ADJUNCT Professors

Beer. A one-syllable word for a beverage — nay, an ideal — that is the result of countless hours of care and devotion, meticulous experimentation and continual practice in pursuit of quaffable perfection.

Perhaps I’m romanticizing a bit. After all, my earliest memories of beer are from childhood, when my father, upon completing a day of seemingly intense and perilous yard work, cracked open an ice-cold beer to recognize properly a most delicious victory over the forces of nature – namely, his lawn.

Still, beer has an undeniable allure and nostalgia for many. Jacksonville is no exception, particularly given the veritable renaissance of craft breweries in the U.S. and abroad, and dissatisfaction with the indifferently brewed swill of the long-established national brands.

Currently, Northeast Florida can count nearly a dozen local breweries, with more on the way. However, behind this growing patchwork of hometown upstarts and their ebullient concoctions are the communities that promote and foster these sorts of ventures, such as The CASK.

The Cowford Ale Sharing Klub (CASK) is Jacksonville’s own home-brewing collective. Its mission is “to promote the art and enjoyment of handcrafted brewing and to further promote the hobby by introducing new people to the art and enjoyment in the production of the many varieties of beer … “

A cursory glance through The CASK’s Facebook page reveals an effervescent stronghold for all things beer. From pictures of auto-siphons, hydrometers and commercial-grade stockpots, to competition notices and hard-won advice, it is indeed a true and glorious testament to everything that is good and right in the world.

Thus, through luck and sinister backroom dealings involving money, safety straps and car batteries, I was permitted to interview the overlord himself, Skip Frostenson, CASK’s president.

“The CASK is really about getting people interested in knowing more about beer,” said Frostenson. “Not just in the crazy stuff that people are brewing nowadays, but with the standards and guidelines that should be aimed for with the different styles of beer.”

According to Frostenson, this has been the Klub’s purpose since its founding in 2006. “Before there was The CASK, there really wasn’t a strong community nor consistent group of people in the Jacksonville area who were getting together to discuss and brew beer.

“Ten years ago, you really didn’t have much of a scene in Jacksonville that desired better product either, nor [to] have full discussions about many of the quality products out there,” Frostenson added.

David Rigdon, CASK’s vice-president, shares these sentiments. “I first got into beer back in college, and there really wasn’t any ‘craft beer’ per se. I had a buddy of mine who had some Fuller’s ESB, and it was at that point that I realized I had never had a ‘real beer’ before.”

Since that first “real beer,” Rigdon has been steeped in the joy-bringing business of beer and its many frothy renditions, working at Sam Adams upon graduation from Florida State University, and now as chain sales manager at Champion Brands.

Since joining The CASK seven years ago, Rigdon has become more and more certain that craft beer, and The CASK in particular, are benevolent and legitimizing forces in the universe, and particularly in the region’s local communities.

“The boom of craft beer is similar to the boom of varietals in the wine business,” said Rigdon. “As people get more educated and are exposed to craft beer, the faster it’s going to grow and the more people it’s going to impact. So anything that increases education and awareness is good for not only craft beer, but also the community as a whole.”

However, apart from its desire to “increaseth thy knowledge” and impart due wisdom upon the fickle-minded masses, The CASK and its members are, at the moment, most concerned with expanding their reach, and hence their cause, unto future generations.

“New member[ship] is where the club is going to put a lot of attention,” said Rigdon. “So you’re going to see the club continue to do events that support new membership and educate people on how relatively easy it is to get into brewing and producing a quality-tasting beer.”

“At this point, craft beer has proven itself to be far more than just a fad, but a legitimate culinary and cultural change,” Rigdon said.