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The Unwritten Rule

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magnolia 2The comforting smell of smoked meat met me at the door. Something about the smell of barbecue makes a southerner feel at home, especially when on the road. I was 2500 miles away from Atlanta in a grungy San Francisco neighborhood called “Dogpatch” when I found a truly unique and comforting new home away from home: The Magnolia Brewpub. It’s a true slice of heaven, complete with St. Peter behind the bar serving up award winning Kölsch style ale and other heavenly choices. The food was displayed behind the glass lunch counter which plainly showed off every meat they had smoked, stuffed, pulled, dried, or fried. The ambiance was perfect, and every part of this place rang true.

When on the road I love finding gems like this one, not just because of the great food and beer but the people as well. Every day I have someone tell me “It must be hard competing with all these other breweries”, as if us brewers view this business as a race. People don’t realize what brewing means to the brewers, and the people on the inside of the walls. The view from the inside out is very different than you might imagine.

Upon walking into Magnolia, I asked to speak to their brewer. I introduced myself, was promptly handed a gold rimmed glass, and then told to follow along. It was about 8pm and there were no tours being given, yet for the next 20 minutes we talked shop, walked the brewery while going over every piece of equipment, discussed the differences in our markets, and learned what we could from each other. The beer was on the house, and when we were served our food we were told we were family and to ask for anything we needed. I spent the rest of the night in the company of a new friends, in a place which felt more like home than any other I had found all because we had one thing in common. We made beer.

There’s a misconception of our industry that because we are growing so fast there is a lot of cutthroat competition. In reality most brewers don’t see themselves as competing with each other, but rather as colleagues (although, a little friendly competition is always encouraged). As a brewer you can walk into just about any brewery and be treated the same way I was at Magnolia. It’s just an unwritten rule. We treat others who are fighting the same fight with dignity, respect, and camaraderie. This goes for beer festivals, bar visits, or any other place we may run into each other. You’ll see this in collaboration brews, breweries sharing ingredients when needed, and the raising money for the families of brewers should a disaster strike. Beer is a tough market no matter who you are, and we all know it. It’s also a blue collar industry, filled with hope, joy, creativity, and heart which affords us a different perspective on business. We’ll do better together, and always lend a hand.

Mat S.

 

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