Did You #EarnYourBrew?

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please contact Jessica with your proposal and sponsorship needs/goals.

In moderation, drinking beer can actually play a key role in "being good" to yourself, providing benefits like improved cardiovascular health, reducing stress, and improving problem solving skills. But we could probably all use a little more balance in our lives between imbibing (maybe a little too much sometimes) and being good to ourselves.

For my part I've spent the last two months doing a lot of walking, getting familiar with my juicer (more about that in an upcoming post), reconnecting to some long neglected parts of myself through my Yin Yoga practice, and taking a much needed look inward and away from the blog for a bit. I've learned a lot (some of it new, some of it new again) about myself.

I've learned I feel better when I take time to get outside, acknowledge my need for down time, and take it easier on myself (read: settle down on the todo list). Most importantly, I've accepted that I have a tendency to take things too seriously, and that if I ease up a bit on my own impossible standards of success and just enjoy the ride a lot of the "hard stuff" becomes easier to process. It feels pretty darn awesome to laugh off some of my mistakes, and take the negativity of others with a grain of salt. I'm physically lighter by about ten pounds, and probably emotionally too. 

Since I invited you to #EarnYourBrew along with me, some of ya'll have really been cashing in on the opportunity to get your fitness on. It's great to see others on the path to balancing out good beer with the rest of the good life. Thanks for affirming the importance of investing in you.

Osayi Endolyn: A Lady Who Loves Beer

photo credit Andrew Thomas Lee

A prolific writer based out of Atlanta, this California-born woman dreams of visiting Tokyo (for the sumo wrestling of course) and counts her tenacity through tough times among her proudest accomplishments. 

Currently working on a book about the U.S. Marine Corps, and an ongoing column on craft beer and cocktails in Atlanta Magazine (which you should definitely check out), this lady is a class act with a taste for Lagunitas (all the Lagunitas) and Orpheus Brewing's Serpent Bite.

Meet Osayi Endolyn: a lady who loves beer.  

Tell us about you. Where are you from? How did you end up in Atlanta? Do you think this is your forever home? When you're not drinking beer, you're...

I’m from California, born and raised. I grew up all over the state, but moved to Atlanta not long after finishing undergrad at UCLA. Atlanta means a lot to me. I have dear friends in this city and fell in love here. I started my pursuit in writing as a career here, so I discovered things about myself that are uniquely connected to this place. This is the city where I really became a grownup. Atlanta has given me some amazing opportunities.

When I’m not drinking beer, I’m reading, writing, editing, practicing yoga, tracking down good charcuterie, and depending on the season, watching sports. Also, having a solo dance party from time to time is really good for morale.

Greeks, Geeks, and Sour Beer: Orpheus Brewing Debuts

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before and after images

When it comes to analogies for craft beer, and brewers in particular, the Greek myth of Orpheus is in many ways as apt as they come.

As Orpheus was gifted with creative talents in music and poetry which were said to seduce beasts and boulders alike, it comes as little surprise that Jason Pellet--a long time musician who turned his talents to the siren song of craft beer--would choose the myth as the namesake for newly opened Orpheus Brewing.

By some accounts, Orpheus is an incarnation of Dionysus himself, the very god of inebriation. Boasting a level of talent that may be difficult to uphold, the tale is also a cautionary one. After losing his wife Eurydice not once but twice to the depths of the Underworld, Orpheus meets a rather gruesome end at the hands of a drunk and raucous group of women driven to madness when denied Orpheus' unique music due to their own noisemaking (we all remember this year's Hunahpu Day, right?). 

The mythic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice also reveals a rather uncanny lack of forward vision and faith. Turning back to catch an affirming glimpse of his wife following behind him (the one caveat in allowing them safe passage back to the living), he loses her for all eternity. 

It's with this story in mind that Orpheus Brewing has made the fairly ominous "don't look back" their company tagline. But in the context of the strangely backward approach that some more established breweries devotedly take, however, the emphasis on looking to the future couldn't be more appropriate.

Even the view from the brewery, whose terrace overlooks the Atlanta Beltline and recently incorporated Piedmont Commons (scheduled to unveil developments over the next 17 years) has a literal eye on what's ahead. 

Their opening lineup featured tastes of Atalanta (a sour plum saison), Serpent Bite (a dry-hopped sour saison), and Transmigration of Souls (a Spring Double IPA). With a balance of sour and tart plums and a dry finish, reportedly inspired by the King of Pops, Atalanta was easily my favorite.

