Quest Brewing staysahead of the curve

Everything, it seems, is ahead of schedule and ahead of expectations for Greenville’s Quest Brewing.

Recently, Quest’s brewmaster and co-owner, Don Richardson, mentioned to me that he couldn’t believe it’s been a year since he first started offering tastes of his brews.

The company’s opening last summer drew far more than expected — 1,700 people.

And the turn of this new year saw Quest distributing statewide, quite a feat for a company that said from the beginning that it would build locally first to spread its roots strong.

Now, Quest finds itself a year ahead on another goal: achieving the status as a zero-waste-to-landfill facility.

The 5,300-square-foot brewery isn’t a mammoth operation — but beating the goal to convert to ZWL status by 2015 is significant, nonetheless, and in keeping with the craft beer culture that encourages sustainable practices.

The re-use of spent grain is where Quest has found the most success in reducing the amount of waste leaving its building. The grain is taken by farmers to feed dairy cattle, instead of going into a waste dump.

The company has raised its recycling rates to about 95 percent and uses a solar water heater built by Gear Solar in Greer, Quest CEO Andrew Watts said.

Quest achieved its goal in partnership with Junk Matters LLC in Spartanburg, a firm that provides recycling and disposal services mostly for restaurants and educational institutions.

Swamp Rabbit update

The Swamp Rabbit Brewery & Taproom’s brewing system is up and running full steam — though the doors have not yet opened in downtown Travelers Rest.

Swamp Rabbit appears to be on track for a mid-March opening, owner and brewmaster Ben Pierson says. At least the beer will be ready by then.

The only things standing in the way are approvals for permits required by the state and the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, he says.

The brewing equipment brought in last month on three flatbed trucks is “100 percent under control” (interesting way to put it, but when you think about organic materials interacting with other organic materials to create something new, things perhaps could get a little out of hand).

And while we really couldn’t be any further away from autumn, Pierson, a specialist in German-style beers, is wasting no time brewing his Oktoberfest beer.

The house IPA is working along with the brewery’s first special, brown nitro porter. Next to brew is the American pale ale.

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One last thing on Quest.

The guys are always experimenting – and things will be getting a little warmer next Thursday night.

The brewery will offer four barrel-aged versions of its Kaldi Imperial Coffee Stout infused with a collection of hot peppers.

The mildest: poblano peppers in Dark Corner Distillery barrels.

Medium temperature: habanero peppers in Buffalo Trace barrels.

Hottest: Aji Dulce peppers in Dark Corner barrels.

And fourth: a cask conditioned with chipotle peppers.

The tastings will be cooled off with a nitro pour (nitrogen-pressurized and poured fast) of the brewery’s new milk stout.