ask your bartender to take a look at their iPad. They’ve got an app for everything these days, and WoB has their own Google-esque beer search engine. Search by region, taste preference, or keyword. It doesn’t matter. World of Beer has something for everyone.

Happy Hour is Monday through Friday, 3 – 7 PM. They’ve got drink specials, and $5 shareables including tacos, chicken sliders, and a delicious Margherita flatbread.

CHUCK’S FISH Feeling fancy? Go to Chuck’s. It’s got the best seafood in town. The restaurant is managed by Charles Morgan. Its namesake is from his father, Chuck Morgan, a famous civil rights attorney. Morgan fought

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multiple civil rights cases in the sixties. The restaurant still holds onto his memory. Photographs and commemorations of him abound the walls.

Chuck’s got its start in Destin, Florida, at a place called Harbor Docks. They’ve opened additional locations in Birmingham and Mobile. Charles Morgan keeps it friendly and open between each establishment. Workers from around the state will go down to Destin for the summer and work elsewhere. They’re like itinerant travelers— or a passing family.

If you like hot sake order away. But if you want some of the best sake of all time, order the Ozeki Nigori. It’s a cold unfiltered sake which retains the rice sediment at the bottom. Make sure your bartender shakes it up before serving. It’s not unlike an unsweetened horchata, and is superb in consistency and taste.

Order the uptown shrimp for an appetizer. It’s a glazed General Tso’s styled shrimp dish with a lettuce bottom. All the local fish is Gulf to Table. In addition to its local seafood, Chuck’s knows sushi.

Here it can’t be beat. One patron claimed it’s the best they’ve ever had, anywhere. They have all the essentials—California Rolls, Spicy Tuna, etc.—but don’t forget to ask for the secret X-rated menu. The Screamin’ O and the Donkey on Crack are customer favorites.

There are 15 beers on tap and 3 rotations: a Japanese, a seasonal brew, and something local. Order your preference. The manager Alicia chooses all the alcohol personally. She’s knows her booze and her brews. But do yourself a favor. Don’t forget that sake.

KENTUCKY

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avor ...

SCOTT COUNTY

THE SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF GEORGETOWN.

MALL TOWN CHARM. PURE SMALL – Culinary Delights – • Country Boy Brewing • Bourbon 30 Spirits • Cafes and One-of-a-kind Restaurants • My Old Kentucky Foam - OPENING SOON! • Nearby Wineries and Bourbon Distilleries

– Equine Activities – • Minutes from the Kentucky Horse Park • Old Friends Retired Thoroughbred Farm • Festival of the Horse • Whispering Woods Riding Stables

– Picturesque Downtown – • Specialty Shops • Antiques • Scott County Arts and Cultural Center • Georgetown and Scott County Museum

– Other Charming Attractions – • Toyota Motor Manufacturing, KY, Inc. Tour • Golf • Elkhorn Creek • Ward Hall • Close proximity to the Ark Encounter

INTERSTATE

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Stop by our

S O C R A F T BVisitor E E R MCenter AG.COatM

www.GeorgetownKy.com • 888.863.8600

399 Outlet Center Dr.

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Steer Me!

2019 MAZDA CX-9 SIGNATURE AWD

BY ALE SHARPTON

(ALL PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF AUTOMAKERS.)

While traveling and exploring cities especially throughout the South with a large group of beer hunters, here are three automobiles to satisfy all the demands including comfort, high-tech accessories, safety, and great looks to name a few.

2019 MAZDA CX-9 SIGNATURE AWD This CX-9 takes Mazda to the next level in terms of pleasing the most passengers since the automaker’s existence, boasting three rows to seat up to seven adults comfortably.

And don’t worry, the sleek looks deceptively hide its capacity complemented with a smooth ride. The top-of-the-line Signature flaunts a long list of features including Auburn Nappa leather seating; LED signature grille accent lighting; and 20-inch alloy wheels to name a few. For more options, the CX-9 also comes in Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring trims as well.

