In 1984, my father David Shutter dreamed of opening a brewery. My mother Carol and him began writing business plans and recipes for what they would have named D.H. Shutter and Sons Brewery or Shutter's Brewery. He was always ahead of the curve, sometimes very far. He couldn't secure the funding and so when he moved the family to Arkansas in 1989, Dad opened Melrose Pizza in Searcy. My sister, brother, and I all had roles to play and in 1992 he attempted to expand to Dickson Street in Fayetteville and open Melrose Brewpub. The deal fell through, but he hung around some to pitch in and observe in the building of the former Ozark Brewing.

When Dad passed in 2014, my sister Lauren, brother Chris, and I found those old plans and recipes. A few months later I found Ozark Beer Company and was hired to manage the taproom and marketing. In dad's plans, he zeroed in on an education-forward approach. He wanted his brewery to be rooted in tradition and community and held a strong belief in respecting the intelligence of the consumer and that storytelling is a human superpower.

Andy and Lacie have given me a platform to practice all that and to be a small part of building something real… Ozark Beer Co. So a few months ago, I finally asked if we could brew one of Dad's recipes.

Brant & Andy leaned in, collaborating at every step with my family and my father's dream. My brother and sister drove down, and an unforgettably beautiful day unfolded as we brought his Honey Amber back to life.

Today, Dave - Amber Ale Brewed with Honey, is finally pouring. It is inviting in its deep red hues, crisp and subtle with a caramel, malty finish. It's exactly how I remember it.

The Shutter Family thanks all of Ozark, Andy & Lacie, and especially Brant for pouring so much of themselves into this beer, allowing us to bring a part of our father back to life and share that with others. And thank you for reading all of this.

My brother, sister, and mother have helped me all along the way during this project. This video is a story about Dave’s life and about his dreams of opening a brewery. I had a wealth of family videos and pictures to pull from, some dating back to 1943.

Dad was curious, brilliant, goofy, protective and kind. He’s with me all the time, I hear his voice in almost everything I do… it’s as if I just know what he’d say about things.

As Lauren says, "Be a Dave!"

Cheers!

Marty