Wages
Brewing Company and Southern Bank of West Plains have donated $250
each in matching funds toward Community Foundation of the Ozarks'
(CFO) disaster relief for Van Buren residents. Carol Silvey accepted
the funds on behalf of CFO noting that downtown Van Buren is “quite
devastated.”
From left: Wages Brewing Company head brewer
Aym Fischer, Southern Bank representatives Melinda Hanshaw and Zac
McNett, Silvey, bank representative Weston Gant and brewery owner
Phil Wages. (CS)
It’s early Monday morning and head brewer Amy
Fischer is standing on a step ladder in the back room of Wages
Brewing Company carefully stirring a steaming vat of barley and
wheat mash that will soon be fermented into a tasty batch of
Whatknot Ale. After years of practicing and perfecting the craft of
small-batch brewing at home, owner and brewer Phil Wages and his
wife, Amber, officially opened their brewery and taproom in the
small rural community of West Plains, Missouri, in early 2017. With
an official population of just below 12,000 people, the last
business most residents expected to pop up in town was a brewery,
but for Phil Wages, it was the perfect opportunity. PDF
Craft Beer Craze: What’s Brewing in 417-land First published June 2017
by
Stephanie Towne Benoit
for 417 Magazine
This article details new and upcoming Missouri
breweries and we got a mention! Our part reads:
"Wages
Brew Co.
1382 Bill Virdon Blvd., West Plains; 417-293-3119
The first and only craft brewery in West Plains, Wages Brew Co.,
which celebrated the grand opening of its taproom in January,
specializes in experimental beers using atypical ingredients.
“Anything that might make a good beer or flavor experience is what
we are after,” says Phil Wages, who co-founded the brewery with his
wife, Amber. That has included creations made with local persimmons,
dandelion, tarragon and more. Inventive offerings change often, but
three selections are usually on tap: the creamy Whatknot Ale, Good
Mornin’ Oatmeal Breakfast Stout and Landlocked IPA, a bestseller
that’s less bitter than a typical IPA."
A Brewery, A Food Truck, and Live Music to Benefit Flood Victims First published 6/14/2017
WEST PLAINS, MO – Wages Brew Company (WBCo)
announced on the social media website, Facebook, that they are
hosting a fundraising event on Friday, June 23rd from 5 to 9 PM to
benefit Van Buren, Missouri flood victims. The music is from 7 to 9
PM with no cover charge.
The evening took shape soon after singer Chris Cornell (Soundgarden,
Audioslave) passed away earlier this year. "I grew up on grunge rock
music - as did many people my age - and I wanted to put together a
tribute show for all of the tragic heroes of the genre. I knew that
local musician Chris Coats was the perfect person to perform this
show, and he brought in Will Brotherton to help - a perfect match,
and together they have prepared a 'Grunge Tribute Show'", said
owner, Phil Wages.
Wages adds, "We then quickly scheduled The Lemonade House Grille
food truck (featuring gourmet hamburgers and handmade lemonades) of
Van Buren to serve at our taproom during the show. I then put two
and two together and I figured we could do a little fundraising
while Lemonade House Grille is at our taproom to benefit their home
town." He learned that Southern Bank has a fund set-up for victims
of flooding in Van Buren, so he called the West Plains branch of the
bank and they graciously agreed to do matching donations up to $250.
WBCo will be donating 10% of their sales plus all their bar tips
during the event, and The Lemonade House Grille and the band will
both be donating portions of their proceeds as well. Wages adds,
"There are two ways people can help", and he elaborated:
1) You can walk directly into any branch of Southern Bank and say
"I've heard there's a flood relief account for Van Buren. I'd like
to contribute to that. Who do I talk to?"
2) Attend the special event at the WBCo taproom on June 23rd from 5
to 9 PM, simply make a purchase with us and the Lemonade House
Grille, and you'll automatically be helping out. Take a step further
and toss some cash into our tip jar. And remember, all proceeds
collected up to $250 will be doubled by Southern Bank! How cool is
that?
Wages adds, "I look forward to our community coming together on this
evening to help out our neighbors in Van Buren. Our team at the
brewery continues to seek more ways we can help West Plains and
other communities in the Ozarks hurt by the flooding. If anyone
knows of additional ways to donate and help, please contact me at
phil (at) wagesbrewco (dot) com or send a PM to the brewery on
Facebook. We hope to do more at the brewery as more opportunities
arise."
NPR Interview: "Craft Breweries Popping Up Across the Rural Bible
Belt" First published 3/2/2017
Small Town Brewery Plans Big Grand Opening First published 1/28/2017
WEST PLAINS, MO – Wages Brew Company (WBCo),
West Plains’ first and only microbrewery and taproom located near
Heroes Coffee in the East Towne Village, will be having their grand
opening event on Saturday, January 28th (preceded by a Chamber of
Commerce Ribbon Cutting on Friday, January 27th at 4:30 PM). This
event is free and open to the public and includes live music,
extended hours, scheduled brewery tours, and a food truck.
