Ginger Beer with Soul & Farmer Willie’s
Nico and Tyler at the Chatham Famer’s Market
Farmer Willie doing his thing
Ginger used in first production batch of ginger beer (took 12 hours to grind)
About eight weeks ago, two Brown students and goat farmer followed their dreams and made ginger beer with soul: Farmer Willie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Though they are only sold on Cape Cod, they have already built a pretty rabid underground following: people have flown up to Provincetown just to get a case, Bill Murray said this is "the best ginger beer I have ever found", and they consistently sell out at farmer’s markets across the cape.
It all began in a Cape Cod kitchen back in 2008. Goat farmer Willie Fenichel began home-brewing small batches of alcoholic ginger beer for his family and friends to enjoy. A good friend of the family, Nico Enriquez was one of the fortunate few to try the early batches of delicious ginger beer. After many hypothetical discussions about starting a company, Nico started Farmer Willie’s on his 21st birthday.
I had the pleasure to meet Nico Enriquez, one of the co-founders, at the Chatham farmers’ market (they sold out that day as well). It’s not every day that you meet a college senior that has started and operates a business, but Nico is doing just that. Nico was kind enough to share the ginger beer goodness with me and I was very surprised with its soft but rich flavor. Nico talked about the two key ingredients in their beer: hand ground ginger and lemon juice from California.
Nico graciously connected me with Willie. I was able to visit him and his family at their goat farm in Truro. I have interviewed about a dozen brewers so far and this was the first time that one of them had invited me to their home. To me that says a lot about the Farmer Willie's culture and brand. It also really captures what #gingerwithsoul means; it is a way of life that Willie and crew experience every day.
Willie's family was warm and inviting and indeed full of life. I had the pleasure of meeting his mother who had inspired Willie to start brewing, since she does her own wine-making at home. I was also able to meet Willie’s sister, Teresa, who is full of soul and very supportive of the Farmer Willie’s brand and was even helping with a local beer tasting later in the day. Willie was kind enough to share a special Rose Ginger beer that he is working on for future consumption and, boy, was it refreshingly amazing (pictures below)!
The back story of Farmer Willie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer started on a Cape Cod beach where Willie and Teresa had a chance encounter with Nico, which eventually turned out to be the catalyst for the home-brew based venture. Nico, a spirited soul who is very excited about ginger beer and the creation of the brand, recruited his friend Max Easton, a classmate at Brown University, to be the other co-founder of Farmer Willie’s Inc. Nico and Max still have one year left at school but have found a passion in brewing.
It was through networking and speaking with the Craft Brewers Association of Rhode Island that Nico and the gang were connected with the friendly folks at Down East Cider in Chelsea (who got their start out of college too). The Down East Cider brewers have taken them under their wing to help scale the business. Farmer Willie’s is well on their way to building a successful tribe and have already completed a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $20,000 to help with working capital. Their website has some great mixology tips that can be found here, including my favorite the Lemon & Ginger Mojito. Now everyone can enjoy this crisp and refreshing ginger beverage. It’s a great summer drink when had straight out of the can, but it also makes for excellent craft cocktails. This delicious gluten free beverage is made with all natural ingredients and has become a popular drink among local and tourist communities on the lower Cape. I have included some additional tasting tips below.
Tasting tips from the ginger beer expert, Nico:
1. “Turn twice to release the spice”. The brew is made with hand ground ginger so you want to make sure you get the full flavor by gently turning the can twice before opening.
2. It’s a great idea to serve the beverage in a Duval glass, helps to aerate the beer and bring out more of the aromas.
3. Make a Dark & Stormy cocktail with Farmer Willie’s ginger beer and your favorite dark rum. This is Nico’s favorite.
Share the love and find them on twitter at @Farmer_Willies or like their Facebook page here.
Happy tasting!
Mark McCurdy
Rose bush used to make rose ginger beer
Refreshing rose ginger beer