PROFILES IN BREWING by Bobby Bush, Tom Davis -Thomas Creek Brewing Company - Greenville SC Tom Davis is one of those instantly likable people. Outgoing, industrious and business minded, his eyes sparkle at the mere mention of beer, even though he's toiled at the craft, as a professional, for nearly seven years. He'd already been brewing for two years at Henni's, a downtown Greenville SC bar-turned-brewpub, when I first visited the lanky brewer in 1996. Before the barstools could even warm one degree, he'd already hustled us off to tour the cramped brewery. His three-and-a-half barrel brew kettle, along with an odd array of fermentation vessels, were slammed into a closet size room hidden way behind the kitchen. Enthusiasm unfazed by the tight quarters, his beer was good, very good, in fact. With a strong desire to get it right the very first time, Tom spent 18 months reading about homebrewing before his first attempt. Unlike most fledgling homebrewers, Tom did not start with beginner brewing kits. He entered this hobby as he would his profession: at the top. His first beers were the real thing, all-grain, filtered and force carbonated. With some pride, he states: "I've never primed a bottle in my life." Ten years of homebrewing and later a bartending gig at Henni's lead to the bar's brewpub conversion. In 1997, after three years at the rustic brewpub, he left with his brewery and his experience, ready to try something new. Assisted by his father ,William T., and his wife, Terri, Thomas Creek Brewing Company was founded. The Greenville microbrewery offered opportunities unavailable to SC brewpubs because of the state's alcohol regulations. At last Tom could satisfy the many requests for off-premise beer sales that had haunted him at Henni's. With a used 30 barrel brewhouse and two (now three) 60 barrel fermenters, the first batch of Thomas Creek beer hit the streets in July 1998. In typical Tom fashion, the groundwork for Thomas Creek began years before. While still a homebrewer, he offered samples to Henni's patrons served to refine his recipes and he considers his tenure there as in-depth market research to learn how to make what local people wanted to drink. The program appears to be working. Four-fifths of his Thomas Creek's output is kegged. Bottles and his brand new six-liter Tap-A-Draft system comprise the rest. (This innovative take-out beer unit is unique. It's already a hit in the Greenville area). Thomas Creek's excellent Pilsener is especially noteworthy because it's one of the hardest European styles to brew correctly and Tom has discovered the secret recipe for this light, tartly bitter lager. The medium-bodied malty Red Ale is becoming Thomas Creek's flagship beer. IPA, also sold at Barley's as it's house-branded beer, Irma's IPA, is big, bold and hoppy. Multi-Grain is chewy, with hints of cereal within its crisp medium mouthfeel. Brown is sweet and sassy, while the traditional Dopplebock lager is hefty and challenging. Porter sees only limited availability. Oktoberfest is a seasonal crowd pleaser. Tom also brews special recipe house brands for several local restaurants. Thomas Creek is truly a self-contained family operation. Wife Terri runs the website and helps out at nearly every festival. Father William crafts the company's distinctive tap handles and point-of-purchase promotional material. Tom etches pint glasses, fires labels on others and makes logo mirrors for barroom display. Busy as he is, this personable guy with the instant smile - when he's not selling and promoting - brews great Thomas Creek Beer too. 2054 Piedmont Hwy., Greenville SC 29605-4840 - (864) 695-0555 Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/ |
CALENDAR Editors note: We have already begun building the Beer South festivals calendar for 2002. While not complete, it should give you a good idea of what's coming up. Check it out. Friday, January 25, 2002 - 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. 5th Fort Lauderdale International Beer Festival - Fort Lauderdale (FL) War Memorial Auditorium Adv $25, Door $30 - 100+ beers, food available from 25+ local restaurants. Live music plus appearance by Stuttering John (Howard Stern Show.) Sponsored by City Link Newspaper to benefit the Broward Coalition for the Homeless The three significant national events of 2002 will the Craft Brewer's Conference, the bi-annual World Beer cup and the annual Great American Beer Festival. For more information on attending the conference or on entering the beer judging competitions, see the event's respective websites. Final Registration: January 11, 2002, Entries Due: March 11-15, 2002 Judging: April 9-10, 2002 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Finalists Announced: April 13, 2002, Winners Announced: June 12, 2002 April 10-13, 2002 Cleveland, Ohio, USA October 3-5, 2002 Denver, Colorado, USA |
RESOURCES Although it's a bit late to shit the web for Christmas gifts, here are some sites worth investigating for their beer gear and such. http://www.BarConnections.com - Australian beer gear store http://www.BeerBooks.com - Give the gift of books and beer at the same time http://www.BeerClothes.com - Posters, clothes, etc. http://www.BeerGear.com - Steins, mugs, shirts, etc. http://www.BeerHeads.com - Caps, shirts, glasses, etc. promoting beer http://www.BrewTees.com - A nice collection of shirts from individual breweries |
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. |
December 2001 Newsletter |
Holiday Greetings, This newsletter concludes the first year of the Beer South BUZZ. We hope you have found it interesting and useful. We look forward to keeping you informed in the upcoming year. Have a Happy Holiday and Great New Year! - The Beer Bwana NEWS Well, for once the Beer Bwana has little to say. So we'll deflect attention from this little anomaly by reminding everyone that sometimes, no news is good news, especially in light of some of the news that came our way this year. Take a look around you and take stock of the friends, family and things you have to be thankful for. That's good news enough. |
