9.PROFILES IN BREWING by Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing" Gary Essex - The Buckhead Brewery & Grill (GA & FL) Gary Essex became serious about homebrewing in the late 1980s. Along with two other all-grain homebrewers, he founded a homebrewers club in Niceville FL. Established in 1991, the Homebrewers Underground is still active today. In 1993, the tireless brewer became a certified beer judge and an award-winning homebrewer. In 1995, with homebrew recipes in tow, Essex helped open the original Buckhead Brewery & Grill in Tallahassee. Months later, tired and homesick, he departed the fledgling company and returned to his hometown of Destin FL to brew for short-lived HarborDock. When that high-overhead, mall brewpub failed, Gary went back to the Buckhead corporation, this time to the southwest Atlanta suburb of Stockbridge, where Buckhead #2 was under construction. Less than two years later, the Cumming Buckhead was added to his Brewing Operations responsibility. Now he's making several 120 mile round-trip journeys each week in order to keep four fermenters and five serving tanks full, times two. Buckhead's Hefeweizen is unfiltered, cloudy with potent sour peach flavor lurking with its thin body. The ubiquitous tricycle brew, Buck Light is a clean, golden ale absent bitter and malty extremes. Dry-hopped Hop Island IPA presents a big hops frontal attack. Medium bodied, this deep golden brew leaves residual bitterness as well. Buckhead's Renegade IPA, which scored a 2000 Great American Beer Festival bronze, was brewed for the fest in Tallahassee because Georgia imposes a limit on alcohol content of 6% maximum. Essex's seasonal Winter Ale also hit big in Denver last year, bringing home GABF gold in the Scotch Ale category. Thick in mouthfeel, Winter is silky smooth and ultra malty. A touch of smoked malt is buried deep in the mix. Flat and smooth, Black Diamond Stout is heavy with coffee beans-meet-roasted malt. Mocha flavor is obvious long after the final swallow. Buckhead serves no Budweiser. It's their brew or no one's. Other beers in the regular and seasonal rotation include Red Hills Amber (malty, dark, almost a UK Brown Ale), Ten Point Porter (low hopped, complex malt bill), Panther Pale Ale ( a dry hopped but toned down version of Hop Island IPA) and Oktoberfest (traditional recipe, made with toasted grain). Gary's three 15 barrel brewhouses are nearly identical. That makes his job as corporate Director of Brewing Operations a little easier, though he often wishes he could be in two places at once. With a third Atlanta-area Buckhead opening soon in Alpharetta, his personnel hunt for a brewer-trainee is taking on personal importance. Until he finds help, he'll continue to brew at both of the Atlanta-area Buckheads. It appears that the Florida-based chain will continue to multiply for the foreseeable future. That's what Gary calls job security. Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/ |
8.RESOURCES If you are looking to sell or buy some personal or professional homebrew equipment, take a look at HomebrewAuction.com. The site, run by J.R.Enfield of Johnson City TN, operates in a manner similar to eBay and is dedicated to beer and homebrewing. http://www.homebrewauction.com 80beers.com, an interesting and ambitious new website, was debuted at the Athens Classic City Brew-Fest by owner Randall Guensler of Atlanta. The site features a wealth of listings on breweries, pubs, beers, etc. There's also a section for you to track your own "80 beers around the world." http://www.80beers.com |
7.CALENDAR (See the calendar for more details) 5/12 Mid-Atlantic Beer Festival - Richmond VA 5/19 5th Knoxville Brewers' Jam - Knoxville TN 5/19-20 7th River City Beer & Seafood Festival - Richmond VA 5/26 Wing Fling Brewers' Fest - Sevierville TN 6/15 Suds Fest 2001 - Memphis TN 6/22-24 5th Old Dominion Beer Fest - Ashburn VA 7/21 4th Foam Fest - Little Rock AR 7/27-29 7th International Beer & Food Festival - Jacksonville FL 7/27-29 Oregon Beer Festival - Portland OR Notes: The Southeast Coast Brewer's Festival held in Wilmington NC has been discontinued. The annual Bluegrass Brewing Company Microbrew Festival in Louisville KY has been put on hiatus until 2002. |
