Schoolhouse Brewing: Where Education Meets Recess

Malteurop Celebrates Craft Breweries During American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week takes place May 10–16, 2021. This annual nationwide event celebrates small and independent craft breweries throughout the U.S. Malteurop (MMC) has joined forces with a few of these phenomenal breweries, highlighting their stories of strength and camaraderie during a time when struggles are common, but support and community continuously shine through.

About Schoolhouse Brewing

We sat down with Thomas Monti, Co-Owner and Head Brewer, and Justin Waller, Co-Owner and Assistant Brewer, from Schoolhouse Brewing in Marietta, Georgia, to talk beer, of course, but also community and education.

These two will tug at your heartstrings and remind you why beer brews community. Rick Barney, MMC Craft Sales Manager, who was also on the call with us, sums up how we feel about Schoolhouse Brewing. “This is awesome. I’m falling in love with the industry all over again.”

A teacher in his past life, Thomas was ready to get out of the classroom. He and Justin had been homebrewing together for years and it was kind of a joke when the idea came up for a homebrew shop. Originally, Thomas was thinking of a beer bar, but then they realized if Thomas opened a homebrew shop, they could purchase their homebrewing supplies at wholesale pricing. A homebrew shop it was. Four years later, Justin, also a teacher, decided it was time for a change, as well, and joined Thomas in his business.

As Thomas was creating recipes and helping his customers learn how to brew award-winning beers, Justin realized they could easily add a brewery to the mix. After all, they already had a head brewer.

Now at batch 250 of unique brews, Schoolhouse keeps their beers new, fresh and local. This works well for Thomas, “If I had to brew the same beer every single day, I’d lose my mind.”

Everything encountered at Schoolhouse Brewing is a mirrored reflection of who Thomas and Justin are. From their building to their beers to their website and their social media, they do it all. With an actual studio located within the brewery, they also have their very own beer blog and even a podcast.

“We take our creativity a little too far some days,” says Thomas. “It’s all about education. Education meets recess.” Teachers and brewers to their core.

A Passion for Brewing

Their passion is Schoolhouse Brewing and they pour everything into it.

Thomas is a self-professed workaholic. “If I put a passion into something, I want to know everything about it. It’s all-consuming. And while Justin understands the passion, he knows when to put the brakes on. Crazy Train Brake Man is one of his titles. He keeps Thomas in check. They work well together.

“The liquid is very important to me. I like to tell everyone that the only thing I take super serious is the beer. The rest of the stuff around here is fun and it should be. Let’s keep it fun.”

For Justin, brewing and beer are about the connections with people. “Even the construction of this place. You talk about how it takes a village. We got so much help from the community, from friends and family, and friends of friends and family. We’ve got a lot of regulars and they are family at this point. We’ve got a hometown feel. It’s why I love coming here.”

“Across the nation, across the world, 90% of us would do anything for a brewer in need.” Both said this again and again. The brewing family is tight-knit, and this is evidenced in everything that Schoolhouse Brewing does.

The Future of Craft Beer

Both see the industry changing rapidly, they are excited about the continued growth. While Thomas loves brewing crazy styles, he’d also like to see more breweries focusing on traditional styles. “There is a time and a place for adjuncts, but you can’t hide behind them all the time. I like to call it the Emperor’s New Clothes. There’s nothing to hide behind.”

Always Something New Brewing at Schoolhouse

“We like to let our liquid talk. Pour good beer and people will start enjoying it.” Never brewing the same beer twice, they are currently brewing batch number 250 with a new style released every week. Currently they have 20 beers on tap and while they may not have a specific style that defines Schoolhouse, they are defined by good beer. Their liquid definitely talks.

Accomplishments and Achievements at Schoolhouse

Thomas and Justin are quite proud of what they have built. And they should be. “We’ve grown this business organically, and when you’re creating the website and building the bar and epoxying the floors yourself, you have pride in it but people also see it. We are as genuine as they come. Every time you come in, you get Thomas and Justin.”

Through the brewery and the homebrew club, they’ve given guidance to many people. So much so, their customers have now become as passionate about brewing as they are.