2019 JAGUAR F-PACE SVR

2019 JAGUAR F-PACE SVR The F-Pace SVR’s exterior styling borders on flawless. The lighting package, grill, and side panel sleekness deliver an eye-catching, sporty concept, and effortlessly matches its stunning power and responsiveness under the hood. Justly representing the Special Vehicle Racing classification, F-Pace’s 550 horsepower, eight-cylinder engine complete with gearshift paddles, and all-wheel drive

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2019 LEXUS LS 500

for optimal maneuvering will constantly question if this is an SUV. Sit in its luxurious cabin, turn up the 825-watt Meridian Surround Sound System, and live life to the fullest.

2019 LEXUS LS 500 Flaunting a curvaceous frame, “Triple Projector” headlights, personal Wi-Fi, a pampering interior, Apple CarPlay compatibility, and a twin-turbo V6 engine packing 416 horses to name a few generous standards, this sedan is already a stunner. Customizing options such as 20-inch, dark graphite wheels; the F-Sport Performance Package; 23-speaker Mark Levinson audio system; and panorama glass roof take this automobile to worldclass prestige. High reliability and safety rankings complete the package.

A FUTURE GLIMPSE… 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR OVERLAND 4X4

2020 JEEP GLADIATOR OVERLAND 4X4

With the newest luxury SUVs, stocked sports vehicles, and sleek sedans doing their best to be eye candy, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator has turned the same amount of heads—if not more. While the 2020 Gladiator Overland 4x4 maintains the boxy, rugged Wrangler frame, it’s the exclusive convertible capability, and what brings it to the next level—a 5-foot cargo bed stocked with a 115-volt AC outlet.

The Premium Audio Group (8.4-inch display, Alpine audio system, GPS); Trailer Tow Package (boasting a class-leading 7,650-pound towing capability); and Jeep Active Safety Group (rear park-assist, blind-spot detection, forward collision warning) packages are strongly suggested to complete the Jeep experience.

2020 KIA TELLURIDE SX V6 AWD The all-new Telluride is KIA’s largest automobile to date, with the ability to carry up to eight passengers in a plush interior and pamper them with a plethora of tech and safety features. A muscular, yet rounded exterior, sleek LED headlamps, rear sunroof and 20inch alloy wheels with black finish collectively make this one of the best-looking vehicles wherever it goes. Add the responsive 3.8-liter, six-cylinder engine with towing capability, and the Telluride already has the potential to be 2020’s car of the year.

2020 KIA TELLURIDE SX V6 AWD

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CROSSTOWN

BREWERY CONTINUES TO GROW & EVOLVE IN

MEMPHIS & BEYOND.

BY JEFF HULETT Photos by Jay Adkins

A Q & A with co-owner Will Clark It’s hard to believe Crosstown Brewery, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is coming up on its third anniversary. It seems like yesterday they were brewing their now celebrated and highly revered Siren and Traffic brews in their basement based in the shadows of the redeveloped Sears building.

The brewery, located in the far northwest side of the Concourse campus, is 10,000 square feet of functional, real estate that welcomes not only residents and tenants of the historic Crosstown Concourse redevelopment, but also serves as a family-friendly beacon for people all over the city.

“Atmosphere is everything,” Crosstown co-owner Will Clark says. “Our proximity to Crosstown Concourse is amplified by the modern industrial aesthetic that we were looking for. Concourse’s focus on the arts, healthcare, and education draws a group of people who are unique and interesting. There is a passion to make a difference around here. You can feel it.”

As far as burgeoning partnerships are concerned, Crosstown Brewery has already collaborated with Crosstown tenants French Truck and Area 51 Ice Cream. With so many unique occupants in the building, the opportunities are endless.

Besides serving up beer, Crosstown Brewery also hopes to be intimately involved in improving the overall experience at Crosstown. Clark says, “The fact that we’re here binds us together and brings a sense of community that is truly thrilling. I think the kinds of people you’ll meet when you come to our taproom will also set us apart.”

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In a recent sit down with Clark, he provided the latest and greatest developments coming out of their unique brewery.

SoCraft: Word on the street is you are expanding to Nashville. What prompted this exciting news?

