NEW BREW REVIEW: Grayton Beer may one day be on tap from 'cola to 'cola

Grayton is once again being put on the map, and this time it's because of the beer.

Jamey Price figured if he could live the rest of his life drinking beer, he'd be a happy guy. And now he has turned that simple pleasure into a business pursuit with the opening of the Grayton Beer Company.

Through the years Price developed a passion for craft beer, those from small breweries, and most often brewed locally.

His first taste of craft beer was in 1996 — an expensive Sierra Nevada — which he found in Lake Tahoe.

"That was my first introduction to something outside the domestics," he said.

Since then, wherever his travels take him, Price makes it a point to seek out the craft beers.

"I've toured a lot of breweries," he said.

In touring those breweries, he cultivated an appreciation for the layers and depths of flavor found in craft beer.

Craft beers have a uniquely different flavor profile giving them a citrus flavor, with much of it depending on hop content, explained Price.

Price said that the common domestics and imports found in the market make up 97 percent of beer found in the Southeast. He wants to bridge that gap between domestics/imports and craft beer drinkers.

Two-and-a-half years ago Price made the decision to brew his own craft beer — right here in South Walton.

After 11 years in the software industry, Price moved to Rosemary beach five years ago.

This new venture is his first foray into beer making.

"I saw an opportunity to serve locals by offering them a local craft beer and decided to head down this road," he said.

Price said making beer wasn't a hurdle.

"That never intimidated me," he said.

The question he asked himself was why he thought he could make a beer people would like and which would appeal to the market.

So, he did the research to find out if it made sense to become a brewer.

"Microbreweries are very open," he said. "There aren't many trade secrets and they are willing to share. It's just a matter of how much hops to use to bring out which flavors. I worked on recipes from scratch, sourcing the highest quality ingredients. It's about how you marry them."

Price's first beers hit the market this month — a pale ale, and an IPA (India pale ale), which is like a pilsner, stout or lager.

The name he chose for his product: Grayton Beer.

"I spend a lot of time in Grayton. I thought of several names, but the one that resonated with me was Grayton. I like the attitude people have in Grayton and that culture is something I want to express to this target market," he said.

Price's target market is from 'cola to 'cola: Pensacola to Apalachicola.

His goal is to get his product in 50 stores and restaurants. He already has it in around 25, including Wine World, Stinky's, Smiling Fish, Fire, Bud & Alley's, Red Bar, Hurricane Oyster Bar, Great Southern Café, and Shades to name a few, and the list is changing daily. The brew was unveiled recently at Bud & Alley’s 25^th anniversary celebration.

The choices are currently Grayton Pale Ale, which flaunts lighter crisp flavored hops on the front end with a mellow finish, or IPA, which has a lot of citrus and a balanced flavor with a nice long finish, but plans are to broaden the choices in the future.

"I have five solid recipes for five styles and can expand on that," he said. "Next year I will start to branch out."