See you in a few...be good.
Well over a year ago, I sat down at this computer and hammered out a deliriously exhausted and heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who made our opening week a success. Now I sit here with a clearer picture of the road ahead and no less thanks in my heart. If you are taking the time to read this, I appreciate your interest in whats going on at Boathouse Brothers Brewing. You and I have likely had a conversation over the bar, at one of our tables or as I ran back and forth between the kettles and fermenters trying to get a new brew in the tanks to share with you. I've made countless new friends and had a meaningful conversation over a beer with one of you almost every day I've been here; and let me tell you, that's a lot. In the last 17 months, I've been in the brewery at some point, every single day except for 4. Most of you joke that I need to get out more. As of today, you will be seeing much less of me around the brewery for a little while. It's not because I don't love brewing, it's because I love this little guy more than anything in the world.
That's my little #AssistantBrewer, Soren. Soren has spent more time at the brewery with me than most of our staff. Odds are you've probably seen him playing Candyland on the boat lounge or coloring up by the bar. He loves interacting with anyone who walks through the door, young or old and he's a joy to know. What you may not know, is that Soren was born with a Congenital Heart Defect. Most folks wouldn't know he's working with half of a heart because when you meet him all you feel is love. He's the toughest heart warrior I know, and on Tuesday, we head up to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis where the amazing team of doctors and nurses there will be performing his third open heart surgery. The kindness and support we've received from everyone who has heard our story has been overwhelming, and its a comforting feeling that no matter how long his recovery from surgery takes, the beer drinkers here at Boathouse Brothers truly have our backs.
In addition to gearing up for Soren's surgery, we've also been turning the wheels on a very special project he inspired me to start. What started out as a homebrewer's attempt to brew a beer to match his son's story has turned into a series of beers crafted to make the world a little better, one pint at a time. They are Brewed With Heart, and the first one is already on tap! The Soren Saison officially hit the tap lines on the brewery's 1 year anniversary and has a unique story behind its recipe.
When I asked my wife, Ann, how she felt about me brewing a beer with our son's name on it and basing its recipe off of his condition, she gave me two rules I had to follow. 1) It had to be brewed for the purpose of doing good in the world 2) I had to be the one to tell the story to anyone who asks. Some of you have already given me the honor of sharing the story behind the Soren Saison and I sincerely thank you for listening, but since I won't be around the taproom much while its on tap, I will be updating our beer page soon with the full story behind each of our Brewed With Heart beers. 10% of all Brewed With Heart beer sales from Boathouse Brothers will be donated to the charity, and each beer in the series will have a nominated non-profit that its proceeds will be directed to.
Soren Saison was always the first one on my list, and I'm proud to say that the charitable
proceeds from its sales will go to the Children's Heart Clinic, for improving the lives of kids like Soren, and the Ronald McDonald House, for allowing families to stay near them during long recoveries. The Swartout family has a busy few weeks ahead of us, but we have an awesome crew working both in the taproom and behind the scenes of Brewed with Heart to get a new website up and running shortly. So follow along with us on social media and the next time you are in the taproom, check out the menu for our BWH logo and raise a glass of beer that is Brewed with Heart, Kegged in Kindness and Poured for Positivity! Cheers, and thank you!!
~Emmett