Will Clark: We’re nearly three years into our journey, and we’ve been getting great feedback from Mississippi and Arkansas, where we’ve already been distributing our beers. Nashville brings great opportunity and great challenges. The craft scene there is really developed and extremely competitive. We’re excited to bring our brand to those customers and show them how strong Memphis beer can be!

What other news do you have regarding growth?

We’re experiencing tremendous growth across our markets. We’re bringing in new tanks for extra capacity, doubling down on our quality-control efforts, and adding a new sales representative to cover the Eastern Tennessee territories. We’ve added a third year-round beer, Ocansey Memphis Pale Ale. We built our brewery for growth and it feels fantastic to watch our beers light up faces in new places all the time.

Do you plan on opening another Memphis location?

We’re not planning on opening another location any time soon. Crosstown Brewing is so strongly rooted in a sense of place that we can’t envision being anywhere else at this time. The Crosstown

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neighborhood is a part of our passion and our identity. Our taproom has become a hub for local clubs, organizations, and neighbors. Watching the growth of that space has been a true joy and, for now, we’re going to stick to our Crosstown roots.

How is the Crosstown location treating y’all? What big plans do you have for this summer?

Having a brewery at Crosstown Concourse is even better than we ever dared to imagine. Because of our proximity to that development, we seem to get a lot of people who are in the neighborhood for many more reasons than just grabbing a beer.

Watching the looks on people’s faces when they see our facility and taste our beers for the first time is one of the things that keep us going.

Any new brews on the horizon we need to know about?

One of my favorite things about continuing to grow and thrive is that it allows us to make the beers that we really love. We just released Howdah, our New England Style IPA and it’s already become one of the best-selling beers in our taproom. Our next seasonal release will be a Terraplane German Style Pilsner. As we push into the warmer months, we’ll release the Boat Drinks Series. This will be a Pina Colada-inspired Berliner Weiss and a Margarita Gose; our hardcore fans may remember this one.

We’ve got a lot going on and we can’t wait to get these beers out into the world!

For more updates on Crosstown Brewery, visit Crosstownbeer.com.

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TRAVEL

SUITE SPOTS

BY ALE SHARPTON Photos provided by each Hotel

Since I love traveling and always on the road, finding the best places to stay, relax, and chill is always a fun mission to accomplish.

Here are three destinations I strongly suggest you consider when in Charlotte, Charleston, and my hometown of Atlanta. Book ‘em!

Restoration Hotel Charleston, North Carolina With the pleasant weather, picturesque waterfront, & globally renowned food scene Charleston possesses, making the stunning Restoration Hotel the destination to unpack and unwind will guarantee an unforgettable experience.

This posh boutique hotel does a flawless job of marrying the city’s southern charm of yesteryear with today’s welcomed trends of industrial-chic interiors adorned with exposed brick, polished wood floors, the latest appliances set in gourmet kitchens, private patios, and high-ceiling airiness rivaling extravagant lofts owned by tycoons. With 16 options ranging from spacious one-bedroom suites, to jaw-dropping, multi-levels residences flaunting 2,300 square feet of luxury, virtually every demand is amply serviced. An added plus is its location: the bustling downtown is at its doorstep, including eclectic shopping, restaurants, coffee houses, museums and festive marketplaces to help load bags with indigenous collectibles. Of course, spending the entire day indoors is also an option, with its own Amethyst Spa; Rise Coffee Bar; hard-sought souvenirs at The Port Mercantile; kicking back in the Indigo Pool overlooking the city; Culture Library’s curated antique book collection; and themed nights at the Watch Rooftop Kitchen and Spirits restaurant crowning the hotel. Ultimately, guests of the Restoration will have a hard time holding back tears upon checkout.

Therestorationhotel.com

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The Iveys Hotel Charlotte, North Carolina The “Queen City” is certainly garnering significant attention with the plentiful selection of breweries it has to offer including Free Range, Birdsong, NoDa, and multi-dimensional onestop Salud within minutes of each other. But rest and relaxation is also a priority, so the luxurious boutique hotel, The Iveys, perfectly fits the bill. Located in the heart of bustling North Charlotte, this was formerly the high-end J.B. Ivey & Company Department Store originally designed by lauded architect William H. Peeps in the early 1900s.