Wages Brewing began its journey when owner Phil Wages took an
Operation JumpStart class at OzSBI in 2011. After five years of
planning and fundraising, they held their soft opening on August
27th, 2016. Mr. Wages says, “Now that we have ‘learned the ropes’,
we are happy to announce our official grand opening. We’ve been
slowing building up to this, and with our recent taproom expansion
[the taproom nearly doubled in size in November], we are able to add
live music and can accommodate larger gatherings, so it just seems
like now is the right time to open our doors to a larger audience.”
Normally open from 12 to 7 PM on Saturdays, WBCo will extend their
hours to 9 PM for the January 28th grand opening event so that three
musical acts can perform kicking off with Phil Orlikowski and H2O
(brothers Brian and David Haenke) from 1 to 3 PM followed by Luke
Hershenson from 4 to 6 PM and ending the night with the energetic
Creek Stink from 7 to 9 PM. “These groups are all pretty different
in terms of their sound which reflects the differences in the ales
we make here at our brewery”, explains Mr. Wages, “and I think
that’s pretty cool because we aim to provide that place where people
of all walks of life can come together, like an old-school
neighborhood pub, a neutral zone.”
But there’s nothing neutral about Wages’ beers. In the 4 months
they’ve been open, they’ve released beers that range from the smooth
and easy drinking Whatknot Ale to more adventurous beers made with
ingredients like blood orange, dandelions, local blackberries, seeds
of paradise, and even chipotle peppers! “Our goal has always been to
have fun and be creative. Craft beer is all about experimentation,
and we’re fortunate to have our crazy ideas received so well by so
many in such a short period of time,” said Mr. Wages. “We look
forward to sharing extra special releases at our grand opening, some
of which will be in extremely short supply. And hint, yes, we will
be bringing back the Blood Orange Whatknot!”
Also at their grand opening event will be Bootleggers BBQ food truck
which previously served at Wages Brewing on New Year’s Eve. Their
chef made a beer cheese dip with Wages’ top selling Landlocked IPA
and paired it with freshly made warm pretzels. Mr. Wages says, “As
of right now, we don’t know what special food they will be making,
but you can be sure of at least one extra special dish that mingles
our beer with Bootleggers’ menu.”
“Please be sure to drink responsibly,” encouraged Mr. Wages. “We
also make our own handcrafted sodas from scratch, and we’ll be sure
to have plenty on hand so that designated drivers can enjoy a
beverage too.” In the past, WBCo has made Cream Soda, Cherry Soda,
and Elderberry Cream Soda, and they’ve hinted that Ginger Ale may be
available for the grand opening.
Wages Brewing has quickly become known for working locally, buying
ingredients at the West Plains’ Farmer’s Market and D&D Produce as
well as only carrying local wines (currently from McCullough House
Winery from Thayer, MO), so it seems only fitting they have all
local musicians and local food as the centerpiece of their January
28th grand opening. Mr. Wages’ work shirt has embroidered on it,
“Purveyor of Puns”, so it comes as no surprise that he closed with,
“It’s going to a lot of pun!”
Ribbon cutting held at Wages Brewing Co. First published January 27, 2017
(West Plains) – Wages Brewing Company, 1382 Bill
Virdon Blvd, West Plains, was the location of a ribbon cutting by
the Greater West Plains Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday, January
27.
Wages Brewing Company is the home of hand-crafted beers, including
stouts, lagers, IPAs, and more, brewed on location. They also sell
beers and wines from local and regional brands.
The brewery is open from 5-8 PM Fridays and 12-7 PM
Saturdays. It has been open for business since August 2016.
96.9 The Fox will be broadcasting live Saturday from 12-2 pm at
their official grand opening celebration, which will feature live
music from 12-9 pm, food from Bootleggers BBQ, specials, giveaways,
and more.
Brew Con One: Beer and Comics First published 1/1/2017
WEST PLAINS, MO – In keeping with their goal
of holding unique events, Wages Brew Company (WBCo), located near
Heroes Coffee in the East Towne Village, will be hosting the free
admission event “Brew Con One: Beer and Comics” in their taproom on
Tuesday, January 17th from 5 to 8 PM.
“My goal is to bring together various passions of mine”, said
founder Phil Wages. “And one of my guilty pleasures – aside from
craft beer of course – is nerdy things like comic books, and I think
hosting Brew Con one is going to be a lot of fun!” He went on to
explain that Brew Con One is the first in a planned series of mini
conventions he plans to host at WBCo. Future ones will carry other
themes such as video games and role playing games (RPGs).
