Campus No. 805, Taprooms and Energy! Vol. 2

Today, our journey continues, through what was once a school, but now a modern beer brewery. In the previous article, you learned about Straight to Ale’s move to the former Stone Middle School, now known as Campus No. 805.

As you walk into the taproom, once the old Stone gym, you see a total transformation. Several huge stainless steel containers, each capable of holding 3,700 gallons of brew are now the centerpiece of the gym, surrounded by other smaller containers that mix, heat, and cool the various concoctions that become the brewery’s signature beers. So the best beer seller made in these containers – Monkeynaut, named after the famous squirrel monkey, Miss Baker, who rocketed into space in 1959 and came back to earth after her 16-minute space ride to soon reside at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Monkeynaut pays homage to Miss Baker and her legacy in Huntsville’s space program. Look around the gym, and there are signs of the old gym that are a part of the beer production – old clock timers are being transformed to help with the timing in beer production. So how do you power a brewery? You could do it the old fashion way and pay huge utility bills for electricity, or you could be energy conscious and use steam. Drew Stanford, the head brewer says, “We love to save power. We use natural gas and steam in our beer production. It’s much cheaper. We reuse our water in the cooling production. That saves us about 1000 gallons each time we make a batch of beer. Each of the tanks in the operation are insulated and coolant lined that allows the cooling process to be more efficient. Our grain is given to local pig farmers for feed at no charge. We believe in saving as much as we can from utilities.” Leslie Bruton adds, “we are moving forward with changing all lightbulbs to LED’s and we know that will save money. The only waste we generate in the beer process at Straight to Ale is the yeast we use. And, we want everyone to know we release no chemicals whatsoever from our production line.”

Yes, there is a basketball goal still in the gym. Leslie tells me she’s not sure why, so if you see employees playing hoops while the hops are brewing, don’t tell the bosses.

Besides the gym, you find a state of the art humongous refrigerator that allows beer to remain at a precise temperature. Huge garage doors that allowed those brew tanks to be delivered and will allow future expansion. Yes, there are plans for expansion. In another room there is an additional huge storage facility where there is more Stone School memorabilia that one day will find a home inside Straight to Ale. There’s more upcycling. It takes a lot to make beer, more than you would ever imagine!

There’s a great bar on the outside that faces east towards the Butler Green Park that one day will allow for concerts and the like to entertain while you sip your beer. In the future, when laws allow, you may even be able to walk into the grassy area with beer in hand or even walk into the downtown area of Huntsville.

Nexus Energy Center and Straight to Ale have partnered for several fundraisers. Leslie and the STA crew are always a pleasure to work with, as they bend over backwards to help organizations like Nexus Energy Center. Later this month, Saturday, August 27, in the Straight to Ale converted Stone Middle School Band Room, we will be hosting a musical tribute we are calling “Forever Grateful” to the musical giants, Grateful Dead. Huntsville is home to Milltowne and Friends, a tribute band, who will be performing many Grateful Dead songs.  Not quite the same music you would have heard coming from a school band, but one we certainly are proud to be associated. The cost to attend is just $10 and there are limited tickets available. The band room can hold around 200 people, so we know this will be a sellout. In fact, tickets are already on sale at Nexus Energy Center’s website. Just follow the link. You know this will be a fun event. In addition to the music, we have special vendors coming by to be a part of the night – Tie-Dye by Jim, Stephanie E. Jennings Photography, food truck and, of course, Straight to Ale Beer. The fun starts at 7pm and goes to 10pm.

So, in the end, we have come full circle. We started with an abandoned school building, modernized it, while using as many of the old things as possible instead of just throwing them in a dumpster(upcycling), making a sought after product with little to no waste (sustainability), giving back to the communities served, who in turn become lifelong customers. Thanks Straight to Ale. You are a valuable asset to our community. And you make a great beer. Watch out folks, more news coming from our friends at Straight to Ale very soon that will make your visits to Campus 805 more filling.