Each of the current 42 rooms do a wondrously balance of maintaining yesteryear’s mystique, while decorated with modish European influences; avant-garde furnishings; high-tech entertainment; and stunning bathrooms boasting classic raised tubs and marble throughout. There are also terraces available for people watching and taking on the current vibe of the city with coffee, champagne—or craft beer—in hand. For more in-house sipping and dining, the lower levels feature an elegant Sophia’s Lounge and awardwining 5Church restaurant to tempt guests from never leaving the site.

Theiveyshotel.com

Loews Hotel Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia Georgia’s capital is certainly one of the most bustling metropolises worldwide, so within the sea of hotels to host the millions of transients, Loews does a brilliant job of achieving prominence from the rest. Nestled in the always festive Midtown, this luxurious stay features a plethora of amenities to complement its swanky 414 guestrooms and 44 suites, including romance packages and breathtaking views of Atlanta’s gems; a woosah-producing Exhale Spa; pet-friendly accommodations; 24-hour in-room dining; and complimentary chauffeuring in a Mercedes GL450 taking guests to and from numerous attractions within a three-mile radius to name a few. Staying put is always a viable option thanks to the Saltwood Charcuterie & Bar adjacent to the flamboyant lobby, serving inventive cocktails and globally inspired fare seasoned with a balance of smoke and salt preservation to put palates in bliss. Just as important, their craft beer program is expertly selected, with many local breweries featured on the bar menu. Although Loews has other locations under its umbrella, this Atlanta location does a magnificent job brandishing its own identity, resulting in numerous actors, sports figures, and other celebrities who regularly make this their choice destination when in town.

This is unequivocally one of the spots in ATL.

Loewshotel.com/atlanta

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B REWERY P RO FI L E

Craft Beer & Country Boys Certified Cicerone Rob Shomaker introduces us to Lexington, Kentucky’s Country Boy Brewing.

BY ROB SHOMAKER

There is something about a truck. It’s simple, utilitarian, and very American. My father once told me that as long as I own a truck, I’ll have friends. That advice has held true; I’ve always owned a truck and I’ve always had friends. Country Boy Brewing’s truck logo is simple, iconic and points forward, indicating progress. That truck has captivated me since the first time I saw it several years ago.

Maybe this is because it represents the convergence of my two passions, the automobile and beer.

The CBB boys in Central Kentucky are like a supergroup of my favorite things.

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Country Boy Brewing has been a Lexington institution

College with DH and Nathan, but then gone to Murray State for graduate

since pouring its first pint in 2012. Not long ago,

work. Between homebrewing with his brother, his background in chemistry

they opened a production with a larger taproom

and biology, plus retail management experience, Evan was the perfect fit to

and patio in Georgetown, just a few miles up the

complete the team.

road. Approaching the new facility, the space, the landscape, and the building leave an impression on you. This new brewery is definitely a statement by the Country Boys, and even though it’s only been open a few years, they are already in the middle of a 19,000 square-foot expansion.

The story behind this brewery begins with Daniel Harrison—“DH to friends, and everyone is a friend—and Nathan Coppage. DH, a native of the Georgetown/Scott County area, originally met Nathan at Georgetown College. Nathan hailed from Hartford, a small Western Kentucky town about 20 minutes south of Owensboro. As fate would have it, DH and Nathan independently interviewed and were hired for the same teaching job in Tahara, Japan— positions made possible by Georgetown’s Toyota plant and Sister Cities relationship. While working in Japan, they used their weekends and spare time to “research” the local Japanese craft beer, a hobby that quickly turned into a blog named Good Beer and Country Boys. Eventually, they met Brian Baird, originally from Ohio, who ran Baird Brewing in Numazu, Japan. Brian’s intense passion for the beer he brewed was infectious and helped encourage DH and Nathan in their beer writing, homebrewing, and the consideration of beer as a career.

