NEW BERN -- Dustin Canestorp is on what he calls Stage 2 of
his American Dream, and he’s not the only one enjoying the ride.
The Marine Major, who has nearly two decades of military
service, has recently opened a new Beer Army storefront on Highway 70 in New
Bern near Coastal Carolina Regional Airport. The store, which currently boasts
400 different beer choices, has the goal of offering 1,000 selections by the
end of the year.
And don’t think the irony of a Marine opening a store called
Beer Army is lost on Canestorp.
“I do catch it for that from a lot from the guys,” Canestorp
said. “Beer Marines, well … Beer Army sounds better, and beerarmy.com was
available, so that's what I took.”
The Marines aren’t without representation in the Beer Army.
The store’s logo features a graphic created from a photo of Canestorp’s snarling
Doberman – his Devil Dog, so to speak.
While he was deployed overseas, it was an Iraqi interpreter
who triggered the idea in Canestorp’s head of the American Dream. That
interpreter wanted to one day come to the U.S. to pursue his, and Canestorp
realized that he hadn’t yet thought of what he’d do once his military career
was over.
“When I did decide to pursue my American Dream, I decided I
was going to dive head first into brewing,” Canestorp said.
But that’s the endgame.
Canestorp has been brewing at home since 2008, and he does
have the goal to one day run a craft brewery in New Bern. He knew there was a
lot of work that had to take place first.
Stage 1, he said, was building an interest (or seeing if
there was one) in what would be his product.
The mastermind behind beer festivals in Greenville and New
Bern – Jolly Skull Beer Fest and Brew Bern Beer Fest, respectively – Canestorp
is now preparing for each festival’s third edition. His direct focus now,
however, is the Beer Army Outpost’s grand opening, which is scheduled for the
week of May 14-19.
The store, which is already open, allows patrons to pick
from the wide variety of bottles (and even a few cans) or have a taste of one
of the 11 beers on draught.
“It’s easily the best selection,” said Joe Carorette, a
customer who was at the Beer Army Outpost last week. “I’ve never bought the
same beer twice.”
Canestorp has plans to eventually transform his bottle
armory into a micro-brewery.
“We first wanted to introduce the area to craft beer,”
Canestorp said. “We really want to try some different things (with the beer we
will brew), and we’re excited to make New Bern a place where people come for
craft beer.”
As he waits to launch that third stage of his American
Dream, Canestorp said he’d raise a glass and hopes people enjoy Stage 2 for a while.
Original article in it’s entirety can be found at http://www.wcti12.com/news/30948147/detail.html
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