As marketing goes, it's a decidedly cerebral approach--one that requires a level of explanation and sobriety to understand (let alone pronounce) that not all consumers will have patience for. 

Successively endowed with a complex name and narrative, boasting equally elaborate and evocative artwork on their labels, the current lineup of beers (in name at least) don't exactly roll off the tongue. It strikes me as a band nerd's brew house; I say this with affection, having spent many middle-school lifetimes keeping the company of my clarinet and surrounded by bandstand Tolkien fanatics whom I not so secretly lusted after.

Fortunately for Orpheus Brewing and consumers alike, you don't need to be fluent in Greek-Speak (or Geek-Speak for that matter) to enjoy the beer. 

Amid a surplus of Georgia-brewed Pale Ale, Kolsch, and E.S.B., Orpheus Brewing is offering up an outpouring of Sours, Saisons, and IPAs. It's a first move that places bets on the intelligence of local craft beer drinker's mind and palate. To this, I say, Orpheus provides a welcome relief.

It's a focus on the kinds of beer that Pellet, founder and brewmaster, goes wild about. 

"I got obsessed with [sours]. I had my first one March 18, 2009. It was a Duchesse [De Bourgogne, from Belgium's Brouwerij Verhaeghe]. That was about the only thing you could get on draft semi-regularly. Shortly after that, I discovered there were shelves of Cantillon and 3 Fonteinen at Green's. Not anymore. That was the golden time for getting sours in Georgia." --from an interview with Austin Ray, First Draft 

Click image for gallery
of before and after photos

Though literal signs of the past hung throughout the brew space when I first visited in March earlier this year, it was clear that for Jason at least, Orpheus Brewing is a living dream. Our guides Jason Pellet, Andrew Lorber, and Will Arnold (cofounders and business partners) led us through the mostly vacant space, embodying a kind of calm confidence. 

"I dream barrels of sour beer," Jason told us, gesturing to the then empty barrel aging room as he addressed the group, a gathering of ladies who love beer from around Atlanta, including Georgia Girls Pint Out. 

Sales Rep. Rebecca Oyster, Head Brewer Chuck Duffney, their team of Argonauts, and Jason's fiance Leslie Campbell (just to name a few) have also helped make that dream a swift reality over the last few months, transforming the warehouse into a workable tasting room and brewing space that is already stacked with kegs of fermented beer. 

Plans to make use of both a mobile canning line, and more traditional bottling (for barrel-aged sours) anticipated this Summer means the journey from fermentation to first taste will be a short one for many local consumers. You can already find their beers on tap in and around Atlanta thanks to United Distributors.

But the move from small-scale home brewing to the full on brew house hasn't been without its share of struggle, as Jason outlines in a post on their website:

"I've decided against consistency this time. [...] I’m much more interested in getting them to be the beer I envisioned, than in exactly repeating the way they came out the first time."

With every indication that Orpheus Brewing is not alone in bringing sours to stage, other players seem positioned to add more drama to the theatre of Georgia craft beer. At the very least, Orpheus Brewing has already made a good show of it. And if the masses in attendance at their inaugural tasting are any indication, there's a whole lotta Georgia folks already poised to purchase box seats (myself included).

Sponsor my trip to BBC14!

This August, I'll be traveling to San Diego to attend the 2014 Beer Bloggers Conference along with hundreds of other registrants from across the country (click here for an updated list of participants)!

To help offset the costs of travel, hotel, and conference registration I'm looking for sponsors to help raise funds in the amount of $1,040.

In return for your support, sponsors receive a public note of thanks, and other rewards up to and including a HeyBrewtiful sticker and t-shirt, monthly mention along with other sponsors on the blog from now until the end of August! Top level sponsors will have the added bonus of being mentioned throughout the trip (with potential brand placement, bringing your brand, company name, and expertise to both Hey, Brewtiful readers and the #BBC14 audience as I post to social media throughout the experience).

To donate, follow the link: http://www.gofundme.com/BBC14heybrewtiful. Level 3 Sponsors and up have the option of a men's or women's tee. Please indicate size and cut (men's or women's) when selecting sponsorship options with this reward (see design mockup and style options below). 

Cori Paige: A Lady Who Loves Beer

Cori has balls, and she can juggle them. With three emerging projects currently underway, including a new online magazine (focused on craft beer, wine, spirits and more), a nonprofit aimed at getting veterans employed (in the Craft Drinks industry of course), and an education and advocacy group for Craft manufacturers and consumers, she's one of the hardest working women I know (it only took me a year to get her to agree to this interview--who says persistence doesn't pay off?). 