Returning to Kentucky with the idea of opening a brewery still burning, DH and Nathan both knew they needed experience. With help from the local homebrew club, BOCK, Nathan landed a job at Alltech’s Lexington Brewery; DH talked his way into

By late summer of 2011, the Boys had secured a lease on 436 Chair Ave in

managing Galvin’s, the legendary sports bar and pub

Lexington, and spent the fall and winter renovating and piecing together

in Georgetown. Being young, DH and Nathan had the

whatever used brewing equipment they could find. On February 10, 2012, the

passion but not the real-life experience to get the

first pint was sold, and Country Boy Brewing was the first brewery to open

brewery rolling. Enter Jeff Beagle. Nathan knew him

in the city in a decade. There were 24 taps, but only six were dedicated to

from BOCK and his award-winning homebrew. DH

Country Boy beer at first. With a tiny homebrew-on-steroids system and

knew him from the bar at Galvin’s. Jeff knew that he

converted dairy tank fermenters, Country Boy managed to produce 508

wanted to open a brewery and, having over 20 years

barrels of beer in 2012.

business experience, could make that happen.

“It was a busy time; we didn’t hire anyone for six months,” explains DH. “I just With Jeff and a plan in place, Nathan’s younger brother

had my first child, a little girl, and she spent a lot of time with me at the bar

Evan came aboard. He had attended Georgetown

because I was basically living there.”

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As the years progressed, Country Boy

DH explains, “We probably wouldn’t be here

make up the rest of the fermentation team.

packed more and more equipment into their

if it wasn’t for Toyota. That’s what got Nate

A year’s worth of planning was put into

original location, but knew they needed

and I to Japan in the first place. I met my

the facility’s layout to ensure efficiency of

another location if they wanted to keep up

wife there. The dream started there. Toyota

process and flow. A perfect product “loop”

with demand. After looking all over Central

has done a lot for us.” With 10 acres at their

was created, and a visitor can easily see

Kentucky for a year, Georgetown kept

disposal, The Country Boy’s built the first

the ease movement between raw material,

making its way to the top of the list. Jeff lived

new construction, post-prohibition brewery

brewing, fermentation, packaging in kegs or

there, DH grew up there, Nathan and Evan

in the state of Kentucky.

cans, cold storage and finally shipping.

At the heart of the new brewery is a 50-barrel

The team at Country Boy Brewing takes

Sprinkman Brewhouse manufactured in

pride in their work and what they stand

As luck would have it, the city of Georgetown

Wisconsin. Backing this up is the largest

for. Their objective is to always be working

was looking for a business just like Country

single beer fermenter in the state—a

toward the perfection of their craft, a direct

Boy for an addition to Lane’s Run Business

275-barrel beast, also from Sprinkman. Five

nod to the Japanese culture which has been

Park, near the massive Toyota complex.

100-barrel and five 60-barrel fermenters

such a large part of this area. “The truck

stands for hard work, pride in who we are,

also created a lifestyle and a mentality that is

As DH describes it, “We hope people feel

and pride in what we do,” DH says.

infectious. The taproom at the brewery feels

unfettered here. We welcome everyone.

warm; it’s a place to celebrate life moments

Come and enjoy good people and a good

and for all to come together.

beer. We’re preaching what we are. Come on

had gone to college there. Naturally, there was a desire to bring Country Boy home.

While these Country Boys do make great beer with character, along the way they’ve

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by and get into the Country Boy mentality.”

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INSTAGRAM @socraftbeermag

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SOCIA L D R I N K

HOPE SPRINGS DISTILLERY HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL IN THIS GEORGIA-BASED DISTILLERY. CHRIS CHAMBERLAIN

L

ilburn, GA, is a sleepy suburb outside of Atlanta. Take a right turn at the quaint little park in the town square, and you’ll enter an industrial park filled with millwork shops. Keep going. You’ll pass an odd sheet metal building advertising “ghillie suits,” the disguises that army snipers and serious hunters use to make themselves look like bushes to trick their prey into a false sense of comfort. You’re almost there.

Round the corner, and you’ll see a small sign for Hope Springs Distillery, the late-in-life’s work of married couple Paul Allen and Betsey Dahlberg.

During the recession of the late 2000’s, both of them found themselves suddenly laid off from their positions as an engineer and attorney, respectively. Dahlberg recalls, “We entered our 60’s and our employment was ended. All of the sudden, we didn’t have any income, and nobody was going to hire us. So we decided we had to have our own business because we were the only people who would hire us!”

