Eric Martens, owner and head brewer at Border Brewing Co, knew from the minute I walked in which one his brews he wanted to wax.
The story behind the Border Brewery Co. Campfire Porter brewery candle is an interesting one. My first conversation with Eric was by phone. He was very excited to meet up and discuss a Border Brewery / Barley & Hops Craft Candles brewery candle collaboration. I believe the first conversation was on a Friday morning. We decided to meet the following Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning, as I was getting ready for our meeting, I received a text. It was Eric. He had to postpone our meeting. He told me he had left a message on my phone and he just wanted to make sure I got it.
I listened to his voicemail. His truck had been stolen and he had to file a report with the KCPD. He finished his message with a major apology and said he would call soon to reschedule our appointment. Later that week, we found some time to meet-up again. Sadly, the truck hadn’t been found and his lovely wife Tracey had fractured her wrist jogging. Jeesh!
As soon as I met Eric, I could tell he was a very particular kind of person. He had a distinct look of determination. Later, after our meeting, I did a little research. This is what I found.
Martens has a chemical engineering degree from Kansas State University and has been in that industry for five years. But he also has been a home brewer for seven years and wanted to make that a career.
Made total sense! I knew IMMEDIATELY that Eric knew exactly what he wanted his Campfire Porter brewery candle to smell like. We had a nearly 30-minute conversation about the Border Brewing Co Campfire Porter. It was such an amazing learning experience!
I also met Border brewer, Kelly Wing. Kelly and Eric had a fantastic rapport. They shared a passion for craft beer, beer brewing, and Kansas City. Kelly is also just one of those guys that you can’t help but smile around!
This was my personal Campfire Porter sniffing and tasting experience:
Pours a dark, dark, dark espresso brown topped with dainty caramel colored head. The aroma was a combination of roasty malt, dark chocolate, subtle oak wood, coffee, and just a smidge of smoke. It tasted almost exactly how it smelled! I really love it when that happens!
In the end, I think the Campfire Porter brewery candle used a combination of 8 aromas. The result? A warming, exotic, complex, roasty, woody and smooth brewery candle. To complete the campfire theme, we used a wood wick to add a natural woody aroma. Eric had suggested the wood wick. How could we say no?
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