COVID-19 Challenges Faced Head On

Being open as a brewery for only nine months prior to COVID is an accomplishment in itself. But keeping every single employee employed during this time is quite another feat. Thomas and Justin are very proud of this fact. Even when they had to close the doors for three months, they were able to compensate their employees and keep them working. “Our employees trust us because of this. They know things will get taken care of.”

Both Justin and Thomas are in agreement that they really had no trials and tribulations. “We cannot complain. So much stronger, more efficient, more appreciative, lean and mean and better for it. If there’s another disaster of this kind of thing, well, we’ve done it before, we can do it again. We’ve become an organization that knows what the value of the people around us are.”

Moving Forward with Support

Schoolhouse Brewing is a business with a good reputation selling a quality product. What makes them stand out from other businesses doing the same thing, is that they separate themselves by giving their customers an experience. One that gets them back into having relationships. Back into the community. “We can help brighten their day.”

The many vendors and suppliers they work with are adept at doing that same thing. They understand the impact that COVID has had on breweries. Many of them have gone out of their way to be adaptable to what Schoolhouse and other breweries require to stay open. They recognize the need for community support, and they give it.

“MMC definitely helped us out. They’ve cut us an amazing break and have given us a great deal on good quality grains. It’s some of the best base malts I’ve ever used. It’s been a good partnership. We’ve really enjoyed using their malts. They’re a really good company.”

The vendors and community have played a large role in keeping them in business. “We have been blessed beyond compare that our doors are still open.”

And Schoolhouse Brewing, being the altruistic folks that they are, paid attention to what their community needed as well. Thomas and Justin both taught kids in the same district in which they now brew. So, when the schools closed, Schoolhouse was proactive in starting a food drive and mentoring program to help feed kids and families in need.

“It wasn’t so much what people did for us; it was how can we give back and get through this together. I think we’re getting time to appreciate each other more.”

Their customers have played a large role in supporting the brewery they love so much, too “Our customers, which are our family, were ordering more beer than I knew they could drink.”

The Latest and Greatest Beers Brewing

And the beer they serve is a story in itself. Take a look at their Melanie Scotch Ale, for example. It’s a Scottish Wee Heavy, but it isn’t just any recent beer brewed and on the board. Brewed in honor of one of Schoolhouse Brewing’s closest friends, this beer means a lot more than just a drink in a glass. It’s a heartfelt cheers to family and friends everywhere.

In the tanks, they’ve got a Black IPA, a fruited sour, a milkshake IPA with blood orange, a traditional pale ale, a lager and a west coast IPA making their debut soon. And with the only thing they take seriously, their beer, you know they will all have a story and a flavor that will not soon be forgotten.

Brewing for American Craft Beer Week

Thomas and Justin plan on keeping it a bit quiet prior to Craft Beer Week, and then…BAM! They’ll put out five or six beers during American Craft Beer Week that, as they say, “will blow people’s minds.” They also hope to host a party and might just release a new beer every day that week.

Getting Personal with Beer

Asking the both of them what their favorite beer style is, Thomas quickly replied, “It’s like asking what’s my favorite child.” In the end, if he had to just choose one style, he leans towards lagers and pilsners.

Justin is all about the IPAs. “I don’t want to be cliche but I’m an IPA guy – all of them. I love hops. I like seeing them shine through in a beer.”

We can’t just stop there. So we asked them to describe their personality through beer. In other words, “If you were a beer, what beer would you be?”

Justin jumped on this opportunity to define Thomas, “Cured and took a lot of time and will smack you in the face.” This was, of course, all said with a great big laugh from the both of them. And Thomas agreed, “I’m barrel-aged.”

And before Thomas could offer his own opinion on Justin, Justin jumps in, “I think I’d be hazy. I’m sweet, a little bitter and ultimately I’m really cloudy because my memory is terrible.”

It’s always fun getting to know the people behind the beer we love so much.

Thank You!

Rick Barney from MMC sums up Schoolhouse perfectly. “We appreciate the big picture to life that they bring to the forefront of what they are doing. We all appreciate the creativity, the nimbleness, the fortitude and the passion that the brewing community has gone through and put on display during these challenging times. It’s a people-driven industry and to not be able to get together is very difficult for everyone, but stories like we’ve just heard, Schoolhouse still finds a way to make it about the people and that’s what they appreciate the most.”