Sitting at a table with dozens of bottles of vodka in what used to be a feed store, James Stegall@@http://hardtimesdistillery.com/@@ carefully applies a label to each of them. The roll of labels for his distillery’s newest offering came in backward, he explains, so instead of using a labeling tool, he’s doing them all by hand.
The newest spirit is the Green Geisha Wasabi Vodka,@@see above link@@ which Stegall said he doesn’t like to describe too much in case the drinker is too heavily influenced by his words. This vodka is fairly representative of Hard Times Distillery itself, which Stegall and his business partner Dudley Clark@@see above link@@ started in 2009. Like the Wasabi Vodka, the distillery is uncommon, and its products stand out from mainstream liquors.@@so@@
“We refuse to be completely swayed by fads,” Stegall said, “We’re more interested in making things that are interesting and unique than reacting to whatever trends are happening, like whipped cream vodka.”
He and Clark first met at the University while working at KWVA on a radio show called “Art Hustle,” @@http://www.search.com/reference/KWVA@@which they eventually moved to Oregon Public Broadcasting. However, when OPB was sold, the two needed something else to work on.
Stegall describes their distillation and fermentation process as “four years of trial and error.” He credits the Internet and a book called “The Complete Distiller” @@http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Distiller-Containing-Distillation/dp/1143667905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331262319&sr=8-1@@with teaching them about these processes. Their equipment is homemade, and Clark said that “from the beginning, (our) concept was coiled around the armature of DIY.”
But their first task as a new company began with finding a home for their business, which they eventually found in Monroe about 35 minutes away from where Stegall lives in Eugene. Making the distillery has not only been a collaboration between him and Clark but with others, too.
“The town of Monroe has been the most amazing place in this respect,” Stegall said. “So many people have helped us. Jerry Harpster,@@http://dexknows.whitepages.com/name/Jerry-M-Harpster/Monroe-OR/377dge0@@ who has helped build several of our stills, walked through our door one day — just curious about what we were up to. He’s been an immense help, and I’m not sure how we would have done this without him.”
In addition to Green Geisha, Hard Times also makes Sugar Momma —@@see above link@@ which starts like a rum — with molasses and sugar. The process involves adding more ingredients, adjusting the pH levels, checking the yeast and more. From start to finish, the process takes about 10 days. Of course, it’s more complicated than it sounds, and Hard Times prides itself not just on its distillation, but its fermentation as well — a step that many distilleries don’t do themselves.
“The process is both the heart of our distillery and the hardest part,” Stegall said. “Sometimes it’s frustrating because there are cheaper ways to do it, and some people don’t appreciate the effort we put into the process. But we’re very proud of what we do and know that it sets us apart from other small distilleries, despite the fact that it often makes the business side more challenging.”
Although fermentation is a step left out at other distilleries, it’s what interests Clark the most.
“I don’t know about James, but I was never interested (in distillation),” he said. “The real interest for me is fermentation. A certain amount of the physical sciences come into play with distillation, but the biological processes involved with fermentation are fascinating.”
Stegall’s favorite part of making a new spirit is “the way it reveals itself to us through the refining process.@@no quote marks here, see below@@
“We have an idea of what we want to make, we make it in small batches and then the necessities of the real world set in — cost, time, etc. — and we work on it some more,” he explained. “The finished product might be something very different than we originally envisioned, but we know every step of the process inside and out — and more importantly every step has a reason that Dudley and I have probably debated again and again until we know it’s necessary and right.”
Although they’ve been hard at work since 2008, Stegall has noticed more interest in the distillery recently, partly thanks to the opening of their tasting room last month, which is now open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
“We’ve felt like we were on the cusp of huge growth for a year now, and I think this summer will be the change for us,” he said. “More and more people are stopping by, having heard about the distillery in Monroe. More people in Eugene and Springfield are realizing they have a local craft distillery and coming out to see us.”
The future has even more in store for Hard Times. Stegall said eventually they will grow their own botanicals and possibly put a hydroelectric generator in the waterfall behind their distillery. A concert at the distillery is in the works for Memorial Day, and currently Hard Times is working with the Emerald City Roller Girls,@@http://www.emeraldcityrollergirls.net/@@ Habitat for Humanity and Chef’s Night Out.@@http://parsippany.patch.com/articles/international-chef-s-night-out-dining-for-a-cause2@@ They’re also working on a new whiskey and gin.
As potential customers come into the distillery and taste the spirits, he patiently waits for their reaction.
“We make what we want but also listen to people,” Stegall said. “We’ve definitely learned to listen to people over the years we’ve been doing this, so that we find a middle ground between what we think is unique and cool and will sell.”