PROFILES IN BREWING
By Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing"

Ron Downer of Rocky River Brewing Company in Sevierville, Tennessee

The Rocky River Brewing Company restaurant and its brewery were just
months old.  It was the very first batch of Bear Bottom Stout, a simple,
from-the-book knock off of Guinness Stout. The stout and several other
beers made by brewer Ron Downer were on their way to the 1998 Great
American Beer Festival in Denver for fest tasting and a nation-wide
competition. Right out of the starting block, Bear Bottom Stout was
awarded the gold medal in the Irish Stout category. What a way to start
a new job?

Though he had home brewed a little in college, mostly out of necessity, it was really about 1972 when Ron first began homebrewing on a regular basis.  A professional fireman in need of a hobby, he was a regular at Knoxville's first home brew supply store. 

By 1994 Ron was operating his own home brew supply store, the Brewhaus, which specialized in mail order business. Referred by a customer to a local group interested in opening a brewpub in downtown Knoxville, Ron
gave up 21 years of seniority in the Knoxville Fire Department to install the brewhouse at Smoky Mountain Brewery, Knoxville's first brewpub. He deftly converted his home brew recipes into fifteen barrel batches, but, unfortunately, excessive startup costs and cash flow problems led to Smoky Mountain's quick demise. Ron was without work for over a year, but, being resourceful, he already had a back-up plan.

During that brewing furlough he wrote a letter to Mike Chase, owner of the Copper Cellar restaurant group in East Tennessee. As fate would have it, Mike had just been to a restaurant trade show in Chicago and was infatuated with the concept of brew-on-site brewpubs. Chase's interest increased when he discovered that there was an experienced brewer in the neighborhood. Ready and willing, Ron signed on with Copper Cellar. 

Satisfied that he knew what he wanted, Ron placed the order for Copper Cellar's brewing equipment and installed it in the company's new Calhoun's BBQ & Brew on Kingston Pike in west Knoxville.  Again, his home brew recipes served as the basis for the brand new Calhoun's beers. It didn't taken long for Ron to become disappointed with the owner's insistence on "lightening everything up," i.e. no bold flavors or hop character. Luckily, Ron got in touch with a group of investors that was planning a microbrewery-restaurant in Sevierville, Tenn., and was offered the position of Brewmaster. 

The owner of the proposed microbrewery, soon to be named Rocky River, told Ron to brew anything he wanted as long as it sold, which is every serious brewer's dream. Ron had a $500,000 budget to equip the new brewery. Though he spent the first seven months doing grunt work in the company's winery, once the roof was up on the new building at Governor's Crossing, Ron began installing the brewhouse in the center of the magnificent $7 million brewery-restaurant complex.

His first Rocky River beer was served in June 1998, five months prior to that first gold GABF medal.  One year later, in Denver for the 1999 festivities, Ron's seasonal Winterfest Ale took silver in the Strong Scotch Ale category followed in 2000 by another gold, this one for Golden Eagle Lager.

Ron's favorite drinking beer, his personal session beer, is Ten Point Ale, Rocky River's biggest seller because it's light enough to compete with budmillercoors. In the Munich Helles style, brewed with German yeast, hops and specialty grains, Golden Eagle Lager requires three months of cold conditioning.  At 5% alcohol-by-volume, Heidelberg Hefeweizen utilizes Weihenstephan weizen yeast for a true to tradition big Bavarian wheat beer, banana and clove tastes intact. Heidelberg Hefeweizen won bronze at the 2001 GABF in the German-style wheat ale category, third best out of 84 competitors in that category.

Copperhead Red Ale is currently the brewery's biggest seller to off-premises keg accounts (Rocky River is technically a microbrewery with a wholesale license, the only one in Tennessee.) This brew of malty complexity falls somewhere between Irish Red and German Alt categories. Billed as an India Pale Ale, Mad Wolf IPA is, Ron now feels, closer to an Extra Special Bitter.  Even with Northern Brewer and Kent Goldings hops, it's "not dry enough to compare with a California IPA."  Closing out the brewery's regular selections, Bear Bottom Stout is a straight-up Irish Dry Stout. It's made with flaked barley, roasted barley and two-row barley, the latter ingredient is the basis of all of Ron's recipes.

Rocky River's seasonal beers include the 1999 silver-winning Winterfest and Highland Dew Scottish Ale. Both are brewed only once annually in Ron's steam-heated DME brewhouse. Since Rocky River is a wholesaler, everything is kegged for distribution, even beer designated for the restaurant's three bars, waiting just on the other side of thick glass walls. Distribution covers other bars and restaurants in Morristown, Nashville and Greenville, South Carolina. Bottling is now being considered by the brewery's new owners in order to broaden distribution opportunities in Tennessee and adjoining states. Brewing pace in 2002 is about the same as the previous year, running about 900 barrels. The brewery's annual capacity is 4,800 barrels.

