Meet Darius
Darius has been with Fairhope Brewing for over 11 years now. We first met Darius as a regular patron to our taproom. We recall that he loved coming on “pint night” and heading home with 3 or 4 new glasses. His personality made it clear he didn’t belong behind the scenes at Mobile Infirmary. He belonged in front of people.
He started as a Friday bartender in 2014 while still working normal hospital hours. When we needed help on the bottling line, we knew he was the guy. A few quick negotiations later, Darius joined the team full-time. From bottling and canning to events and inventory, he’s had his hands in just about everything over the last decade.
There have been about 575 Fridays since he joined the FBC team, and we’d guess he’s worked about 525 of them. Over those years, he’s built loyal customers and great friendships. From a big smile to a firm handshake, you know you will be taken care of when Darius is manning those taps.
When Darius not at the bar, he’s probably at a concert (usually with Brian). His extensive lineup includes Lizzo, Tool, Wu Tang Clan, Run the Jewels, Umphrey’s McGee, Disco Biscuits, Matisyahu, Chevelle, and Lettuce. If you want to talk music, he’s your guy.
A few interesting notes you might not know regarding Darius being connected to beer names we’ve had over the year:
Long Handshake (porter): One Friday, an older gentleman enjoyed his chat with Darius so much that he started shaking his hand after closing out his tab. The handshake went on for so long that they were basically just holding hands while the man continued talking. A few of us at the end of the bar were absolutely cracking up watching this scene unfold. When the man finally left, one of us commented, “Dude, that was a long handshake.” And a beer name was born!
Harmonica Man (stout): While Darius was posing for a Mardi Gras in July promo photo, a man walked by us playing a harmonica. The taproom wasn’t open yet, and the man did not say a word as he passed by. The man then walks into the taproom, and we follow. He proceeds to play his harmonica in all different corners of the room, still not really saying anything to us. Not sure how to react, we just let him go with it. Once he was done, he said to us, “Just checking out the acoustics in the room. Thanks fellas.” And with that, Harmonica Man walked out of the taproom, never to be seen again.
This Gentleman (imperial stout): Darius had an unannounced salesman stop by asking to speak with me. He sent me a quick text to come over to the taproom and see what the guy needed. As I walked in Darius laid out his hand and simply said, “The gentleman.” I was thinking, ok, great introduction bud. Do I remember what the guy wanted? Not a chance. But this quick phrase made its way onto a keg collar!