Greetings to all, 1. NEWS We open with sad news. Kenneth Scott "Lefty" Lefkowitz, founder, owner and brewer of New River Brewing Company in Blacksburg VA, died suddenly March 29 at his home in Greensboro NC. Lefkowitz, 32, who was engaged to be married, was found by his fiancee when she came to his apartment. He had apparently been exercising when he collapsed. Lefkowitz was a graduate of the Siebel Institute and established the New River Brewing Company in late 1999. Members of his family said at a memorial service April 1 in Winston-Salem NC, that they intended to keep his enterprise going as a tribute to him. The family asked that anyone who wanted to make a memorial contribution in his name make it to the Appalachian Trail Conference. For more details: http://www.news-record.com/news/obits/1130604.htm and http://www.newriverbrewing.com. ------ Efforts seems to be proving successful in Florida to allow the sales of beer in larger bottles. According to bottle bill proponent Mark Tumarkin, "There are actually two bills, House Bill 187 and Senate Bill 202. Both bills have been sailing through the preliminary committees with little or no opposition. This is very encouraging for when the bills make it to the floors of the House and Senate for the full votes. The vote in the house will be very soon, possibly this week. The Senate vote should follow shortly. We are asking everyone to write or call their legislators asking them to vote in favor of the bills. The more letters and calls that come in the more likely they are to vote as we'd like." For more information or to participate in the grass-roots letter writing campaign, go to: http://www.nfbl.org/BottleBill2001/default.htm ------- The Beer South team was out and about since the last newsletter and we managed to attend both the Southeastern Microbrewer's Invitational in Chapel Hill NC and the Classic City Brew-Fest in Athens GA. Pictures of both events are on the Beer South site, so take at look: Southeastern Invitational & Classic City Brew-Fest. |
The material presented on this site is based on information believed to be correct, but is subject to change at anytime. If you have an update, correction, suggestion or any other contribution, please send it to us at: beersouth@mindspring.com. We welcome your input. (c) 1999 - 2002 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved. |
The material presented on this site is based on information believed to be correct, but is subject to change at anytime. If you have an update, correction, suggestion or any other contribution, please send it to us at: beersouth@mindspring.com. We welcome your input. (c) 1999 - 2002 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved. |
April 2001 Newsletter |
Greetings to all, 1. NEWS We open with sad news. Kenneth Scott "Lefty" Lefkowitz, founder, owner and brewer of New River Brewing Company in Blacksburg VA, died suddenly March 29 at his home in Greensboro NC. Lefkowitz, 32, who was engaged to be married, was found by his fiancee when she came to his apartment. He had apparently been exercising when he collapsed. Lefkowitz was a graduate of the Siebel Institute and established the New River Brewing Company in late 1999. Members of his family said at a memorial service April 1 in Winston-Salem NC, that they intended to keep his enterprise going as a tribute to him. The family asked that anyone who wanted to make a memorial contribution in his name make it to the Appalachian Trail Conference. For more details: http://www.news-record.com/news/obits/1130604.htm and http://www.newriverbrewing.com. ------ Efforts seems to be proving successful in Florida to allow the sales of beer in larger bottles. According to bottle bill proponent Mark Tumarkin, "There are actually two bills, House Bill 187 and Senate Bill 202. Both bills have been sailing through the preliminary committees with little or no opposition. This is very encouraging for when the bills make it to the floors of the House and Senate for the full votes. The vote in the house will be very soon, possibly this week. The Senate vote should follow shortly. We are asking everyone to write or call their legislators asking them to vote in favor of the bills. The more letters and calls that come in the more likely they are to vote as we'd like." For more information or to participate in the grass-roots letter writing campaign, go to: http://www.nfbl.org/BottleBill2001/default.htm ------- The Beer South team was out and about since the last newsletter and we managed to attend both the Southeastern Microbrewer's Invitational in Chapel Hill NC and the Classic City Brew-Fest in Athens GA. Pictures of both events are on the Beer South site, so take at look: Southeastern Invitational & Classic City Brew-Fest. |
2.OPENINGS GA / Atlanta - Bayou La Roux's GA / Atlanta - Five Seasons Brewing 3.PLANNED OPENINGS GA / Augusta - Liberty Steakhouse & Brewery |
4.PLANNED CHANGES KY / Louisville - Bluegrass Brewing Company plans to purchase Pipkin Brewing Company of Louisville KY. NC / Raleigh - Rock Creek has sold the rights to manufacture its brands to Chesapeake Brewing in Maryland. They continue to contract brew for Williamsburg (VA) Brewing Company. VA / Alexandria - Fordham Brewing Co. of Maryland has bought Native Brewing Co. and will continue to operate it and retain the brands under. |