Nestled near Pigeon Forge, home of Dolly Parton's country theme park, and close to tourist-swamped Gatlinburg, the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky River is surrounded by a constant flow of visitors. From its Cracker Barrel-like gift shop to a cavernous dining area and plentiful bar seats, this attractive, friendly facility is well equipped to handle the masses.  Interior decorations are rustic with an abundance of exposed wood, stonework and mounted wildlife. An enticing menu ranges from wood-fired pizzas to Black Angus Steaks.

In the midst of what once was a dry county - as in NO ALCOHOL - Rocky River Brewing Company provides a beer oasis away from the bright lights, honky tonks and flavorless beer. Ron Downer has made all the difference.

1444 Hurley Drive, Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 908-3686

Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/
CALENDAR

12/13 - 2002 Holiday Craft Beer Festival - Chapel Hill NC
1/18 - Florida Brewers Guild Festival - Tampa FL
4/5 - 8th Classic City Brew-Fest - Athens GA
RESOURCES

It's that time again. You know, when you scratch your head and wonder what in the world you'll give that special someone on your Christmas gift list. Here are some places to look if you'd like to see some interesting beer related items. Do it for Santa. He needs all the help he can get this year.

Books, Art & Posters
Allposters.com: www.allposters.com Enter "beer" in the search box.

Glassware & Steins
Pubglasses: www.pubglasses.com
Custom Glassware: www.customglassware.com
Great American Brewery Shoppe: www.beer-steins.com

Food, Collectibles, Signs, Coasters, Shirts, Music, more....
NEWS

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) recently released it's 2002 Rating The States annual report card on the nation's attention toward the problem of alcohol- and other drug-impaired driving. The grades are a composite average of several factors including government leadership, law enforcement policies, criminal sanctions, underage drinking control, and fatality trends. When you read the report, you can't help but be alarmed by one particular statistic; that of the percentage of traffic deaths which are classified as alcohol related. Note: MADD's formula takes into account all passengers, injured or not, that may have been drinking. Even in the states with the lowest percentages, alcohol plays a roll in over one in four traffic deaths, and perhaps more so in non-fatal mishaps. The statistics may be subject to debate but clearly MADD has good  reason to be concerned, as do we all.

The nation as a whole received a "C," with California receiving the highest rating of "B" and Montana the lowest, with an "F."

The overall grades for 2002 for the Beer South States
(with the percent of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in parenthesis):

Alabama: C (38%)
Arkansas (32%)
Georgia: B- (35%)
Florida: B- (42%)
Kentucky: C (29%)
Louisiana: C (47%)
Mississippi: C+ (36%)
North Carolina: B (35%)
South Carolina: D (56%)
Tennessee: C- (43%)
Virginia: C+ (36%)

The extensive report, complete with methodology and a state-by-state analysis, is available online at MADD's website. Source: www.madd.org

MADD itself has come under fire recently for poor grades. The American Institute of Philanthropy, a national watch-dog group based in Chicago, just assigned MADD a "D" for effectiveness in terms of dollars donated, according to its November 21, 2002, press release. The grade was adjusted upward to a "C-" after a subsequent review. Of MADD's approximately $45M budget, $12M goes toward non-program expenses such as
salaries, pensions and benefits.Source: www.charitywatch.org/

MADD is also catching flack for it's attempts to establish a nationwide system of roadblocks to check for drunk drivers. While MADD insists roadblocks are one of the best ways to reduce drunk driving, some critics have denounced the idea as a thinly-veiled attempt to curb drinking in general. Since all brewers, publicans and customers could be affected by such a program, it's a good idea to learn more about the issue. One information source is the website for the American Beverage Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based association promoting the interest of restaurant operators.

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: updates@beersouth.com. We welcome your input.

(c) 1999 - 2003 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: updates@beersouth.com. We welcome your input.

(c) 1999 - 2003 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved.
November 2002 Buzz
NEWS

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) recently released it's 2002 Rating The States annual report card on the nation's attention toward the problem of alcohol- and other drug-impaired driving. The grades are a composite average of several factors including government leadership, law enforcement policies, criminal sanctions, underage drinking control, and fatality trends. When you read the report, you can't help but be alarmed by one particular statistic; that of the percentage of traffic deaths which are classified as alcohol related. Note: MADD's formula takes into account all passengers, injured or not, that may have been drinking. Even in the states with the lowest percentages, alcohol plays a roll in over one in four traffic deaths, and perhaps more so in non-fatal mishaps. The statistics may be subject to debate but clearly MADD has good  reason to be concerned, as do we all.

