Craft Beer Meets Beer Crafts

A picture on Facebook a few months back caught my eye.  A beautiful silver ring with a resin encased hop came across my newsfeed.  Immediately I clicked on the link and I was taken to Brewery Ferment's Etsy site (http://www.etsy.com/shop/BreweryFerment).  Perusing all the of the beer centered crafts, mainly hop jewelry, I became intrigued with this company.  A bit more clicking and searching, I found that Brewery Ferment was actually a brewery in Traverse City, Michigan (https://www.facebook.com/BreweryFerment).  Obviously intrigued and dreaming of a new location for a summer trip, I contacted BF to see which came first: the craft beer or the beer crafts.  Kirsten Jones, brewer's sister and craft designer was kind enough to fill me in.


TGB:  How long have you been brewing?  How did it all get started?
BF:  Dustin Jones is our head of fermentology.  He has been homebrewing for about six years now.  Always having a taste for quality beer, he decided to try making it himself.  It quickly became an obsession.  He held seasonal tasting parties and we were all hooked right away.  We realized we wanted to bring this amazing beer to the people.  Traverse City (hometown to Dustin and me) was rapidly becoming a microbrewery destination, so a move was made to make this dream come true.  The third partner is Carly, Dustin's long time girlfriend and friend of mine.

TGB:  When did the jewelry and beer crafts come into play?
BF:  The jewelry was actually always part of the dream.  Carly and I both have our degrees in Fashion Design.  I branched into jewelry and started hand making "beads" with resin so I could encase hops, pressed flowers, leaves, pictures, etc.  Dustin makes art in the form of beer, so Carly and I want to make the merchandise just as unique.  Because of these reasons, we also call ourselves a Boutique Brewery.

TGB:  What has been the response to both the brewing and the crafts?
BF:  This smaller town loves to support local businesses.  We have gotten a great response with both.  People love that we are a casual neighborhood brewery with great tasting beer.  They also love that the owners are almost always the ones working, so we get to know each other.  We try to create a fun atmosphere so people can enjoy the drinks and their time spent here.  We have a small display of merchandise at the brewery, which people really seem to enjoy.  They are fascinated by the fact that there are actual hops in the jewelry and that everything is handmade.  Social media has played a huge part in the online sales of the merchandise and we are constantly adding new things to our Etsy shop. 

TGB:  What is everyone's favorite style to drink right now?
BF:  Being in the beer industry, we are always excited to try a variety of beers in any style.  It's hard to pick a definite favorite.  For me, I am liking sour beers.  Carly is really into Belgians in general.  Dustin likes to drink anything that he hasn't tried before.  His favorite to brew right now are specialty IPAs using all local hops.  They are not only delicious but people tend to like them the best.  Plus, it helps support the local hop growers.

Speaking of hops, after I finally narrowed down the hop ring that I wanted, it was ordered and in no time, at my doorstep.  Perfectly packaged and ready to wear, this ring has become my new favorite piece of beer art.  Every time I wear it, seen here at a home brewer's dinner I was featured at, I get a ton of compliments.  Besides designing jewelry for Brewery Ferment, Kirsten also has her own company Kirsten Jones Designs (www.kirs10jones.com) where she focuses on handmade, recycled, wearable art with her Rockin' Wire Jewelry and Revamped Threads lines. 

Beer is art.  Art is beer.