Something golden is brewing in steamy back rooms in downtown Texarkana.
At Pecan Point Gastropub and Brewery the brewers put their refurbished gear through its paces and get ready to bring forth the golden fountain for eager drinkers who darken the pub's doors.
Home brewing there is what it's all about for Bill Scurlock and his son Jacob Scurlock. The local craft brewing scene is a small hobby, but its practitioners are enthusiastic."Friends from West Virginia introduced me to craft brewing," Bill Scurlock said. "I saw them at events, shared their homebrew. A friend in Tennessee introduced me to more microbrewing. Sampling their creations and listening to them talk about it got me interested. My wife bought me my first brewing kit. With my friends encouraging me, I went on from there."
"People are not used to it," Bill Scurlock said. "A lot of people come here and drink commercial brands, and that's fine, but some try the local craft brews, and they are sold."
Widening the tastes of Texarkana beer drinkers is what Scurlock sees as their mission.
"Our goal is to create some great beers to share," Jacob Scurlock said. "We want to create interest in craft beer and educate locally, brew interest in craft brewing."
Local veterinarian James Ward is also an enthusiastic craft beer brewer. Though it's just a hobby in his garage, he does entertain ideas for spinning off his efforts into a business. A local craft brewing supply store is his vision, but right now, his goal is to bring into being the best beer he can.
"I got started two years ago," Ward said, "It has been an intense two years, with lots of studying."
His friend and partner in brewing, Clifton Matthews, who's worked at Domtar for 21 years, agreed. They've had help, but hard work and experimentation have brought their beer to where it is."We've gotten pointers from brewers in Shreveport (La.)," he said. "Over time, we've found new techniques to add."
Ward, like the Scurlocks at Pecan Point, says he wants to broaden the horizons of beer drinkers beyond the usual industrial big brands everyone knows about.
"Basically, I'm trying to show them that there is more to beer than Bud Light," he said. "Bud Light is always going to be out there. I'm offering them small steps, to try something outside what they are used to, to pick their course (in discovering craft beer)."
When it comes to successful brewing, all four agree that cleanliness is the first detail that must be addressed.
"Sanitize everything first," Bill Scurlock said. "Contamination can ruin a batch. Also, if you are an inexperienced brewer, you need to follow instructions."
"If you don't clean carefully, you could end up with exploding bottles," Jacob Scurlock said.
Ward said it's important that "during your transfer, you have a type of cleanser that will prevent contamination as well as interference with the taste of your beer."
Ward has entered his beer in contests, most notably the Ark-La-Tex Brew Off. With two years' intense experience, he now has confidence in what he produces.
"We are no (beer) judges, but you can trust us. We are not robots. We can tell you honestly from our experience about good beer," he said.
Holding an amber glass, Ward considered it thoughtfully, then added, "I'll tell you the reason I do craft beer. I didn't think I could, but I found out with each beer, I could. I consider myself a teacher now. I hope one of my students is a huge beer maker at some point."