CRYINGEAGLE:SPREADINGITSGLORIOUS WINGSINLAKECHARLES By Calvin Tyler
There aren't many times in this life that one has the chance to meet a person with true vision, attention to detail, and the ambition to see an idea all the way through from conception to reality. I, without knowing so, stumbled across such an encounter. It changed the way I will view the potential of our area for the rest of my life. Growing up is Sulphur, LA was less than interesting for me. Not knocking the place, just a personal observation. If were the kind of person who was into hunting, sports, working on your automobile, or partying, then you might have gotten more out of this small town. I lived inside of my favorite movies and got by as a child enjoying the stories of those much older than myself. This was the earliest indicator I can point to when looking back on my road to now. Finding the interesting that lies in an interesting person, and never being able to let that go until I was somehow able to pass it along elsewhere. Having never run across anyone in my hometown with ambitions beyond working in the plants/ refineries or making it big with their band, the types with aspirations to seek and create new and fascinating opportunities caught my eye. In my tenure as a storyteller, I have run across those who have championed when it comes to building the hot dog, driving tacos around, resurrecting historic homes, devoted themselves to serving the health of others, and even a madwoman English guru. But what brought me to string together this particular group of words was Eric Avery. A Sulphur boy himself and proprietor of Avery Archives, I was asked to meet with him in regards to what was to become his latest venture. Crying Eagle Brewery. I arrive to the offices of Avery Archives and walk in blind to what I was about to experience. The receptionist (sorry for not remembering your name; you were nice) asked me to hang out for Mr. Avery would be with me in just a moment. I wander around the hall impressed with the decor while simultaneously curious about what this company actually does. Been known to not do his research, this guy right here has been told. Avery comes out from around a corner saying, "Calvin? Would you like a water?" I, not being one to impose on others say, "Absolutely. The farther away and inconvenient the better." Avery smiled, came back with possibly the coldest water ever, and invited me into his private office to discuss business. Eric Avery has a certain style to his demeanor that is unforgettable. Carries himself with a confidence one could only
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have when they've put in the time to know every possible outcome. Calm; Articulate; Honest. A person like this doesn't come around that often. Avery takes his time interviewing me. We go over where I'm from- not far from where his grandmother lived- and my vision for the future of Exposure Magazine. In that ten minutes, we learned who one another was. A couple of Sulphur kids trying to do something unexpected and fun in a big way. His unexpected and fun thing was way more complex than mine, but it's not a race. Where most craft breweries start really small and slowly grow to the largest possible point, Crying Eagle has been set to go big on day one. This Avery character thought of everything. My mind slipped into temporary insanity as he went through the details. It was way too much information for my feeble mind to contain on an impromptu meet-and-greet. We sample the beers, making sure to keep our smiles and giggling to a minimum because, you know...we're professionals. After the tasting, we make our way to the property next door to view the construction of the brewery. I immediately see his vision! This place is going to be successful. It's going to go national. It's going to blow all of us away. Not too shabby for a local boy from the other side of the bridge.
Paul Boudreaux on Facebook asks, "Where specifically will they [ Crying Eagle Beer] be available first and any idea when? That's what everyone wants to know. Lol" Crying Eagle Brewing responded with, "We're brewing beer as we speak! With fermentation, we are still a few weeks out. The very first tastes will be available in our tap room on a limited basis so stay tuned for updates! Once we are out in the market, we plan to be everywhere in the LC area before expanding East."
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