Just Brew It! A Home Brewer's Paradise Near Atlanta, Georgia

A few Decembers ago, I got my husband, Bill, interested in home brewing by buying him a Mr. Beer Home Microbrewery kit as a Christmas present. Bill played with his new toy for about a year, learning the basics of how to make beer. Then, he deployed to Iraq, where beer is a forbidden substance. Six weeks after his return from Iraq, we moved to Germany, where home brewing is neither legal nor necessary. To be honest, I wasn't too upset that Bill had let his new hobby go by the wayside. While the products Bill produced with his Mr. Beer kit were certainly drinkable, they weren't that interesting or tasty.

When we came back to the United States, we ended up moving to Fayetteville, Georgia, a small town about thirty miles south of Atlanta. We didn't know it when we chose to move to Fayetteville, but along with its small town charm, it's also home to Just Brew It!, a mecca for home brewers and vintners. Just Brew It! has been in operation since 1993 and recently upgraded to a larger location. The current owner, Doug Kimpel, is well-known among local home brewers as being extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about his craft.

Bill and I drove past Just Brew It! many times, peering at it curiously. Bill kept saying that one day, he was going to stop there and purchase some more professional home brewing equipment. Finally, one Saturday last month, Bill made a trip to Just Brew It! and came home with some new beer making toys. Bill met Doug, the legendary owner of Just Brew It! Sizing up his new customer, Doug asked Bill about his motives for making beer. He wanted to know if Bill was interested in a source of cheap suds or if he truly wanted to make something that tasted really good.

Being a bit of a beer snob, Bill told Doug that he was truly interested in making a quality brew. He told Doug that he had a Mr. Beer kit and Doug immediately expressed his condolences. Then he set Bill up with a new elementary home brewing kit, a beer making guide, and some sage advice on how to get started. I stood back and watched as my husband got reacquainted with his hobby and started brewing his first batch of home brew without the use of the Mr. Beer kit.

A few days ago, Bill told me it was time to bottle his first batch of beer, which had been conditioning in a large plastic jug for the past few weeks. He needed to buy some bottles. He was also having some trouble with some tubing that was to be used for funneling the beer into the bottles. Off we went to Just Brew It! We walked into the store, where I noticed several other guys were eagerly picking out some choice grains for their latest batch of brew. I took a quick look around and noticed an impressive array of home brewing equipment.

"How can I help you?" Doug, the friendly beer guru asked us.

Bill told him he needed some bottles for his project. Spotting what looked to be the right type of bottles, Bill said he wanted two cases of some nearby 12 ounce bottles. But Doug said, "You don't want those. Those are expensive bottles for Belgian style beers." He pointed to a nearby box and said, "These are 22 ounce bottles that will do the job just fine for half the price."

As Doug was getting Bill's bottles for him, Bill asked about the problem he was having connecting the tubing. Doug took him to the back of the store and demonstrated a much easier way to use the tubing. Then, as Bill was paying for his beer bottles, Doug reminded him to make sure he kept the beer off the floor in a room at just the right temperature. As he spoke about the process of yeast fermentation, I couldn't help but think that Doug sounded almost paternal. His passion for the topic of beer brewing really came out loud and clear as he warned Bill to make sure he kept his project warm and toasty so the yeast could do its job most effectively.

Just Brew It! has a great selection of home brewing and home wine making equipment for home brewers of all levels. There's everything from the basic first home brewing kit to professional style equipment. Doug is very happy to talk to his customers about their projects and offer them good advice on how to make the best beer.

One of Doug's customers has even made the leap to the brewing business. Glenn Golden, owner of JailHouse Brewing Company, got his start shopping at Just Brew It! Now, his fledgeling brewery is producing excellent microbrews for a number of restaurants in the Atlanta area. Bill and I toured the JailHouse Brewing Company over the summer and got the chance to try some of their heavenly beers. I have a sneaking suspicion that little field trip is what reignited Bill's interest in home brewing.

If you live in or are visiting the Atlanta area and are interested in home brewing, I highly recommend taking a trip to Fayetteville for a visit to Just Brew It! If you can't get to Fayetteville, you can always check out Just Brew It! on the World Wide Web. Bill and I will be moving again sometime in the next few months; thankfully, Just Brew It! also ships within the United States.

Store location and contact information

Just Brew It! is located at 1924 Highway 85, Fayetteville, GA 30214.
You can call toll free at 1-888-719-4645 or locally at 770-719-0222 or email at info@aardvarkbrewing.com.

Hours of operation

Just Brew It! is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am-6pm and on Saturdays, from 8am-6pm. The store is closed Sundays and Mondays.

Sources

www.aardvarkbrewing.com

www.beeradvocate.com

Tolley, J. (August 10, 2010) "JailHouse Brewing Company in Hampton, Georgia" Retrieved from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5650262/jailhouse_brewing_company_in_hampton.html?cat=16