CHANGES Closed LA / Baton Rouge - Bon Temps Brewing (MB) Personnel NC / Asheville - Tim Keck, formerly brewer for Blue Ridge Brewing in, to head brewer for Highland Brewing in Asheville NC. SC / Columbia - David Fowlkes, brewer at Mad Boar Brewing in Myrtle Beach SC, has also added the brewing duties for Vista Brewing in Columbia SC to his schedule. TN / Johnson City - Reuben Jones, formerly of Highland Brewing in Asheville NC to head brewer for The Sophisticated Otter. |
RESOURCES Although it's a bit late to shit the web for Christmas gifts, here are some sites worth investigating for their beer gear and such. http://www.BarConnections.com - Australian beer gear store http://www.BeerBooks.com - Give the gift of books and beer at the same time http://www.BeerClothes.com - Posters, clothes, etc. http://www.BeerGear.com - Steins, mugs, shirts, etc. http://www.BeerHeads.com - Caps, shirts, glasses, etc. promoting beer http://www.BrewTees.com - A nice collection of shirts from individual breweries |
CALENDAR Editors note: We have already begun building the Beer South festivals calendar for 2002. While not complete, it should give you a good idea of what's coming up. Check it out. Friday, January 25, 2002 - 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. 5th Fort Lauderdale International Beer Festival - Fort Lauderdale (FL) War Memorial Auditorium Adv $25, Door $30 - 100+ beers, food available from 25+ local restaurants. Live music plus appearance by Stuttering John (Howard Stern Show.) Sponsored by City Link Newspaper to benefit the Broward Coalition for the Homeless The three significant national events of 2002 will the Craft Brewer's Conference, the bi-annual World Beer cup and the annual Great American Beer Festival. For more information on attending the conference or on entering the beer judging competitions, see the event's respective websites. Final Registration: January 11, 2002, Entries Due: March 11-15, 2002 Judging: April 9-10, 2002 Cleveland, Ohio, USA Finalists Announced: April 13, 2002, Winners Announced: June 12, 2002 April 10-13, 2002 Cleveland, Ohio, USA October 3-5, 2002 Denver, Colorado, USA |
PROFILES IN BREWING by Bobby Bush, Tom Davis -Thomas Creek Brewing Company - Greenville SC Tom Davis is one of those instantly likable people. Outgoing, industrious and business minded, his eyes sparkle at the mere mention of beer, even though he's toiled at the craft, as a professional, for nearly seven years. He'd already been brewing for two years at Henni's, a downtown Greenville SC bar-turned-brewpub, when I first visited the lanky brewer in 1996. Before the barstools could even warm one degree, he'd already hustled us off to tour the cramped brewery. His three-and-a-half barrel brew kettle, along with an odd array of fermentation vessels, were slammed into a closet size room hidden way behind the kitchen. Enthusiasm unfazed by the tight quarters, his beer was good, very good, in fact. With a strong desire to get it right the very first time, Tom spent 18 months reading about homebrewing before his first attempt. Unlike most fledgling homebrewers, Tom did not start with beginner brewing kits. He entered this hobby as he would his profession: at the top. His first beers were the real thing, all-grain, filtered and force carbonated. With some pride, he states: "I've never primed a bottle in my life." Ten years of homebrewing and later a bartending gig at Henni's lead to the bar's brewpub conversion. In 1997, after three years at the rustic brewpub, he left with his brewery and his experience, ready to try something new. Assisted by his father ,William T., and his wife, Terri, Thomas Creek Brewing Company was founded. The Greenville microbrewery offered opportunities unavailable to SC brewpubs because of the state's alcohol regulations. At last Tom could satisfy the many requests for off-premise beer sales that had haunted him at Henni's. With a used 30 barrel brewhouse and two (now three) 60 barrel fermenters, the first batch of Thomas Creek beer hit the streets in July 1998. In typical Tom fashion, the groundwork for Thomas Creek began years before. While still a homebrewer, he offered samples to Henni's patrons served to refine his recipes and he considers his tenure there as in-depth market research to learn how to make what local people wanted to drink. The program appears to be working. Four-fifths of his Thomas Creek's output is kegged. Bottles and his brand new six-liter Tap-A-Draft system comprise the rest. (This innovative take-out beer unit is unique. It's already a hit in the Greenville area). Thomas Creek's excellent Pilsener is especially noteworthy because it's one of the hardest European styles to brew correctly and Tom has discovered the secret recipe for this light, tartly bitter lager. The medium-bodied malty Red Ale is becoming Thomas Creek's flagship beer. IPA, also sold at Barley's as it's house-branded beer, Irma's IPA, is big, bold and hoppy. Multi-Grain is chewy, with hints of cereal within its crisp medium mouthfeel. Brown is sweet and sassy, while the traditional Dopplebock lager is hefty and challenging. Porter sees only limited availability. Oktoberfest is a seasonal crowd pleaser. Tom also brews special recipe house brands for several local restaurants. Thomas Creek is truly a self-contained family operation. Wife Terri runs the website and helps out at nearly every festival. Father William crafts the company's distinctive tap handles and point-of-purchase promotional material. Tom etches pint glasses, fires labels on others and makes logo mirrors for barroom display. Busy as he is, this personable guy with the instant smile - when he's not selling and promoting - brews great Thomas Creek Beer too. 2054 Piedmont Hwy., Greenville SC 29605-4840 - (864) 695-0555 Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/ |
=================================================================================== Thanks to: Ray Daniels, Mike Dixon, Gary Fritze, Scott Graham, T. J. Higgins, Ken Koenig, John Lock and Bob Sheck Until next year, cheers! The Beer Bwana |