For Brew Con One, the focus is comic books. Brewery owner Phil Wages
and Dragon’s Gate Comics (owned by Chris Roll, located in Mammoth
Spring) will be there offering comic books for sale and trade. “But
it’s not only comics”, said Wages. “We’re doing happy hour pricing
for those who dress cosplay because we want to encourage people to
get out and socialize. We’re also pleased that local authors Nicole
Tillman and Nicholas Haring will have tables set up.” As of this
writing, local artist Nikki Hergesheimer is also signed up and will
be offering her handmade coasters featuring nerd themed art.
“Not everyone knows this, but in addition to making our own beers,
we also make handmade sodas like our current Elderberry Cream Soda,
so designated drivers and teens accompanied by parents are
encouraged to come too”, said Wages. “All in all, attendees can
expect a safe and fun atmosphere to have some social drinks, meet
likeminded people, and experience a convention like no other.”
Wages encourages other local artists and authors to contact him via
Facebook or email to phil (at) wagesbrewco (dot) com to get
involved.
Local Brewery Crowdfunds Start-Up June
25, 2015
WEST PLAINS, MO - Wages Brew Company (WBCo) of West
Plains has launched a fundraising drive with a twist as its next step
toward opening doors later this year. “Founding Memberships” are being
sold to raise $10,000 by July 1 that will enable the fledgling company
to access further financing via a small business loan, said owner Phil
Wages, who describes this approach as “crowdfunding like Kickstarter,
but in person.”
Kickstarter is an online fundraising venue in which
startups offer a sampling of their offerings to financial “backers”
who pledge to contribute donations of a certain amount of money toward
a project. In a similar vein, WBCo is offering unique benefits to
supporters of WBCo's opening.
Wages said this current fundraiser is part of a
much larger fundraising effort. Ultimately, he said, the goal is to
raise a total of $20,000 by September 1. “That's for an opening with
more equipment so we can supply more beer to more people,” he said,
adding that “for those who want to have a greater level of
involvement, we have pieces of equipment to sponsor which will make
our opening that much more spectacular.”
WBCo consists of Wages, co-owner and wife Amber,
and brewing team members Nathan Burch and Aym Fischer.
*This story was picked up by Ozark Radio Network
originally airing on June 2, 2015!
Logo Design Contest Connects Craft Brewery To Community
March 13, 2015
WEST
PLAINS, Missouri, March 7, 2015 - Many people think craft beer is defined by
their use of unorthodox ingredients to create new and original flavors. While
this is true, it's only a small part of the picture. Their ingenuity translates
into so much more.
Wages Brewing Company, West Plains,
Mo., illustrated this best when they used an innovative approach to come up with
their company's logo: an art design contest.
"We are a very small operation known as a 'nano-brewery' preparing to open our doors later this year",
said owner/founder Phil Wages,
"and we don't have our sights on opening a giant production facility to send our beers to
the far corners of the world." He admitted he wouldn't resist it if the
public demanded. "Instead, we are focused on our community
[in West Plains], and we have a strong desire to do as much locally as possible.
For instance, we are developing a persimmon beer with locally harvested
persimmons, and we're working with local farmers to supply us with some
heirloom, non-GMO corn, and we've got a lot more ideas to bring to fruition."
"Keeping with our desire to be as
local as possible, we decided we didn't want to just hire a graphics firm to
design our logo." Wages explained, "We felt the people of the Ozarks would have
a unique approach similar to our own. So we came up with a
contest to have artists from the Ozarks submit logo designs to us. I have to admit; I was
extremely nervous. But in the end, we found our winner in Dee Ann Lange, the
owner of
Dog Gone Creative, out of
Kirkwood, Mo."
Wages went on to say those nerves were
put to rest when the submissions came pouring in. In all, 20 designers submitted
over 200 designs during the one month contest. He says, "Once the submission
deadline passed, we were like 'How are we going to choose!?'". He and his team
spent an entire month picking the winning design. "It was so difficult because
at least five or six of the logos were wonderful in their own right. But in the
end, there could be only one. I tell you, Dee Ann had submitted something like
50 or so variations of the same concept. I thought for sure she was going to
quit because of my intensity, but she was a pure joy to work with!"
"Dee Ann Lange's winning design conveyed
everything we wanted including having a modern feel while expressing our rough around the edges approach"
Wages expounded, "The fingerprint really secured it for me. It shows we're
putting our mark on this brewery, and really, our whole community." Dee Ann received a
prize including $500 cash as well as an assortment of brewery merchandise
and VIP attendance to a future special event.
Craft brewers continue to innovate
with grassroots approaches like Wages Brewing Company's recent logo contest.
Wages said, "Craft beer isn't just about me or you or beer in general. It's about
all of that, but most importantly, about love and passion. Otherwise, what's
the point?"
Wages Brewing Company is looking to
open around late summer or fall this year.
Join Brewsletter
WEST
PLAINS, Missouri, March 7, 2015 - Many people think craft beer is defined by
their use of unorthodox ingredients to create new and original flavors. While
this is true, it's only a small part of the picture. Their ingenuity translates
into so much more.