March 05, 2013 Jan Moore

jmoore@connectstatesboro.com

    I can tell when people are truly excited about a new development, and yes, many of you are truly excited about this one. I have gotten numerous calls and texts since the future home of the Eagle Creek Brewing Company sign went up in mid-January.
    Located in the former home of the French Quarter Cafe restaurant on Savannah Avenue, Eagle Creek Brewing is under construction, and its owners Daniel Long and Franklin Dismuke are ecstatic about their new venture.
    "It was New Year's Eve a year ago when we were sampling some of the beer that I brewed at home," Long said. "Franklin and I looked at each other, and it was like an 'aha' moment, and we decided to open a brewery, the first ever in this area."
    Long said they planned very carefully what they had envisioned and sought out the perfect location.
    "We took our time and didn't rush any decisions," he said. "Downtown just seemed to be the perfect place, and I have to say, we have gotten so much support from the city council, mayor's office, Downtown Statesboro Development Authority and the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau. I cannot stress to you how supportive they have been. It really makes us want to strive to be a driving force in future downtown growth."
    Long said Dismuke purchased the building, and the brewery will occupy 6,000 square feet of it.
    "The former location of Merle Norman is available for lease, and it is approximately 2,200 square feet," he said.
    Long said Eagle Creek will be a production facility only. There will be no restaurant or bar included in the operation.
    "There will be two major rooms: a brew house and a tap room," he said. "Groups will be able to go into the brew house to have an educational tour of how beer is made, and after that, visit the Tap Room for a state-governed sampling of the beers that we make. We want to be what Sweetwater is to Atlanta and Terrapin is to Athens."
    Long said construction is underway, and production should begin in late spring or early summer. He expects to hire five to 10 employees initially.
    "We are going to focus on pale ales and wheat beers," he said. "It should be 15 to 21 days from production to glass. We have hired Cole Brown as our head brewer, and we are very excited about him coming on board. Also, we are in the process of naming the beers that we are going to produce, but that is a little tedious due to trademarks, etc. We are striving to bring some beer to the market that is not commercially available at this time."
    The beer will be marketed through a major distributor and will not sold at Eagle Creek Brewing.
    Long said jokingly that he had already received 5,000 resumes for the "Five O'clock Quality Control" position.

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