Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market's Mission is Charity

Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market opens later this month with a mission.

"Our tag line is 'Drink good beer, do good work,'" said David Sheets, owner of what might be the first store to sell growlers in Alpharetta, though that is just part of what will be sold. Bottled craft beers, home brewing and "man cave" supplies also will be on tap (pun most certainly intended).

"One hundred percent of our net proceeds, after payroll and taxes, will be going to missionaries and charities," he said.

"If what you do benefits others, then when you come in here we will reward that. That's really the true purpose of opening Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market," Sheets said.

The store will open in the Kell Building in downtown Alpharetta as early as June 16, if everything goes well.  On June 23, Blind Murphy will be one of the sponsors of a 5K, as will Red Hare Brewing Company. From 1-3 p.m. on that day, Red Hare's brewmaster will be in the store answering questions and talking about their beer. He'll be brining a very limited release, Rabbits Reserve #3, Saison.

(Summer Break 2012 – Block Party & 5K Road Race starts at 7 p.m. on June 23, with the race at 9 p.m. and awards at 10 p.m. WHRR, LLC–Worlds Hoppiest Road Race–is putting on the race, with 52 Bistro and United BMW as the chief sponsors. Look for a full story on the event in Patch soon.)

"We will be among the first, if not the first store in Atlanta to have this beer available. They will also be bringing their other three beers and we will be offering special discounts on their beers and merchandise," Sheets said.

He reminds customers the store offer samples. Alpharetta's alcohol ordinance allows up to three one-ounce samples for tasting each day.

He's opening the business not because his Georgia Hot Tubs is doing badly. He has more than 1,500 customers. But with Blind Murphy he hopes to help more people, "and I think we can do that with beer."

He's investigating charities, and thinks North Fulton Community Charities will be the first to benefit. Local charities will be preferred. If someone is in charge of a local charity and walks in the door, he wants to talk to them.

"And maybe we start off with $5, and maybe we end up with a million bucks to charity. Whatever it is, every penny is going to charity," Sheets said.

Of course, he hopes people understand first he has to pay bills and meet payroll.

"It's a beer market. It's a place for people to come in and enjoy gourmet beers," he said.

They can pick up bottlers or growlers of gourmet beers and get man cave items. Blind Murphy will be selling kegerators, T-shirts, glassware, signage, and other man cave items.

"Every single one of our bottled beers will be available in mix and match six packs out of a couple hundred craft beers," Sheets said.

"My pride and joy, we are going to be a homebrew store as well," he said.

Free demonstrations on Saturdays will show how to make beer. He said Blind Murphy will be an economical choice for the homebrew supplies.

Sheets said a lot of places cater to the experts or at least experienced homebrew enthusiasts. A customer can buy a beginner's kit, but then have to become an expert instantly after that. Blind Murphy will cater to people who have used a beginner's homebrew kit, but are just starting to get into it and would like to brew at least a good batch of beer.

When Sheets first started experimenting with homebrew, he got the beginner's kit and tried it out. The beer was horrible, so the kit was put away into a closet for a year until he got back to the hobby.

People will help when you go into other homebrew supply stores, Sheets said, but it didn't seem to him that the help was offered. It was there for the asking. "We want to be there for the offering," he said.

Before someone buys a beginner's kit for $45, he plans to know what kind of beer they want. He wants to know if they are interested in an IPA, stout, or whatever type of beer they want, so they can try to meet those expectations.

While he plans one corner of the store with items for sale so men can turn a corner of their own homes into a man cave, he's already found his store seems to appeal to women with interior design on their minds. Blind Murphy's interior is being built using pallet wood, from the interior walls to the counters Sheets is building himself.

Blind Murphy Craft Beer Market

53 South Main, Ste 200

Alpharetta, GA 30009

770-807-0186