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Brewery celebrates brewers
7/19/2008 12:22 AM  comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By RACHEL JOHNSON

Staff writer

When was the last time you thanked your brewer?

On Friday afternoon, the Aiken Brewing Company was a flurry of activity as the brewery's brew master and brewers joined with local home brewers and beer connoisseurs to celebrate the first International Brewer's Day.

The Aiken Brewing Company held a meet the brewers event that drew locals to the pub to ask questions and find out more about the process it takes to put the tasty libation in the glass.

Randy Doucet, brew master at the Aiken Brewing Company, shared a few of his secrets with patrons and talked about the different aspects of his position. A brew master since 1997 and a brewer since 1992, Doucet takes pride in his recipes and enjoys exploring new flavors. Doucet, who is a full-time employee at the SRS, brews for the passion of the craft.

In honor of the summer months, he has introduced the Belgian Saison to the Aiken Brewing Company's inventory.

"The Belgian Saison, which is French for 'seasonal,' is a summer ale and a farm style ale. It is brewed in Belgium as a part of workers' compensation on the farms in the summer time. It is brewed with coriander spice and a yeast which contributes a smoky spice to the flavor," Doucet said, as he took a long swig of his newest creation.

Across the bar, Jonney Grunnet sat sipping a brew he prepared. Grunnet is a brewer at the Aiken Brewing Company. He has been brewing as a hobby since 1994 and professionally since 2002 when he came on board in Aiken. Grunnet, Mike Day and Herb Braselman aid Doucet in the brewing process.

Grunnet pointed out the main difference between brewing at home and in the brewery are the quantities. "At home I made 5 to 10 gallons and here we make 217 gallons," he explained.

When Aiken Brewing Company owner Jennifer Pruiett heard about the new holiday, she decided to celebrate.

"When I caught wind of it, I thought 'what a fun thing to do,'" Pruiett said. "I researched the event and decided to recognize our brewers who work so hard behind the scenes."

Grunnet and other brewers on hand for the celebration said it felt pretty good to have a holiday for them, and each had received a few pats on the back for their hard work all year.

Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com

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 comment(s) on this story

JUST DO IT.............. :  7/22/2008

I wish I was there for sure.........

Rusty

Let's get drunk! :  7/21/2008

OOOOOHHHHH YEAAAAHH! Let's get drunk and DO IT!

woohoo man
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