Article and photography by Fitz
Not long ago, Aaron Holley suffered a stroke at the young age of 28. This article, however, is not a retelling of that story. Aaron is better now and back to work. He’s got his speech back. He’s back to brewing beer. He’s back to living his life, with a new sense of appreciation for all the moments to come that he almost didn’t have. This article instead is about trying to scratch the surface of why so many people galvanized behind Aaron in such a substantial fashion so quickly.
I caught up with Aaron and his wife of nearly seven years, Christine, at Wasserhund recently, while Aaron was busy cleaning in the brewery. As he explained to me with a mop in his hands, “Ninety percent of brewing is cleaning. People don’t realize that.” The high volume of liquid and potential spills call for the cleaning, but most importantly, in the process of brewing beer when wart (sugar water) is made, it has to be clean and free of bacteria so the yeast can catch unevaded. Screw that up and your beer is going to be pretty awful.
Wasserhund Brewer/Owner, Aaron Holley, cleaning up the brewery
Honestly, it would take me forever to list who all in the Hampton Roads community came to Aaron’s aid when he had his stroke. Adam from Gordon Biersch and Austin from Oozlefinch did a collaboration beer, with grains provided by BSG, which breweries across Hampton Roads carried. Restaurants and breweries like Public House, River Beach, O’Connor’s, and Green Flash all held events for Aaron and events were packed out on two separate days at Wasserhund. Admittedly, the craft beer community is a tight one, but it seemed to me, both from being at the first benefit at Wasserhund (which I could barely get in the front door for) to the number of places I saw his name around town associated with some way to help, people seriously cared.
Christine Holley pouring Wasserhund’s Black Forest Lager
Aaron told me that back in Northern Virginia, his pastor had a message that has stuck with him over the years, “If you’re blessed, you should try to bless other people.” For Aaron, as he put it, “After the German theme and approach to beer, that is the second most important thing with our business.” Following that message has led to Wasserhund raising close to 58,000 dollars and counting for local charities. They have been donating 5% of their revenue since opening.
The first “thing”, the love and desire for brewing German style beer, began when Aaron went to Oktoberfest in 2012. As he put it, “Granted, I got drunk, but I was impressed with how responsible the people were with drinking. The kids literally grow up drinking so they respect drinking more and are more responsible with it. They just appreciate beer more.”
———————————————————————————————————–
Taste of Ghent is this Saturday night! Three prominent Hampton Roads Chefs are getting ready to test their culinary skills against the Mystery Basket Competition to create a dish out of elementary school lunch ingredients. Tickets are almost gone! Get them HERE or click the flier above. This event benefits the W.H Taylor Elementary School P.T.A. and its Mary Ann Bowen Fund.
———————————————————————————————————–
In Northern Virginia, by 2012, Aaron was already a home brewer. Initially, it was laziness of all things and encouragement from Christine that led him to brewing. “I had a summer session at college so Christine would come home and always see me on the couch,” he told me. “One day, she was like, ‘You need a hobby.’ So she took me to Barnes & Noble and we bought a book on brewing beer. It quickly went from one book to several… from Homebrewing For Dummies to The Brewer’s Bible.”
As time went on and Aaron got closer to finishing his stint in the Navy and college, he and Christine decided to write up a 25 to 30-year business plan, enlisted the help of their family, and took out a small loan. Ultimately, coming to Hampton Roads, Aaron and Christine established Wasserhund which touts the use of 80 percent German grain and hops to make their beer. A ratio Aaron informed me will eventually be at 100 percent.
Aaron Holley in the Wasserhund kitchen
While winning both gold and silver awards locally for their Pilsner and Oktoberfest beers and establishing a seriously tasty pizza game (thanks in large part to Aaron’s brother-in-law, Craig), the Holley’s have, more than anything, made a real effort to engage the local food and beer community. Christine, often the face of events and public relations truly brings across a wholesome, engaged, almost family-like vibe when working with fellow businesses and hosting local events.
Christine Holley making pizza at Wasserhund
As Donald Edwards, owner at Lynnhaven Coffee Roasters, and whose coffee beans have been used to make a coffee style Wasserhund lager, put it, “Dealing with Aaron and Christine, you definitely get a family vibe. Truly, nice people.” Edwards speaks for many people locally with those comments. It’s an impression the Holley’s have cultivated through their positive engagement with local issues and community. Couple that with a true passion for brewing great German style beer in Hampton Roads and you start to scratch the surface as to why they are so cared for in the local community.
For more on Wasserhund Brewing Company, visit them online HERE
And on Facebook HERE
No Comments