Q & A WITH FOUR SAINTS BREWING COMPANY
What made you decide to open a brewery?
Andrew and I met a few years ago through Andrew’s wife who worked with Joel. Initially it was the manly stuff…NFL, gun ranges, chamomile tea. Wait, scratch that last one. Beer. It was beer. We shared styles and breweries we liked with each other. Then, on one special moonlit night Andrew mentioned he was a homebrewer. He shared some homebrew he had, and needless to say there wasn’t enough of it. It was damn good. My OCD then unnecessarily kicked into high gear, and Andrew set a date for their first tandem brew.
Since it was my first brewing experience, I got to choose the style. Stout being one of my favorites and one that Andrew found quite quaffable, guess what was chosen. Andrew designed an oatmeal stout, grain bills were filled, and a date was set. Alongside a few friends, who also never brewed beer before, Andrew walked us all through the steps. He explained the process the best he could to a small gathering of man-children who kept repeating, “Dude, we’re making beer!” over and over again. He dealt with it quite well.
Initially, the stout didn’t seem like it was going to make it. Something seemed off. Andrew spoke with borrowed wisdom from Charlie Papazian, “Relax. Don’t worry. Have a homebrew.” It was his, meaning our, goosfraba. And boy, it was the truth.
With some patience, and some brewing in meanwhile, that first stout went from something a dog wouldn’t drink to an elixir of epicness. Once that first corny was tapped, we couldn’t keep ourselves (or our friends) away from it. No one developed addictions or dependencies, but egos were boosted. Taste buds were happy. This is the same recipe still used for Stout One; the only improvements have to been to efficiency.
This small group of friends continued brewing as homebrewers, for the love of it. Then one fateful day, one of the guys sent a link to an article about four patron saints of beer and brewing. The statement was made, “Four Saints would make a great name for a bar or brewery.” The flint had been struck and the tinder was very dry. We were engulfed in email after email and link after link of what it would take to start a nanobrewery business.
If we were brewing for the love of beer, why get into the rigmarole of making it a business? The answer: It seemed right. Our guts said, usually after a raved about homebrew, to just do it. All four of the original group had never really stepped out of the line of normalcy. We had always done what we were supposed to do: go to school, go to work, join the service, and so on. None of us had really had taken a grave chance on doing something extraordinary. This was it; this was that chance.
During the next few months, conversations happened. Hard choices were made. Realizations came through. The original four had become two – Andrew and Joel. With a firm handshake betwixt the two of us, our eyes narrowed on the uncertain future and the task at hand. In the Andrew’s other hand was the grain for the next brew, and a makeshift mash ‘paddle’ was in mine. It was time to make Great Beer for Great People.
Why NC? Why Asheboro?
North Carolina is home to some of the newest and best up-and-coming breweries in the business. The eye of the beer world seems to be shifting ever so slightly to what’s happening in NC regarding beer. With places like Natty Greene’s, Duck Rabbit, Triangle Brewing, the Roth Brothers, Mystery Brewing, Lonerider Brewing…the list could go on and on – how could we not want to do this in North Carolina? Not only are these places paving the way for new breweries like Four Saints, these established breweries have been so willing to talk with us. Although they could view us as competition and ignore our questions and be devilish, they have been exactly the opposite. How could we not want to be part of a community or family like that?
Asheboro was chosen because of the recent drive to the city, like make small cities, it has had to revive the downtown aspect of Asheboro. The recognition that a community will only strive if the community supports itself has become truth. Since day one Four Saints has received nothing but affirmations, support, and willingness from many of the community’s upstanding citizens. Most, if not all, are ready to help get Four Saints up and running. With the NC Zoological Park a few miles away, the International Potter’s Convention right downtown, and a slew of community driven events, Asheboro seems like the right kind of place for Four Saints Brewing Company.
Not to mention, from their research (and they aren’t Indiana Jones’ by any stretch of the imagination) there has never been an official brewery in Randolph County. Being a part of history can be a pretty damn cool thing.
What is your target date for opening, while still taking into account that opening dates are a moving target until permit applications are approved?
What we wouldn’t give to say tomorrow. Seriously…make us an offer.
We would love to be open in 2013. We want to make sure we get past this whole apocalypse thing. Something like that could really ruin a newly opened business.
We still have fundraising and capital campaigning to do, and we are planning to begin that with a Kickstarter (link to be added soon). We’re finalizing some incentives and honing our on camera personas. So, be on the lookout for that.
Any styles you want to specialize in?
