THE GREEN brush conceals the early morning sun, just above a cluttered workspace surrounded by woodlands, high above ground. Here, amongst the trees, Mike Dent spends time crafting his award-winning batches of beer. His larger brewery is just a short walk away in a spacious pole barn. This area intertwines functionality and creativity, housing shiny stainless steel tanks and fermenters, each carefully maintained. Shelves align with various brewing ingredients. In this space, Dent perfects the art of beer making. He moves with the confidence of an experienced brewmaster. Every aspect of his brewery speaks to the seamless fusion of creativity and precision, providing exceptional spirits for enthusiasts to celebrate and enjoy.
Dent has traveled a unique path from military service to mastering the art of brewing beer. His career took off in the structured world of the United States Air Force, where he served as a navigator. Precision and detail were ingrained into his daily routine, and these skills would later become instrumental in his brewing endeavors.
After serving in the military, Dent pursued a career at General Dynamics, leaning on his technical abilities in the propulsion test area. But exactly how was he able to travel around the globe, minus 30 degrees of longitude, just to end up here in Tullahoma winning awards for his delicious brews? You might say he spoke into existence.
“I was talking about making beer with my wife,” he said. “I even carried around a can of wort — it’s something that you put into water when you’re first making your own beer. I still have those bottles, and I use them sometimes.”
During that time, Dent had a growing interest in brewing beer. Throughout his Air Force travels, he carried around empty beer bottles, anxious to start brewing. However, it wasn’t until around 2010 that he finally brewed his first beer in makeshift buckets.
In 2017, Dent’s hobby evolved even more when he established his small-batch research and development facility. It’s a literal treehouse settled among the oaks and maples of his property. Here, Dent experiments tirelessly, blending science with art to create brews that would soon captivate palates across Middle Tennessee.
After relocating from Winchester to Tullahoma, Dent and his wife purchased a quaint 15-acre property from Dr. Mark Blair. To their surprise, a charming treehouse sat adjacent to the land, giving Dent an idea. Drawing inspiration from YouTube tutorials, Dent spent two years constructing his own special treehouse oasis. This treehouse now serves as the birthplace of Dent’s award-winning beer.
Dent shared that his wife often jokes with him about finally getting to put his chemical engineering degree to good use.
“I guess she’s partially right,” he said. “This really is the first chance I got to do it.”
Dent and his wife named his brewing venture “Zulu Brew Company” in homage to his experience in the Air Force. Zulu time is a standard time zone that navigators use for timekeeping and navigation to keep confusion at bay when coordinating with other countries. Unsurprisingly, this name also represents the precision and dedication he brings to each batch of beer.
Recently, Dent teamed up with Common John Brewing Company to create “Slam Dunkle,” a Munich Dunkel that delighted beer enthusiasts and supported a worthy cause.
“A friend of mine called me during the competition and said, ‘Hey, your beer won your class,’” he explained. “I found out the next day that I actually won the whole thing.”
He generously shared his recipe, and as a result, the team at Common John Brewing Company invited him to brew with them on June 5, 2024. Together, they brewed an impressive 300 gallons of delicious beer. Proceeds from this collaboration benefitted Partners for Healing, an organization his wife currently works with and is deeply passionate about.
This beer is a delightful combination of mild sweetness and multiple flavors, with subtle hints of chocolate and coffee. This brew isn’t overly hoppy. Instead, it boasts a smooth, dry finish that goes down effortlessly. It leaves little to no aftertaste and is incredibly enjoyable, which Dent said makes it perfect for pairing with barbecued meals and other festive dishes. Cheers to a drink that’s as versatile as it is delicious.
Like any artistic pursuit, brewing can be challenging. Navigating the ups and downs of fermentation, regulatory hurdles, and balancing creativity with commercial viability have all impacted Dent’s brewing experience. Naturally, with each challenge came a lesson. Each setback was a new opportunity to refine his craft a little more each time.
The sky is the limit for Dent as he plans to expand his brewing hobby and explore new flavors. His journey is far from over, with exciting brewing endeavors on the horizon. He will continue pushing boundaries and brewing beers that inspire and delight people all over Middle Tennessee. GN