Greenfield’s new craft brewery, Scotty’s 22-Brew, was officially welcomed with a ribbon cutting and introduced itself to the village with its grand opening on Tuesday.
Brewmaster Scott Benner was joined for the festivities by family and friends, Greenfield administration members, village council members, and the Highland County Chamber of Commerce.
About five years ago, Benner began brewing beer in his basement at a time when he found himself downsized out of a job. He said he felt it was the right time to re-evaluate and redefine.
“In the end, I concluded that an occupation in the craft beer industry checked all the boxes for me,” he said. “So, I decided to learn how beer is made. A small homebrew supply store opened just a half block from my home. One visit to that store was all it took. I was hooked. I bought a kit, and the rest is history.”
He said he’d thought about brewing professionally for a couple of years before he brought the idea up to Mark and Phil Clyburn of Catch 22 Sports Pub in Greenfield. The Clyburns happened to have an empty storefront next door to the pub and were looking to get something in there. Also, a craft brewery would be something “unique to the area and fun for the community,” Benner said.
The location is where the 22-Brew name came from. Later, it was decided that adding “Scotty’s” to the name would make it more personable. “That’s how Scotty’s 22-Brew was born,” Benner said.
Crafting beer is an art and a science, he said, and it’s been his passion for the last five years. It’s something Benner said he will continue to do even after he retires.
“It’s just so much fun,” Benner said. “When you make a good beer it becomes its own reward. When you make a great beer, well, that is something else.”
The craft brewery offers all the favorites like ales, lagers, porters, stouts, sours, ciders and seltzers, and each one is crafted with locally-sourced products when available, with most recipes adjusted to local tastes, he said. Currently, he is working with local barley growers and malters to become completely local, and therefore immune to any supply chain issues.
“Traditional beers are brewed using the hops and malts originating from the regions where the beers originated,” he said. “Water chemistry is a large part of the brewing process at Scotty’s, and great water is the foundation for great beer. When brewing a beer originating from a specific geographic location, we reproduce the water mineral profile from that area so that our finished beer is as close to the original style as possible. When we serve you a Scottish Ale, we want it to taste the same as a Scottish Ale from Edinburgh, Scotland. When you order the Irish Red Ale, you’ll get a beer made with water adjusted to match Dublin, Ireland. The water in the German lagers are all adjusted to match the mineral profiles found in the cities where those recipes originated.”
Along with the craft-brewed libations available at Scotty’s 22-Brew, there will also be T-shirts, hats and souvenir glasses for sale. Benner added that there may even be “Mash Munchies” for dogs, a treat made with the brewery’s spent grains.
Every beer sold at the craft brewery and bearing the Scotty’s 22-Brew brand name is crafted right there, he said.
As Scotty’s 22-Brew starts up its taproom, it will only be open Fridays and Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. for now. However, there’s always Scotty’s 22-Brew beers available on tap at Catch 22. Growlers, howlers and cans are only available from the brewery taproom.
The brewery is located at 246 Jefferson St.
For information and updates, go to the Scotty’s 22-Brew Facebook page or to Scottys22brew.com. Benner said both are a good source for information regarding events and products available. He said he also plans to implement online shopping in the near future. To contact the brewery, email [email protected].
“The presence of things like eateries and taverns are a sign of economic growth, and Greenfield is seeing these places open up,” Greenfield Village Council chair Phil Clyburn said. “That means Greenfield is heading in the right direction.”
Clyburn extended thanks to the administration for continuing to work to make a difference in Greenfield. If anyone is interested in locating a business in downtown Greenfield, contact Susan Howland at [email protected].
Angela Shepherd is a correspondent for the village of Greenfield.