5.CLOSINGS AL / Mobile - Port City Brewery GA / Atlanta - John Harvard's (in Buckhead) GA / Augusta - Oldenberg Grill & Brewery 6.PERSONNEL AR / Little Rock - Bill Riffle to head brewer for Vino's Brewpub. GA / Cumming - Bobby Krusen from New Knoxville Brewing (TN) to brewer at Buckhead Brewery & Grill SC / Columbia - Jamie Bartholomaus has left as brewer for Vista Brewing Company SC / Columbia - Robert McCauley to head brewer of Vista Brewing Company VA / Alexandria - Mark Loveland from brewer at Native Brewing to head brewer for Gordon Biersch in Washington DC |
7.CALENDAR (See the calendar for more details) 5/12 Mid-Atlantic Beer Festival - Richmond VA 5/19 5th Knoxville Brewers' Jam - Knoxville TN 5/19-20 7th River City Beer & Seafood Festival - Richmond VA 5/26 Wing Fling Brewers' Fest - Sevierville TN 6/15 Suds Fest 2001 - Memphis TN 6/22-24 5th Old Dominion Beer Fest - Ashburn VA 7/21 4th Foam Fest - Little Rock AR 7/27-29 7th International Beer & Food Festival - Jacksonville FL 7/27-29 Oregon Beer Festival - Portland OR Notes: The Southeast Coast Brewer's Festival held in Wilmington NC has been discontinued. The annual Bluegrass Brewing Company Microbrew Festival in Louisville KY has been put on hiatus until 2002. |
8.RESOURCES If you are looking to sell or buy some personal or professional homebrew equipment, take a look at HomebrewAuction.com. The site, run by J.R.Enfield of Johnson City TN, operates in a manner similar to eBay and is dedicated to beer and homebrewing. http://www.homebrewauction.com 80beers.com, an interesting and ambitious new website, was debuted at the Athens Classic City Brew-Fest by owner Randall Guensler of Atlanta. The site features a wealth of listings on breweries, pubs, beers, etc. There's also a section for you to track your own "80 beers around the world." http://www.80beers.com |
9.PROFILES IN BREWING by Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing" Gary Essex - The Buckhead Brewery & Grill (GA & FL) Gary Essex became serious about homebrewing in the late 1980s. Along with two other all-grain homebrewers, he founded a homebrewers club in Niceville FL. Established in 1991, the Homebrewers Underground is still active today. In 1993, the tireless brewer became a certified beer judge and an award-winning homebrewer. In 1995, with homebrew recipes in tow, Essex helped open the original Buckhead Brewery & Grill in Tallahassee. Months later, tired and homesick, he departed the fledgling company and returned to his hometown of Destin FL to brew for short-lived HarborDock. When that high-overhead, mall brewpub failed, Gary went back to the Buckhead corporation, this time to the southwest Atlanta suburb of Stockbridge, where Buckhead #2 was under construction. Less than two years later, the Cumming Buckhead was added to his Brewing Operations responsibility. Now he's making several 120 mile round-trip journeys each week in order to keep four fermenters and five serving tanks full, times two. Buckhead's Hefeweizen is unfiltered, cloudy with potent sour peach flavor lurking with its thin body. The ubiquitous tricycle brew, Buck Light is a clean, golden ale absent bitter and malty extremes. Dry-hopped Hop Island IPA presents a big hops frontal attack. Medium bodied, this deep golden brew leaves residual bitterness as well. Buckhead's Renegade IPA, which scored a 2000 Great American Beer Festival bronze, was brewed for the fest in Tallahassee because Georgia imposes a limit on alcohol content of 6% maximum. Essex's seasonal Winter Ale also hit big in Denver last year, bringing home GABF gold in the Scotch Ale category. Thick in mouthfeel, Winter is silky smooth and ultra malty. A touch of smoked malt is buried deep in the mix. Flat and smooth, Black Diamond Stout is heavy with coffee beans-meet-roasted malt. Mocha flavor is obvious long after the final swallow. Buckhead serves no Budweiser. It's their brew or no one's. Other beers in the regular and seasonal rotation include Red Hills Amber (malty, dark, almost a UK Brown Ale), Ten Point Porter (low hopped, complex malt bill), Panther Pale Ale ( a dry hopped but toned down version of Hop Island IPA) and Oktoberfest (traditional recipe, made with toasted grain). Gary's three 15 barrel brewhouses are nearly identical. That makes his job as corporate Director of Brewing Operations a little easier, though he often wishes he could be in two places at once. With a third Atlanta-area Buckhead opening soon in Alpharetta, his personnel hunt for a brewer-trainee is taking on personal importance. Until he finds help, he'll continue to brew at both of the Atlanta-area Buckheads. It appears that the Florida-based chain will continue to multiply for the foreseeable future. That's what Gary calls job security. Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/ |
=============================================================================== Thanks to: J.R. Enfield, Bob Gordon, Gary Essex, Tyrone Irby, Ken Jenkins, Stephen Johnson, Brian Kelley, Rick Kennedy, Kevin Kittredge, John Lyda, Jim Norton, Owen Ogletree, Chuck Skypeck, Malcolm Shaw, Brandy Thompson and Mark Tumarkin. Until next issue, cheers! The Beer South Beer Bwana |
