Parkside Brewing Company

It was 2003 and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was living in NE Missouri near Mark Twain Lake working for the Missouri Department of Conservation as a Conservation Agent (Game Warden). I lived on an acreage that surrounded the lake and I had really gotten into gardening. I was making salsa, canned items and eventually I started making my own hot sauce. On this particular day I called a company to order some bottles to package my hot sauce. The customer service agent on the other line asked me for details including payment information, address, etc.. My postal code was Stoutsville, Missouri. As I recited these details back to her, she paused and said, “Stoutsville? You should be making your own beer!” I thought to myself, “That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard!” You see, to me beer was just yellow fizzy stuff I stomached through college for a cheap buzz. I never really enjoyed it, let alone thought of creating such nonsense. Little did I know that day a seed was planted and would eventually become Parkside Brewing Company. We’ll get back to that seed later.