USA, AL: Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. to become Decatur’s first brewery

Trey Atwood's love for home brewing began by chance a few years ago when his brother-in-law suggested they do something different during the boys' poker night.

The guys pitched in some money to buy a home brewing kit and organized a family barbecue. Atwood, busy playing host, didn't participate much in the first batch, which he said was "abysmal."

They got together again a couple of weeks later but this time, Atwood was involved in making the beer. The process – a mixture of science and art – enthralled the cybersecurity analyst at Redstone Arsenal, AL.com reported on May 25.

"The beer was drinkable, which is the best I can say for it," he said. "But we drank it and it didn't make us sick."

What started as a simple hobby quickly became a passion for Atwood, a military brat who had spent some time in Europe and had an appreciation for good beer.

Then, in March 2015, the unthinkable happened. Atwood, an Athens resident, was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to have surgery to remove part of his colon. Chemotherapy followed.

"When I was sitting in the chair for the first chemo session, I turned to my wife and I said, 'You know, I want to start a brewery because life's too short,'" he said. "It was at that moment we really started pursuing it in earnest."

With a chemo pump attached to his body, Atwood took a driving tour of Decatur a month later with wife, Erin, and the city's Director of Economic and Community Development Wally Terry. The couple was drawn to a former auto parts store at Moulton Street and First Avenue in downtown, but Terry told them it didn't have the correct zoning to be a brewery.

Two years later, they're about to start construction on the property, which will be home to Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. later this year or in early 2018.

"Decatur is thirsty," he said. "They are absolutely ready, everybody from City Hall to local businesses to people we see walking by on the street. Everybody sees the opportunity for growth and something new for the city."

Atwood said they will install plate glass windows out front, remove a partition dividing the space and expose the rafters in the ceiling. The venue will also feature a freight elevator for easy storage and a new staircase leading upstairs.

Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. will be home to a taproom, 20- to 25-foot bar, beer garden and stage, and a game area with foosball and darts. They will also paint the outside of the building, which Atwood said was a grocery store in the 1920s.

Rick Paler, executive director of the Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority, said the facility has been empty for several years and in need of renovations.

"All of this is another attraction, another thing that's a little bit different that adds more to what we call the critical mass in downtown," he said.

Atwood said the name Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing pays homage to European pub culture and his wife and 7-year-old daughter's love of owls. The couple also has a 4-year-old daughter, and hope someday one of their children will want to work in the family business.

Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. will have three flagship beers (a cream ale, black ale and an India pale lager) and a few year-round brews, including a brown lager, red ale, Mexican lager and an India pale ale. Seasonal and collaboration beers will also be available.

Atwood is talking with a few beer distributors but has not selected one yet. He is open to distributing outside the immediate area, but said "we'll take it as it comes."

"If we can make a sustainable local brewery, that's really the immediate goal," he said.

Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. isn't the only beer game in Decatur. John Wheat, who owns Simp McGhee's with his wife Christy, is interested in launching a brewpub in downtown. Paler said the project still has "a lot of potential" as Wheat searches for the right site.

Atwood feels confident Cross-Eyed Owl Brewing Co. will do well with other bars and restaurants near his brewery.

"It will be very complimentary," he said. "Having multiple places where you've got live music and things going on is just going to bring more people downtown."

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