Greenbush Brewing
Good ideas often start over beer. Always looking to take a good thing too far, we sat down over a beer (or two) and decided that beer itself was a good idea. Of course, not just some easy-drinking, institutional prole beer, but stuff like the beers we’d had at great bars. In short, we wanted beer with flavor. Complexity. Character. Intensity. Not words found in the mass-market lexicon.
So with a banjo burner, a bunch of industrial-sized kitchen pots and as many buckets as we could find, we jumped in feet first. Once a week, every week. Now, several years later and with a 15 barrel version of said banjo burner and kitchen pots for a brewhouse, we’re befuddling the beer judges and converting the masses. One pint at a time.
Our original brewing system has a long and sordid history befitting our line of beers. It centers on the second-to-last kettle ever built by noted coppersmith Fred Zaft, a handcrafted, solid copper 7-barrel brew kettle originally housed in a nineteenth century bar in San Francisco’s old Italian neighborhood. At one point, the bar had been totally restored to its past glory, replete with a “self-flushing spittoon” under the bar (yes, it was actually a urinal). Unfortunately, we were not able to get the self-flushing spittoon.
If you think our beers tend to cross various lineages, you’ll love tidbits like the fact that in 1951, our current building endured a freight train derailing and plowing into the building. We hope our beer can make that sort of impact on you.
Author: Caroline Porsiel
Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.
