Snellville Beer Maker Winning Awards, Moving Forward

The self-proclaimed "Monkey Men" are back it, making a name for themselves in the world of craft beer by winning awards and moving forward with their business plans at a rapid pace. 

Featured in Snellville Patch last October, they have since earned a couple of trophies at the 2012 Summits Holidaze Homebrew Competition, winning the People’s Choice Award for their “Very Merry Monkey Ale,” a spiced, Christmas-style dark ale, and Second Place Award in the IPA category for “Hop Monkey IPA.”

A couple of weeks later, Baxter was back – this time offering his liquid creations to the crowd at Summits Beans-and-Brews for Boobs breast cancer benefit event.

The team re-connected with Summits Wayside Tavern last month to participate in back-to-back tastings. These “Beer University” dinners pair craft beer with food and offer extensive knowledge of the products being served. On Dec. 10, Wayne was at Summits’ Cumming location, offering the crowd the chance to sample his "Hop Monkey IPA" and "Monkey Mama Milk Stout", a full-bodied, chocolate milk stout, according to Baxter. 

On top of that, the team was recognized at the Dec. 15 Max Lagers 1st Annual Brew Contest. Max Lagers, Atlanta’s oldest independent brewery restaurant, is renowned for its top-notch brewing picks. Monkey Wrench Brewing was awarded the 1st Place Best of Show and 1st Place in Christmas Category, both for the “Very Merry Monkey Ale.” 

"One thing led into another," said Wayne Baxter, founder of the company. "We have some good momentum going, so we're just trying to keep that up."

He's hoping to sign with a well-known distributor soon.  

After home brewing for 16 years, his dream of owning his own microbrewery will become a reality this year. He has a fantastic team, including social media guru Joseph Dreher, sales and marketing manager Ashton Cheatham and co-head brewer Doug Nace.

"There's a lot of pride that comes along with making something yourself," said Nace, who has been in the brewing scene for over a decade. Nace attended the University of California's Master Brewers back in 1995. 

Nace also brewed for the Cherokee Brewing Company, Percy's Fish House and Brewery, Rock Bottom Brewery and Rubicon Brewery. He then took a hiatus from the brewing world to work for the CDC, but he's happily picked up his main passion again with Monkey Wrench. 

Both Nace and Baxter are Snellville residents, and if they can find the right location in town, they'll set up a microbrewery right here in Snellville. 

Read more about Monkey Wrench Brewing here. 

Keep up with this local company through Facebook, Twitter, and Website. If you're an investor, contact Wayne Baxter at wayne@monkeywrenchbrewing.com.