More often than not, I find the brewers whose beers I love are influenced by regional cuisine. If they've taken the skillet into their own hands long before the mash paddle, they tend to have a deeper understanding of flavor, aroma, and texture—and they care less about the trendiness of a style or the aesthetics of a subculture. Instead, they're focused on the table, the people around it, and the role of food and beverage in our lives.
Patrick Woodson of Brewery Bhavana in North Carolina is one of those brewers. As he pours out a homemade low country boil and pops bottles of Till, his farmhouse beer, the energy is just right. The humid heat of the boil in the air sucks us in. And the long history of his cooking and brewing and sharing all come together in one effortless moment.