Allen and Dahlberg had experience making beer, wine and mead at home, but they didn’t want to open a brewery since there were already so many of those in the area. “We saw craft distilling taking off, and we figured we could do that,” explains Dahlberg. And so they set about planning to open the first legal distillery in Gwinnett County since the beginning of Prohibition. Dahlberg was surprised by what was involved in getting started: “We’ve had product on the market for two years, but it took us three years to get there. Distilling is the sort of business where you spend all your money before you get started.”

Fortunately, the couple’s individual skill sets complemented each other.

“Betsey was an attorney, so she keeps me on the straight and narrow with the Feds,” jokes Allen. He had the engineering background, which was fortunate since they were planning to design their own custom hybrid still which would allow them to make all sorts of products.

Dahlberg remembers, “When we got the still set up, it didn’t work properly. They sent a tech out here six times, and we did a lot of test runs before we got our first product.” Allen adds, “I remember taking rides in my car with all my clothes soaked in pure grain alcohol and just praying I didn’t get pulled over or anyone lit a match near me. But now there’s not much that can go wrong with the still that we can’t deal with.”

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The system they settled on is pretty impressive for a small distillery. Based off of a 300-gallon pot still, they distill their mash using a copper 4-plate whiskey still and a split vodka column with two towers of eight plates apiece. They had to split the column because of the lower ceiling height of their facility, but they came up with a rather ingenious system to use an industrial pneumatic pump to stabilize the pressures between the two columns. They also installed a gin basket in the system, but currently they don’t use it to create their delicious Garner Creek American Dry Gin, preferring to macerate the botanicals in the first step of distillation and then leave the botanicals in the spirit while it undergoes a final distillation run, similar to dry-hopping a beer.

Another innovation is the fact that they don’t actually mill their grain before adding it to the wash. Allen explains, “We figured our neighbors were too close for us to have a noisy hammermill running!” So they actually use 50-lb. bags of hard winter wheat flour with enzymes added to power the fermentation process. “I’m convinced God meant for Neutral Grain Spirits to be made from flour, and when we first tried it, the skies opened up and the angels sang,” explains Allen, adding jokingly, “plus I really like the cost of it!”

In fact, there’s a lot of joking going on at Hope Springs.

Allen’s name tag hanging over his computer in the couple’s cramped 8’ x 10’ foot office reads, “Chief Flunky,” and they have added punny name labels to many of the pieces of equipment in their operation. The mash tun is named “Monster,” their small 4-head bottle filling station is, of course, “Phil” and their main fermentation tank is labeled “Tanky McTankface.” Spend any time in their cozy tasting room which is open on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and you’re sure to be regaled with the couple’s humorous stories.

But they are quite serious about their spirits. Their flagship product is Top Hat Vodka, an 80-proof spirit that is distilled through all 16 plates before passing through a novel coconut

charcoal filtration system. It’s not easy making vodka from flour, as the fine meal doesn’t like to mix with water during the mashing-in process. Hope Springs solved that issue with more of their bootstrap ingenuity, fashioning their own venturi system from hardware store parts that allows them to introduce an entire bag of flour into the still in less than a minute. The result is an extremely smooth vodka with a hint of wheat sweetness that they can position at a price that competes with the big boys in the vodka business at around $20 a bottle.

Their second major product is Dahlberg’s pet project, Garner Creek. As an American Dry Gin, some consumers would expect the required juniper character to be somewhat muted, but Dahlberg decided on a juniper level of 57 percent. “I happen to like the flavor of juniper,” she explains. “I went through 16 recipes before I said ‘Eureka, I have found it!’ I like floral gins, too, so we’re heavy on the lavender.” While her exact recipe is proprietary, she reveals that the main botanicals in addition to juniper and lavender are coriander, cardamom, orris root, angelica, orange and lemon.

