I had a religious experience! This past week, I had the opportunity to sit
down and have a beer with the Reverend. No, I did not confess all my sins (I’m a saint), but I did sit down with
Rev. Mason Beecroft who is the brewmaster for
Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing. Yes, I said Reverend. Mason was a Lutheran pastor for 11 years and
has been brewing for over 17 years. He
learned how to brew in seminary, started a “How to Brew” class, and began
teaching his parishioners the lovely art of brewing.
Despite what you may think, this is not an act of rebellion
against one’s beliefs. In fact, beer and
religion actually have a storied history.
Many may know the story of Saint Arnulf of Metz, the Patron Saint of
Brewing. Legend has it that on a hot day
in July 642 his parishioners traveled to Remiremont to recover his remains and had
little to drink. Unfortunately, there
was but a small remnant of beer remaining at the bottom of a pot, which is
always a bad feeling. So, what else do
you do in your time of need? Pray for
help! One of Saint Arnulf’s
parishioners, Duc Notto, prayed “By his powerful intercession the Blessed
Arnold will bring us what we lack.” The
minimal amount of beer in the pot multiplied into enough beer for the pilgrims
to quench their dying thirsts and they were able to travel safely back to Metz
(in high spirits I presume).
Thankfully, we don’t have to pray to any Gods to get our
beer from Dead Armadillo, but the Gods have been good to us! Their flagship beer is their Amber, which can
be found on tap in many fine local establishments such as Main Street Tavern,
both Tulsa McNellie’s locations, R Bar, College Bar (Stillwater), Wedge Pizza
(OKC), etc. I am sure there are plenty
of other locations that pour this fine brew.
Also, be on the lookout for their IPA, wheat and mouth-watering Black IPA they have teased the masses with at local events.
We can also thank the heavens for Tony Peck. It was just within the past 2 years that Tony,
one of Mason’s parishioners and fellow home brewer, had the great idea that
they should take their brewing to the next level and begin brewing
commercially. Mason acknowledges the
struggle, “It is definitely a big step going from home brewing to commercial.” This is especially true when you have become
as popular as Dead Armadillo has in such a short amount of time. “We began getting invites to do private
events and our first public event was Wild Brew and then Harvest Festival
[2012].” Seeing as how they started Dead
Armadillo in April of 2012, Wild Brew was that following July, and Harvest Fest
in September…Tony and Mason were definitely busting their humps to provide us with their
amazing creations.
As for future endeavors, be on the lookout for Dead
Armadillo at Harvest Fest September 21
st, Wedge Pizza October 1
st,
and First Draft in early November. They
will be bringing some different beers to Harvest Fest including some experiments such as a watermelon infused version
of their Black IPA. They also have a can
design coming. Mason gave me a sneak peak at the designs and they look really awesome. The black and yellow color, which relates to
the Yield sign, is a real eye-catcher.
He told me they will also be producing more swag like their t-shirts, work shirts, trucker hats,
and a can glass. They are currently sharing space with
RoughTail Brewing Company,
but recently put an offer on a location here in T-town.
We here at Beer Is OK wish Dead Armadillo nothing but
success in the future. They have had an
awesome start to their commercial career and I do not see things slowing up for
them any time soon. Be sure to stop by
and see them at Harvest Festival this Saturday (9/21) or at any of the other
events we have talked about already. Stop
by, imbibe, and enjoy the sweet fruits of their labor.
See you guys at Harvest Fest!
Cheers! – D’Wain