The nation as a whole received a "C," with California receiving the highest rating of "B" and Montana the lowest, with an "F."

The overall grades for 2002 for the Beer South States
(with the percent of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in parenthesis):

Alabama: C (38%)
Arkansas (32%)
Georgia: B- (35%)
Florida: B- (42%)
Kentucky: C (29%)
Louisiana: C (47%)
Mississippi: C+ (36%)
North Carolina: B (35%)
South Carolina: D (56%)
Tennessee: C- (43%)
Virginia: C+ (36%)

The extensive report, complete with methodology and a state-by-state analysis, is available online at MADD's website. Source: www.madd.org

MADD itself has come under fire recently for poor grades. The American Institute of Philanthropy, a national watch-dog group based in Chicago, just assigned MADD a "D" for effectiveness in terms of dollars donated, according to its November 21, 2002, press release. The grade was adjusted upward to a "C-" after a subsequent review. Of MADD's approximately $45M budget, $12M goes toward non-program expenses such as
salaries, pensions and benefits.Source: www.charitywatch.org/

MADD is also catching flack for it's attempts to establish a nationwide system of roadblocks to check for drunk drivers. While MADD insists roadblocks are one of the best ways to reduce drunk driving, some critics have denounced the idea as a thinly-veiled attempt to curb drinking in general. Since all brewers, publicans and customers could be affected by such a program, it's a good idea to learn more about the issue. One information source is the website for the American Beverage Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based association promoting the interest of restaurant operators.

Greetings,

Even if you live at the tip of Key West, you can't help but know the fall season's big events are quickly approaching. For some, the din of advertising, throngs of crowds, and general malaise created by the news
and economy can keep the enjoyment of the holidays at bay. There's even an appropriately named acronym for the syndrome - S.A.D. - Seasonal Affectation Disorder. Should you happen to find yourself a "quart low" on good cheer, there are many ways to improve the situation. The best is to help those in need, either by a financial contribution, or by volunteering your time. Or you can make an effort to spend more time with your friends, perhaps at your local pub, and buy a round now and then. The easiest and cheapest technique is to simply be nice to people, no matter how busy you get or how foolish you think it all is. Always remember that celebration is a state of mind, one that's better when shared with others.  ....The Beer Bwana
BREWING CHANGES

Closings

FL / Pensacola - Santa Rosa Brewpub - New building owners have ceased brewing and are selling the equipment. Facility will remain a restaurant and bar.
RESOURCES

It's that time again. You know, when you scratch your head and wonder what in the world you'll give that special someone on your Christmas gift list. Here are some places to look if you'd like to see some interesting beer related items. Do it for Santa. He needs all the help he can get this year.

Books, Art & Posters
Allposters.com: www.allposters.com Enter "beer" in the search box.

Glassware & Steins
Pubglasses: www.pubglasses.com
Custom Glassware: www.customglassware.com
Great American Brewery Shoppe: www.beer-steins.com

Food, Collectibles, Signs, Coasters, Shirts, Music, more....
CALENDAR

12/13 - 2002 Holiday Craft Beer Festival - Chapel Hill NC
1/18 - Florida Brewers Guild Festival - Tampa FL
4/5 - 8th Classic City Brew-Fest - Athens GA
PROFILES IN BREWING
By Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing"

Ron Downer of Rocky River Brewing Company in Sevierville, Tennessee

The Rocky River Brewing Company restaurant and its brewery were just
months old.  It was the very first batch of Bear Bottom Stout, a simple,
from-the-book knock off of Guinness Stout. The stout and several other
beers made by brewer Ron Downer were on their way to the 1998 Great
American Beer Festival in Denver for fest tasting and a nation-wide
competition. Right out of the starting block, Bear Bottom Stout was
awarded the gold medal in the Irish Stout category. What a way to start
a new job?

Though he had home brewed a little in college, mostly out of necessity, it was really about 1972 when Ron first began homebrewing on a regular basis.  A professional fireman in need of a hobby, he was a regular at Knoxville's first home brew supply store. 

By 1994 Ron was operating his own home brew supply store, the Brewhaus, which specialized in mail order business. Referred by a customer to a local group interested in opening a brewpub in downtown Knoxville, Ron
gave up 21 years of seniority in the Knoxville Fire Department to install the brewhouse at Smoky Mountain Brewery, Knoxville's first brewpub. He deftly converted his home brew recipes into fifteen barrel batches, but, unfortunately, excessive startup costs and cash flow problems led to Smoky Mountain's quick demise. Ron was without work for over a year, but, being resourceful, he already had a back-up plan.