This fantastic gin has been a big hit for Hope Springs. Allen shares, “We get people in the tasting room all the time that say they just don’t like gin, but three out of four of them leave saying that they really love this one!” Their third product is a collaboration with Atlanta mixologist-turned-distiller Jaz Jarzewiak, a young man with a dream who came to them wanting to create a unique spirit for the area. His Jetty Absinthe is the first version of the ancient product made in the Atlanta area, and it has been definitely a labor of love. Like Dahlberg and her gin, Jarzewiak experimented with dozens of iterations before settling on his final recipe for the pale green spirit.

Once only an exotic import from Europe, absinthe has had a resurgence among American distillers who use the traditional trio of flavorants of anise, wormwood and fennel to create a bold spirit with licorice notes. Jarzewiak sought to add more herbaceous and savory characteristics with the addition of black pepper and thyme, and local bartenders have picked up the product as an important ingredient in creative cocktails. It’s also ideal as part of the traditional absinthe ritual of dripping water through a slotted spoon with a sugar cube in it to create a lovely cloudy “louche” in a snifter of absinthe.

Dahlberg serves as the main sales force for Hope Springs products, riding along with distributor reps once a week to visit customers and potential outlets. “We want to position ourselves as being local. We’ll put our products up against others, and you’ll find we’re better and less expensive,” she promises boldly.

“We figure we’ve got 10-15 years in this business, so we have no interest in becoming some enormous producer. We just want to be every place in Gwinnett County that sells alcohol, and then maybe we’ll head north from there.” That sounds like plenty of reason to visit Hope Springs in Lilburn and their tasting room so you can experience their personable warmth and excellent spirits.

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Cover & Page 29 Austen Kroll is wear Faherty medium wash knots seasons shirt, white heather long sleeve henley and midnight stretch chino pants ( M. Dumas and Sons, Charleston SC

Pages 14 & 15 Jay in 7 For All Mankind grey and burgundy plaid shirt, Patrick Assaraf white v-neck tee shirt, 7 For All Mankind blue jeans (Levy’s, Nashville TN) Esseri in Drew plaid jacket with fringe, Lilla P striped turtleneck (K. McCarthy, Nashville TN); Haute Hostess collegiate collection orange and white sequin apron (Haute Hostess) Emily in Waverly Grey grey cowl neck vest, Lilla P black long-sleeve pullover, Commando black faux crocodile leggings (K. McCarthy, Nashville TN) Timothy in Levy’s navy quilted jacket, Stone Rose navy and white floral shirt, 7 For All Mankind mustard jeans (Levy’s, Nashville TN) Nicolette Wayne acrylic tray (Corzine & Co., Nashville TN) Guzzini clear acrylic goblets (Corzine & Co., Nashville TN) Juliska acrylic glasses (Corzine & Co., Nashville TN) Elegance by Leeber double wall hammered ice bucket (Corzine & Co., Nashville TN) Q Squared acrylic glasses (Corzine & Co., Nashville TN) Woodkith black walnut feast board (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Arrington Vineyard Antebellum 2015 Tennessee Red Wine (Arrington Vineyard, Arrington TN) Arrington Vineyard Antebellum 2017 Tennessee White Wine (Arrington Vineyard, Arrington TN) Ale-8 One (Ale-8 One, Winchester KY) Mark D. Sikes for Blue Pheasant blue and ivory check tablecloth (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Bellini ice tea glasses (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Caravan orange/natural linen napkins (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Q Squared white acrylic dinner plates (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Ben & Lael copper magnolia leaf bowl (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Ben & Lael silver magnolia leaf bowl (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Woodkith magnolia feast board (AshBlue, Nashville TN) Tina Frey Designs white long trough (Corzine & Co.) Cooter Brown Pale Ale (Jekyll Brewing, Alpharetta GA) Ode to Mercy Nitrode (Wild Heaven Beer, Avondale Estates GA) Abita Strawberry Lager (Abita Brewing, Abita Springs LA) Park Circle Pale Ale (Commonhouse Aleworks, North Charleston SC) Abita Amber (Abita Brewing, Abita Springs LA) Emergency Drinking Beer (Wild Heaven Beer, Avondale Estates GA) Goat Hill (Blackberry Farm Brewery, Maryville TN) ATL Easy Ale (Wild Heaven Beer, Avondale Estates GA) Hop 99 (Abita Brewing, Abita Springs LA); Cheerwine (Salisbury NC) Cheerwine cherry soda (Cheerwine, Salisbury NC) Vanilla and chocolate mini MoonPies (MoonPie, Chattanooga, TN) Jack’s Creek Bar-B-Que sauce (Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint) Hamburgers made with ground beef from Sinking Creek Land & Cattle (Craig, VA) Martin’s bbq pulled pork shoulder sandwiches (Martin’s Barbecue, Nashville TN)