Though she doesn't know why (I'd wager it's that alluring radio voice she has at her disposal), people just don't seem to say "No" to Cori. So when she asked me to join her team as one of the photographers for the upcoming issue of CRAFT by Under My Host set to debut (online) in about six weeks, I of course said "Yes." I'm only a eentsy, teensy but excited about that. 

Cori has pretty much said goodbye to wish lists because she's too busy making them come true. Meet Cori Paige, a badass lady who loves beer.

Rebekha Jennings: A Lady Who Loves Beer

After living in Japan for a few years, she returned to Atlanta and saw the city anew appreciating both the arts and craft beer scenes alike. When she combined her interests by creating an "Art of Beer" event, where she met brewer Greg Niznik, the idea for the Ponce De Leon Festival was born.

With plans to put her love for community and creation to use by opening a farm to table resort and a brewery in Asheville sometime in the near future, this month's Lady Who Loves Beer is one to watch as she continues to make her dreams take flight.

Meet Rebekha Jennings: a lady who loves beer.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Atlanta? Do you think this is your forever home?

Originally I was born in Richmond Virginia. I think my parents chose that location because as I hear it "Richmond is for Lovers."Not that I remember anything about the area because my parents moved me to Atlanta when I was two, but I try to keep the "Lover" inside my heart. 

Over the years I dance back and forth on my feelings about the Atlanta area. I see it being an overall violent town but also look upon how it has blossomed over the years. I love seeing the art scene developing and really contribute it to SCAD opening its doors a few years back. 

Also, I enjoy the inner whispers of the film industry coming into fruition. I know this will do great thing for the city's growth. I was able to step away from the city and moved to Japan for a few years. Being on the other side of the world can give you enough space to see Atlanta from a far and when I returned I could enjoy the city as a whole. I will always keep Atlanta as my base but I do have my eye set on Asheville and feel its only a matter of time before I make my move.

Dare all, and prevail.

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It's going to be beautiful. It already is.

It's noon on a Friday and the sun is brilliant and warm. We mill about waiting for everyone to arrive for a group photo.

Today, I am just a stranger bewitched by the vacant spaces and dreamy light. I am just doing my job, watching for natural frames and dramatic shadow. Trying to capture the thousand tales being told in every unlit corner, in these worn floorboards, in these old brick walls. Waiting for an honest and unexpected laugh.

Inside, sunlight spills across the empty floors mixing with soft, deep shadows. Before we get to the posed pictures, Jen Hidinger and Ryan Smith take us on a tour of the building, helping us envision the future barkeep, tabletops, and outdoor patio seating that will transform the space from dream to reality.

....................

I'd heard of the Hidingers through Sweetwater's fundraising initiative, but until last week when I was invited to photograph recipients of a giant check for over $36,000 in proceeds from sales of Sweetwater's Second Helping IPA, I didn't really know their story.

Ryan Hidinger was 36 when he passed away this January after battling late-stage gall bladder cancer. Forbes called it a tragedy, but there's nothing tragic about Ryan's life or the legacy he leaves for the rest of us.

Soon now, Staplehouse will open its doors, a restaurant whose post-tax funds will go in their entirety to the non-profit The Giving Kitchen, which seeks to support hospitality workers faced with unanticipated hardship.

From The Giving Kitchen website: 

"Combined with funds raised by TGK from charitable contributions, the profits of Staplehouse will help TGK fund grants to help pay excessive medical and other expenses for the people who anonymously and graciously nourish so many of us during our dining experiences and who may find themselves in a time of need."

In the moment Jen Hidinger and Ryan Smith are handed the check, everyone is visibly moved. I feel suddenly privy to a moment I did not earn. Humbled to bear witness to this unflinching love. I don't hesitate to call it that--love. You'd have to blind not to see it. This quiet, even, bottomless love.

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It's rare to encounter someone with both extraordinary talent and extraordinary selflessness, but if you ask anyone who knew him, Ryan Hidinger embodied both. Though the almost $300,000 raised by the community for his treatment did not ultimately stop Ryan's cancer, he chose to live a life that inspired an unstoppable dream. A life that dares the rest of us to dream big, be kind, and take care of one another.

I look forward to the day I can pay my respects at a Staplehouse table. Join me.

Staplehouse
541 Edgewood Ave.

ATL, GA.


Dare All and Prevail from Gregory Miller Pictures on Vimeo.