During that brewing furlough he wrote a letter to Mike Chase, owner of the Copper Cellar restaurant group in East Tennessee. As fate would have it, Mike had just been to a restaurant trade show in Chicago and was infatuated with the concept of brew-on-site brewpubs. Chase's interest increased when he discovered that there was an experienced brewer in the neighborhood. Ready and willing, Ron signed on with Copper Cellar. 

Satisfied that he knew what he wanted, Ron placed the order for Copper Cellar's brewing equipment and installed it in the company's new Calhoun's BBQ & Brew on Kingston Pike in west Knoxville.  Again, his home brew recipes served as the basis for the brand new Calhoun's beers. It didn't taken long for Ron to become disappointed with the owner's insistence on "lightening everything up," i.e. no bold flavors or hop character. Luckily, Ron got in touch with a group of investors that was planning a microbrewery-restaurant in Sevierville, Tenn., and was offered the position of Brewmaster. 

The owner of the proposed microbrewery, soon to be named Rocky River, told Ron to brew anything he wanted as long as it sold, which is every serious brewer's dream. Ron had a $500,000 budget to equip the new brewery. Though he spent the first seven months doing grunt work in the company's winery, once the roof was up on the new building at Governor's Crossing, Ron began installing the brewhouse in the center of the magnificent $7 million brewery-restaurant complex.

His first Rocky River beer was served in June 1998, five months prior to that first gold GABF medal.  One year later, in Denver for the 1999 festivities, Ron's seasonal Winterfest Ale took silver in the Strong Scotch Ale category followed in 2000 by another gold, this one for Golden Eagle Lager.

Ron's favorite drinking beer, his personal session beer, is Ten Point Ale, Rocky River's biggest seller because it's light enough to compete with budmillercoors. In the Munich Helles style, brewed with German yeast, hops and specialty grains, Golden Eagle Lager requires three months of cold conditioning.  At 5% alcohol-by-volume, Heidelberg Hefeweizen utilizes Weihenstephan weizen yeast for a true to tradition big Bavarian wheat beer, banana and clove tastes intact. Heidelberg Hefeweizen won bronze at the 2001 GABF in the German-style wheat ale category, third best out of 84 competitors in that category.

Copperhead Red Ale is currently the brewery's biggest seller to off-premises keg accounts (Rocky River is technically a microbrewery with a wholesale license, the only one in Tennessee.) This brew of malty complexity falls somewhere between Irish Red and German Alt categories. Billed as an India Pale Ale, Mad Wolf IPA is, Ron now feels, closer to an Extra Special Bitter.  Even with Northern Brewer and Kent Goldings hops, it's "not dry enough to compare with a California IPA."  Closing out the brewery's regular selections, Bear Bottom Stout is a straight-up Irish Dry Stout. It's made with flaked barley, roasted barley and two-row barley, the latter ingredient is the basis of all of Ron's recipes.

Rocky River's seasonal beers include the 1999 silver-winning Winterfest and Highland Dew Scottish Ale. Both are brewed only once annually in Ron's steam-heated DME brewhouse. Since Rocky River is a wholesaler, everything is kegged for distribution, even beer designated for the restaurant's three bars, waiting just on the other side of thick glass walls. Distribution covers other bars and restaurants in Morristown, Nashville and Greenville, South Carolina. Bottling is now being considered by the brewery's new owners in order to broaden distribution opportunities in Tennessee and adjoining states. Brewing pace in 2002 is about the same as the previous year, running about 900 barrels. The brewery's annual capacity is 4,800 barrels.

Nestled near Pigeon Forge, home of Dolly Parton's country theme park, and close to tourist-swamped Gatlinburg, the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky River is surrounded by a constant flow of visitors. From its Cracker Barrel-like gift shop to a cavernous dining area and plentiful bar seats, this attractive, friendly facility is well equipped to handle the masses.  Interior decorations are rustic with an abundance of exposed wood, stonework and mounted wildlife. An enticing menu ranges from wood-fired pizzas to Black Angus Steaks.

In the midst of what once was a dry county - as in NO ALCOHOL - Rocky River Brewing Company provides a beer oasis away from the bright lights, honky tonks and flavorless beer. Ron Downer has made all the difference.

1444 Hurley Drive, Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 908-3686

Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/
===============================================================================
Thanks to: Michael Blocker, Erin Brunst, John Cochran, Todd Hicks, Ken Koenig, Andy Rathmann

Until December, cheers!
The Beer South Brew Crew