Balter Beerworks: Classic, Balanced, Artful

Balter Beerworks:

Classic, Balanced, Artful

About Balter Beerworks

Balter Beerworks in Knoxville, Tennessee, isn’t meant to knock your socks off with wild and crazy beers. What it’s meant to do is give its customers classic beers that match the flavors of their food and vice versa.

We sat down with Will Rutemeyer, co-founder and brewer to find out more about Balter and how his passion for brewing changed his career path.

Moving here from Chattanooga in 2004, there were three breweries in town. When Balter opened in 2016, there were 12. Today, there are around 25 breweries, and Will is proud to be a part of the Knoxville brewing community.

With a background in bio-systems engineering and homebrewing, Will always enjoyed tinkering and the science of brewing. So when an opportunity arose for him to leave his desk job, which he was not a fan of, and become a full-time brewer, he jumped at the chance. Partnering with Blaine Wedekind, who at that same time was looking into getting into the business, as well, it became the perfect match.

There has been no looking back ever since.

“Having beers over a five gallon kettle [when homebrewing] over the garage started the rest.”

A Passion for Brewing

And yes, like so many other people in the brewing industry, Will’s passion began, although unbeknownst to him at the time, from homebrewing experiences. Growing up in Chattanooga, his parents were close friends with the owners of Chattanooga Brewing Co. So it goes to say that he would sneak a sip every once in a while.

“It was always something that was very different to what my 17 year old palate was used to.”

From there, an interest sparked and he began brewing with them and helping out at the brewery for a while.

Maybe there was a dream of opening his own brewery then, but at 18, as so often happens when one is young and unprepared, Will didn’t know what he wanted, so off to college he went.

But it was during that time that he came to realize the hands-on part of brewing was nothing to scoff at. And it’s what intrigues him about brewing still to this day.

“That’s one of the beautiful parts about being a small brewpub, it’s still manual in most ways. You’re still mashing in, graining out, turning valves and that tactile participation is cool.”

Graduating college, he landed a corporate job in a cubicle for five years and quickly learned what he really wanted to do. Let the brewery planning and partnerships begin.

Classic, Well-Balanced Beers

While Will wasn’t planning on focusing on classic and recognizable styles of beer, that is what pairs well with the food they serve, and that is what their customers crave. And within those styles, Will enjoys constantly crafting those beers and getting creative within those parameters.

Balter Beerworks strives to be a brewpub with high quality, well-balanced food and the same goes for the draft list. He doesn’t see himself as trendy, but he does recognize that there are many beer styles out there. And while he probably won’t be brewing a milkshake IPA anytime soon, you can find a kettle sour on tap alongside their flagship Kölsch and IPAs.

At Balter, you’ll find beers that are light and approachable, something hoppy, something malty, and always something good.

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

The Future of Craft Beer

“My crystal ball is broken when it comes to the future.”

We’re pretty certain that everyone’s crystal ball is a bit broken nowadays. But even with that, Will is hopeful that there will continue to be a push for more small breweries. The downtown area of Knoxville has a good beer scene, and he sees that as an incentive for the outlying areas. More breweries will be opening their doors encouraging increased growth and development there. After all every community needs a gathering place, and what’s a brewery, if not a place to gather.

Moving Forward with Support

Being one of the first breweries in the area to brew with Malteurop’s malts, Will appreciates their quality, pricing, and attention. And with Rick Barney as his sales rep, this is no surprise as Rick has been involved with craft beer and spirits for decades.

“I’ve gotten better attention from him [Rick] than I’ve ever had from any rep in any industry.”

Will enjoys how Malteurop’s malts help craft his beers through flavors, colors, and consistency.

“Steamed C40 has an interesting texture and flavor. I have been using that in some of our one-off IPAs and pale ales, and it has a great malty backbone for those beers.”

Getting Personal with Beer

Beer, biking, traveling, and renovating. That is Will outside of the brewery. I’d say that sounds like a well-balanced life to go with his well-balanced beers.

Following those same lines, it should be no surprise that he defines himself as a pale ale. Classic and approachable, but still full of flavor.

And like so many others that are immersed in the craft beer industry, when it comes time to drink a beer, not analyze the beer you brewed, Will’s go-to beer is a Miller High Life.

“I think about it [beer and brewing] all day every day. I want to go somewhere where I can drink and not analyze it constantly. Everything’s got its place.”

We feel ya, Will!

Thank You!

We’ve said this time and time again, beer is about more than the beer. And it appears that Will just might agree.

“One of the coolest parts about what we do is the people that we get to work with and the regulars you get to know.”

And with breweries being looked upon more and more as the neighborhood bar, there’s a lot of room for growth. A lot of room to get to know the people that make the beers that cause us to gather together.

Ken said it beautifully, “We’re pushing on 10,000 breweries in the country, but there are more than 10,000 communities. There’s a lot more room for growth and community.”