Andrew’s a huge Belgian fan; his Dubbel is tremendous. I’d put it up against just about anybody’s. So, we like working with Belgian styles, some with a little something else. Our early winter seasonal, a Caramel Quadrupel, was a perfect example: estery, smooth, slight alcohol burn in the throat, and subdued extravagant sweetness.
I’m a fan of big, bold, slap-you-in-the-face beers. Beers that make you respect them are some of my favorites. Our St. Augustine Ale is an exemplar of just such a beer: peppery, smoky, and metamorphic.
We are beer lovers, obviously, and our palettes are pretty wide open. We partake of everything from pilsners to imperial stouts, from classic styles to experimental atrocities. We see Four Saints’ beers in the same way; not defined or limited by a focused style. That works for some breweries, and they put out good beer. Our thought is that by dabbling in a little of everything, it’ll make us stronger brewers. Possibly lead to some interesting integrations, too.
FOUR SAINTS BREWING COMPANY BEER PROFILES
Belgian Dubbel Ale 6.5% ABV
The caramel sweetness from crystal malts and light fruitiness of traditional Trappist Ale yeast of our Belgian Dubbel pays reverent homage to the beginnings of this style in ancient monasteries. The addition of Hallertau and Styrian Goldings hops highlight the evolution of a classic style Four Saints has long considered a necessity. We hope you will, too.
Caramel Quadrupel* (early winter seasonal) 8.7% ABV
The warming effect of our Caramel Quad compliments the great strength and bold flavors of the traditional Belgian malts and three types of hops to bring you a ‘simple, yet complex’ experience. The robust toasty toffee flavors of Caravienne and Munich malts mix with the spiciness of Styrian Goldings and Saaz hops to begin the journey. At the end, the freshly made barley sugar caramel is a welcome passenger that adds a level of newness to this revered style.
Honey Ginger IPA 9.1% ABV
Honey, in some cultures, is considered an immortality elixir. Ginger, once considered magical, has long been known for its health benefits. It only seems fair, then, to say Four Saints’ Honey Ginger IPA is (allegedly) good for you. Our traditional English IPA – brewed with pale malts, Kent Golding hops, and British yeast – is fortified with local honey and candied ginger. Dry hopped with more Kent Goldings, an aromatherapy quality is added to an already complex concoction. To your health!
Peach Hefeweizen* (late summer seasonal) 5.4% ABV
Each summer leaves too quickly, and only hazy memories of long days and treasured nights remain. Our Peach Hefeweizen elicits those slight reminiscent smiles from all summers past. The American wheat and barley malts, combined with German Hefeweizen yeast’s estery essence, finish with the slight hint of fresh Carolina Red Peaches to remind us all that summer is not a time of year, but a state of mind.
Potter’s Clay Amber Ale 5.7% ABV
The potter is an artist and an artisan – skillfully looking for beauty in the shapeless red clay. We pay respect to the potter and his clay through our Potter’s Clay Amber Ale. It’s sweet crystal and robust Munich specialty grains represent the artist’s fulfillment of well crafted pottery. The Cascade and Fuggle hops add a slight bittering effect likened to the artisan’s acceptance of starting again. May the artist and artisan be forever linked, appreciated, and respected.
Saint Augustine Ale 5.5% ABV
This fresh jalapeno (not chipotle!) smoked brown ale drinks like the life of one of brewing’s patron saints. His early life can be summed up in his prayer: “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” Superbly crafted, the layers of St. Augustine Ale begin with a predominant smoked malt character and a slight pop of fresh jalapeno heat and flavor. Woody Willamette hops and aromatic East Kent Golding hops take this ale the rest of the way to recreate St. Augustine’s life after each drink: challenging, lingering, dynamic.
Saint Nicholas Christmas Ale* (Christmas seasonal) 7.0% ABV
The delicious holiday flavors and balanced hop character of St. Nicholas Christmas Ale is meant to be enjoyed slowly and fully with friends and family. The almost piney and spicy character of the Chinook hops mix with our blend of winter spices to invite fond memories of the family around the tree. The oakey ester of the London ESB yeast and the slightly-spicy aroma of German Hallertau hops come together like old friends around the dinner table. We are reminded the greatest gift we can give is time, and sharing St. Nicholas Christmas Ale will be a welcome addition to the fellowship of the season.
Stout One 5.7% ABV
Aptly named, Stout One was our first venture as a brewing company. The combination of malts, roasted barley, and rolled oats are what we think the foundation of stouts should be – chocolaty, sweet, smoky, full bodied. The earthy Fuggles hops, accentuated by California Ale yeast, build upon that foundation towards something new and different. Finally, the charred whiskey oak and full Madagascar vanilla beans add the final assurance Stout One (and Four Saints Brewing Company) was meant to be.