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Liquor and beer infused cupcakes GROOM PARTIES / WEDDINGS /OCCASIONS /musiccitypubcakes @ music_city_pubcakes

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SOCIAL

Chukkers For Charity

BY MILTON WHITE

Photos by Peyton Hoge

C

heers to Nina Lindley & Matt Paco!

They co-chaired Nissan’s 23rd Annual Chukkers for Charity polo match.

The theme was “Divots & Downton: An afternoon of Polo & Ponies” and a fabulous afternoon it was. Downton Abbey, the series and as well as the film served as inspiration for the event.

Several guests took that inspiration to heart and wore outfits that evoked the early 20th century. Chukkers was hosted by Orrin Ingram at Riverview Farm and raised funds for Rochelle Center and Saddle Up! This year’s match was a good-natured sibling rivalry as the opposing team owners, Eleanor Menefee Parkes of Colonial Hill Farm and John Menefee of Ironhorse Farms are sister and brother. Ironhorse Farms won the match with a score of 6-5 and Steve Orthwein was named most valuable player. Guests were treated to a classic car show, a cabana decorating contest, petting zoo and silent auction.

Gracey and Nic Donuhue

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Hank Ingram, Dan Farrell and Kevin Stevenson

Ironhorse Farms and Colonial Hill Farms teams

James and Lexi Armstrong

Ansel and Jana Davis with Richard Perry

Kathryn, Sammy and Christian Currey

Nancy Floyd and Jacob

Cavanagh Baker and Blair Bego

Sarah Darling

SOCIAL

Bootleggers Bash

BY MILTON WHITE

Photos by Frozen Exposure

T

he 9th Annual Bootlegger’s bash celebrated the rich history of bootlegging in William County. The event was hosted by co-chairs, Tim and Bess Kearns on behalf of the Battle of Franklin Trust. It was a gorgeous fall evening at Carnton Plantation as guests sipped on wines, spirits & beer from a variety of local distillers and breweries, including YeeHaw Brewing, Arrington Vineyards, Granite City Brewery and Mantra Artisan Ales. Guests enjoyed a Southern catered dinner by Clean Plate Club, a live auction with country superstar Kix Brooks and dancing with music by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dueling Pianos.

Tim and Bess Kearns with Barbara & Kix Brooks

Kara Boles, Kim Cornwell, Jen Ginsburg, Ashley Lang and Ingrid Stevens

Terrence Long ad Renee Layher

Marci and Barry Lingelbach

Erika and Julian Wraley

Barbara and Kix Brooks

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SOCIAL

CigArt

BY MILTON WHITE Photos by Tiffany Bessire, Bessire Photography

A

Jackalope Brewing Company

great time and a great deal of bourbon, beer and bar-b-que was had by all at OZ Art’s annual fundraiser, CigArts. The bar-b-que was provided by Martin’s Bar-B-Que in a buffet style dinner that included three choices of their world famous sauces - Jack’s Creek, Alabama White and Sweet Dixie. The beer was provided

by Jackalop and the bourbon was from Belle Meade Bourbon, American Barrels Kentucky Bourbon and Pinhook Bourbon among others.

The evening’s host, Tim Ozgener reminded us that funds raised from CigArts makes it possible for OZ Arts to “continue bringing world-class contemporary artists to Nashville, and providing unique educational opportunities for kids, families and life-long learners in our community.”

Diskin Cider

Rob Shuler, Arnita Ozgener, Ryan Geis and Graham Shuler

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Diskin Cider

Tim Ozgener

Tim Ozgener

Amy and Brannan Atkinson

Rob Shuler, Arnita Ozgener, Ryan Geis and Graham Shuler

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