Rolling right along with our next interview of people and companies that have assisted us in making Divine Barrel Brewing the business that it is today. Brendon Bryant and Hollis Nixon are both owners of Core Designs, which makes custom concrete furniture. They were kind enough to make the killer bar top and bathroom sinks you see in the taproom. Let’s get to know Brendon and Hollis a little better with some questions below:
Brendon Bryant Interview
Q) What is your name?
A) Brendon Bryant
Q) What do you do for a living?
A) Co-Owner/ Concrete Fabricator at Core Designs.
Q) How did you get involved in your profession?
A) I fell in love with the “making culture” during architecture school and decided to follow my dream making beautifully hand-crafted hard goods. Concrete is a phenomenal medium to work with and I want to push what we can do design wise with the material. Most people think of sidewalks and floors when they think “concrete”, but I want to change that perception.
Q) What first brought you to the world of craft beer?
A) I had a studio in college where we designed breweries for a semester. Part of learning how to design for a client’s needs is understanding their process. Needless to say, there were many field trips that semester and my love for the craft was born.
Q) What are some of your favorite styles to drink on a regular basis?
A) IPAs and Sours.
Q) If you had to select one beer as a desert island beer, what would you choose, and why?
A) “The Feeling I Forgot”. It is a clean, crushable West Coast IPA and I don’t think Charlotte has enough West Coast style beers.
Q) How did you come to find out about Divine Barrel, and what has been your involvement with the brewery?
A) Word of new breweries coming to Charlotte travels fast. I heard about Divine early on and met up with Ben and Scott to hear their vision. The rest is history; we provided the bar tops and sinks for them.
Q) What is your favorite beer #DBB has made so far?
A) Hard to say, I haven’t had a bad one yet. If I had to pick one, I would have to go with the Dank Zappa.
Q) What do you like most about #DBB?
A) The bar tops (duh), but honestly, I love the atmosphere that the owners and staff provide – it’s very relaxed and the amazing beer helps too!
Q) What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?
A) Disc golf, soccer, and beer.
Q) What is your favorite kind of music, and who is your favorite band?
A) I like a little bit of everything but gravitate more towards metal. There’s lots of Slipknot for motivation in the shop.
Q) If you could drink a beer with one person from history, dead or alive, who would you want to drink with?
A) Sir Alex Ferguson
Hollis Nixon Interview
Q) What is your name?
A) Hollis Nixon
Q) What do you do for a living?
A) Co-Owner/ Everything Else at Core Designs.
Q) How did you get involved in your profession?
A) Well, that is a LONG story riddled with espionage and covert missions. (It feels like) a few lifetimes ago, I was in the construction industry. This business venture seemed like a natural next step. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and get complacent in traditional settings.
Q) What first brought you to the world of craft beer?
A) I’m going to give my neighborhood, NoDa, the credit. I have volunteered for NoDa for over a decade and once we started getting craft breweries and those craft breweries were getting well-deserved attention, I started to explore a world other than Bud Light. Presently, Brendon is my resource for all things craft brew.
Q) What are some of your favorite styles to drink on a regular basis?
A) Saisons, Pale Ales.
Q) If you had to select one beer as a desert island beer, what would you choose, and why?
A) I would have to choose two: 1. Legal Remedy’s “World Court Mocha Stout” (it was my first love) and 2. Divine’s “Petite Amie” (it’s my forever love).
Q) How did you come to find out about Divine Barrel, and what has been your involvement with the brewery?
A) Brendon heard the “coming soon” brew news first and sought Ben and Scott out for a meeting – we wanted a shot at doing concrete bars. We all met, had warm and fuzzies towards each other, and the rest is history. Other than completing their concrete bars and sinks, our current involvement with Divine includes hanging out at their bar, admiring our own work, and drinking delicious beers (I kid about admiring our own work – sort of). I also text Gavin a lot with life questions. He gives me bad advice, but I do what he says anyways.
Q) What is your favorite beer #DBB has made so far?
A) Petite Amie – all day, everyday.
Q) What do you like most about #DBB?
A) The concrete bars and bathroom sinks. That’s about it. In all seriousness, Divine Barrel’s greatest strength is their people – owners, staff, and patrons the brewery attracts. It’s just a special place to be. You can have amazing beer, but if you don’t have amazing people, it doesn’t matter. They also go above and beyond supporting this community. NoDa is lucky to have DBB and they deserve all the recognition and love for what they do publically and behind the scenes.
Q) What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?
A) Urban farming, canning/pickling, texting Gavin.
Q) What is your favorite kind of music, and who is your favorite band?
A) I love pretty much every genre of music, though there is a very special place in my heart for Motown and Hip-Hop. Favorite band? That’s more than difficult. I’m going with The Temptations, but that answer could change tomorrow (woman’s prerogative and all).
Q) If you could drink a beer with one person from history, dead or alive, who would you want to drink with?
A) Toss up between Thomas Jefferson or Eazy-E.
We thank Brendon and Hollis for taking the time to answer our questions, and an even bigger thank you for making such a gorgeous bar top and bathroom sinks for us. They are ingrained as part of our identity, and we couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. If you’re interested in contacting Core Designs for their amazing work, you can find their website at https://coredesignscr.weebly.com/. We sincerely appreciate everything Core Designs has done for us, as well as their continued support!
