PRBC Blog

Two brewers (husband and wife), one big old barn, one river located just down the hill below the barn and an idea for something that may be a little work that leads to a lot more fun.
The Behind the Scenes Peek at Our First World Beer Cup Win The Beer

The Behind the Scenes Peek at Our First World Beer Cup Win

I need to preface this blog post by saying that I feel like anything I write here is going to seem much less dramatic than Piney River's first big win at the Great American Beer Festival.  Even in those moments after we won Gold at GABF last October, I remember thinking, "There will never be another moment like this one."  There's only one first time. Shortly after the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, we were contacted to participate in the largest beer competition in the world--the World Beer Cup.  Also put on by the Brewer's Association, the World Beer Cup…
Piney River Brewing Company
April 15, 2014
Piney River Brewing Wins Gold at the World Beer Cup® The Beer

Piney River Brewing Wins Gold at the World Beer Cup®

Piney River Brewing Company in Bucyrus, MO claimed a gold award in the 2014 World Beer Cup, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding brewers and their beers. Gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition’s 94 beer style categories were presented April 11, 2014 during the World Beer Cup award ceremony at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado. Piney River Brewing was awarded a gold award in the American-style wheat beer style category for its Float Trip Ale, a wheat-based blonde ale featuring pale wheat and malted barley with balanced,…
Piney River Brewing Company
April 13, 2014
Expanding the Piney River Beer Reach The Beer

Expanding the Piney River Beer Reach

It's taken a while, but finally we can say that we're trying to quench the thirst for craft beer in Southeast Missouri! Last Friday Bluff City Beer in Cape Girardeau sent a big old' truck to Piney River to pick up a plethora of Piney Pints. And the people of Southeast Missouri rejoice! Let me take you back...a long way back. Brian and I have good friends in SEMO. They have wanted our beer since day #1. Then, Rodney Edwards at Grellner Sales (our first distributor) suggested we talk to his friends, the Bess family, in Cape when we were…
Piney River Brewing Company
March 19, 2014
Prepared to be Overwhelmed–Our 3rd Aleiversary Tale Beer Events

Prepared to be Overwhelmed–Our 3rd Aleiversary Tale

"If you would have told me a year ago that I would be standing here tonight making potato salad for ‘my staff’ for the Aleiversary After Party, I would have laughed.” That’s what I told Brian on Friday night about 9 p.m. Install a bar in the upstairs tap room before the 1st Aleiversary? We did that in March 2012. Put together tables and chairs for 100 before the 2nd Aleiversary? We did that in March of 2013. Every year we’ve been building something until hours before our big event. This year, we had professional help from Tim Prater at…
Piney River Brewing Company
March 17, 2014
Celebrating Craft Beer in the Ozarks–Piney River Style Beer EventsThe BARnThe Beer

Celebrating Craft Beer in the Ozarks–Piney River Style

It was in March of 2011 that Brian and I cracked open the doors to the BARn for the very first time. Somewhat to our surprise, folks showed up! We filled growlers, we poured pints, we sampled the beer that we were brewing after work, sometimes after midnight, on our Sabco Brew Magic 10-gallon system. The "system" for serving beer that first year at the BARn included a table across the middle of brew house floor and picnic tables and camp chairs located out in front of the BARn. A year later, we had a bar built in the upstairs…
Piney River Brewing Company
March 2, 2014
Raccoons, Hops, Craft Beer & Good Times in the Ozarks The Beer

Raccoons, Hops, Craft Beer & Good Times in the Ozarks

As a brewer, there's that moment when you send that first case of a new beer out to the distributor or when you hand the first new pint over to a customer.  You feel like a parent.  You want the best because, after all, you created this beer.  You want the beer to stand on its own.  You want the beer to be a great representative of you. If you've followed Piney River Brewing for any time, you know that we've had a few proud parent moments...the consumer demand for Black Walnut Wheat, the GABF Gold medal for Old Tom…
Piney River Brewing Company
February 3, 2014
Another Piney River Craft Beer Story–Hot Date Ale The Beer

Another Piney River Craft Beer Story–Hot Date Ale

“Are you trying to incite a riot?”  Brian asked. I had posted the graphic for our upcoming “Hot Date Ale” on the brewery’s Facebook page.  Folks went a little crazy over it. Yes, I was trying to gauge the interest.  No, I didn’t want to start a riot. Either way, Hot Date Ale is out there.  And yes, there’s a bra on the can graphic.  First time that’s ever happened?  Quite possibly. The question that we are constantly asked is, “How do you come up with stuff like this?” So here’s the story of Hot Date Ale…. Rewind to our…
Piney River Brewing Company
January 5, 2014
How We Canned Our Version of Fall in the Ozarks The Beer

How We Canned Our Version of Fall in the Ozarks

Around our house there's one thing that's synonymous with autumn--sweet potatoes. We eat them regularly, baked until the sweet juices inside bubble up and spill out. A sweet potato doesn't really need anything on it to eat it, but I like mine with a couple of pats of butter. Brian adds a little brown sugar. Andy adds brown sugar and cinnamon. I don't have a lot of time to bake, but I do enjoy making homemade pies. There was a time when I would make all kinds of pies, try new recipes, whip up a fresh peach and raspberry pie…
Piney River Brewing Company
November 18, 2013
The All True Story of Piney River’s First Trip to the GABF The Beer

The All True Story of Piney River’s First Trip to the GABF

There’s a really good chance you know how this story ends. But beyond the official photo and press release, you really need to know the whole story. Brian and I decided that we were going to attend the GABF (Great American Beer Festival) this year. We wanted the opportunity to enter our beer in a national competition—mostly to see what kind of feedback we would receive. We have two brewers that are new to brewing and to the industry—Lucas joined our team in January and Amber joined our team in April. We wanted them to get their first taste of…
Piney River Brewing Company
October 15, 2013
Piney River Brewing Wins Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival® The Beer

Piney River Brewing Wins Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival®

Piney River Brewing Company claimed a gold medal at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition. Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF is the largest national beer competition that recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States. The top three winners in the competition’s 84 beer-style categories were announced October 12 at the Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.  “Everyone at Piney River is overwhelmed and honored to bring home a gold medal from our small brewery here in the Ozarks,” Brian Durham, head brewer and co-founder at…
Piney River Brewing Company
October 14, 2013
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