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EXPERIENCED WRITER
Compelling stories, clean copy, and deadline conscious are a few expressions clients have used to describe Bryan and his writing.
He specializes in writing about beer, food, family travel, and Southeastern United States travel. Within those subjects, he’s written magazine features, front of book columns, Q&A interview pieces, blog posts, destination guides, annual visitors’ guides, as well as hotel and restaurant reviews. His clients include magazines, corporate blogs, travel guides, and destination marketing organizations (DMOs).
SELECTED PORTFOLIO
BEER
Beer Destinations: Huntsville, Alabama
BEER ADVOCATE
To outsiders, Huntsville might seem like the least likely city to support a vibrant beer scene. Not only was Alabama the last state to legalize homebrewing in 2013, breweries and brewpubs couldn’t sell beer to go until June 2016. Yet, the city’s long history with beer eventually prevailed, and today local taps pour a variety of Huntsville brews.
Brewed Awakenings
AAA GO MAGAZINE
With the brewery count in the United States eclipsing 6,000 and no glimpse of a slowdown, it’s a wonder how any brewery can differentiate itself from those located across the street or across town. However, advances in the brewing process, a quest to revitalize forgotten beer styles, and the general community feel of a brewery have demonstrated that no two beers or brewery experiences are the same.
Behind the Beer: How Six Charlotte Brews Came To Be
CHARLOTTE HAPPENINGS
“Customers would come into the homebrew store and go directly to the bearded guys with their questions and not the little blonde girl,” says Legion Brewing Company’s head brewer Alexa Long of her early days as a female in a male dominated industry. Back then, Long managed Alternative Beverage in South End, but little did those men know that the “little blonde girl” would soon brew one of Charlotte’s best-selling IPAs: Juicy Jay. “I would hand out samples of my home brew to brewery owners who would come into the shop, hoping to one day work as a brewer.”
10 Creative Interpretations of the Classic German Oktoberfest Lager
MEN’S JOURNAL
In beer halls and gardens throughout Bavaria, revelers raise frothy liters of amber colored lager each autumn to celebrate Oktoberfest. Brewed with the same precision as a finely tuned German automobile, märzens — as the beer style is called — tend to be malt forward with a clean finish from noble hops indigenous to Deutschland.
15 Unique U.S. Ale Trails
BEER CONNOISSEUR
Five years ago, an ale trail was a novelty. You might visit some breweries, collect stamps in a brewery-, tourism board- or Brewers Guild-sanctioned Passport, and come home with a t-shirt or some other trinket showing that you completed said trail. Today, it seems like every city, state, or region boasting more than one brewery has an ale trail. With so many options as everyone vies for your beercation dollars, it’s hard to discern which are worthy of your PTO hours and which aren’t.
Why Can’t I Buy that Special Release Beer Year-Round?
CRAFTBEER.COM
Special craft beer releases are among a beer lover’s most anticipated days. Craft beer drinkers can’t wait for the party that accompanies a bottle release like Cigar City Brewing’s annual Hunahpu Day. Others look forward to the mystique surrounding the extreme rarity of the beer like that of Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Younger. Some enthusiasts are in it for the bottle trading; they want to see exactly what that extra bottle of Jester King Brewery’s Atrial Rubicite will land them.
6 Beach Vacations that Craft Beer Drinkers Need to Try
TRIVAGO MAGAZINE
Juicy IPAs in college towns, barnyard funk sour ales in Rust Belt cities, and boozy barrel-aged stouts in the Bible Belt. No matter where you travel in U.S., the country is awash with the craft beer movement. Why then does it seem like whenever I go to the beach, I’m relegated to Bud Light, “crafty” breweries owned by big beer, and chain brewpubs?
Beers, Bryan & Buzz City: New(-ish) Beginnings
EPICUREAN CHARLOTTE
In honor of springtime melting away the thaw of a rather long winter and the introduction of this new craft beer column to Epicurean Charlotte, I thought it would be fun to focus on new(-ish) beginnings in Charlotte’s craft beer scene.
Why Did Charlotte-based Breweries Form a New Trade Alliance?
CHARLOTTE FIVE
Last April, I wrote about why so many breweries and brewers were moving to the Queen City to practice their craft. Morganton’s Catawba Brewing opened in the Belmont neighborhood, Pittsburgh’s Fat Head Brewery was eyeing a spot in South End, and Artisanal Brewing Ventures (the Southern Tier and Victory Brewing joint venture) was looking for property somewhere in town.
FOOD
Mountainous Meals
ALLEGIANT AIR’S SUNSEEKER MAGAZINE
In Asheville, farm-to-fork – or, mountain-to-fork as they say in the Highlands – isn’t a term tossed around lightly. It’s a way of life that food purveyors, chefs and tour operators want you to not only experience while visiting their mountain town, but also take home to your family’s dinner table.
6 Top Chefs at Hotel Restaurants Answer, “What is Southern Food?”
TRIVAGO MAGAZINE
What is Southern cuisine? Is it BBQ? Southern Fried? If so, how does Cajun, Creole, and low country fare fit in? And what about the Appalachian Mountains? Don’t they have their own style of cooking altogether? The true answer is, it’s complicated. Southern cuisine is as diverse as the people and topography that make up the South.
Back to School: A Week-by-Week Guide to Eating Like a Kid Again
CHARLOTTE HAPPENINGS
Adulting is difficult. Mortgage payments. Yardwork. Ever-looming retirement. Rearing children. Between taxiing kids to soccer practice, fighting over bedtime and making sure your teenager remembers to wear deodorant, there’s hardly a moment to breathe, let alone enjoy yourself. And when you finally do sit down to a relaxing dinner, it’s something heart healthy and doctor recommended.
My Charlotte with Trey Wilson of Customshop
CHARLOTTE HAPPENINGS
In 2007, Charlotte native Trey Wilson opened Customshop in what was then the fledgling neighborhood of Elizabeth. His story is one of community, survival and simple food. Ten years later, the chef and owner is ready to wow us with his new culinary dare, Flourshop.
Sweeten Up Your Valentine’s Day with Amelie’s French Bakery & Cafe on Park Road
EPICUREAN CHARLOTTE
Whether you’re honoring a long-time relationship, a new fling, or your child’s classmates, the pressure of finding a creative and unique way to celebrate Cupid’s favorite day often results in one crafted more from stress than love. Sadly, that’s why many of us write Valentine’s Day off as a pointless Hallmark holiday. Who needs another red teddy bear or heart-shaped locket anyway?
How to Pair Beer with Desserts That Aren’t Chocolate
CRAFTBEER.COM
The candles are lit. Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash” album is lightly playing in the background. The stout and chocolate-covered strawberry pairing is ready to go. Yes, beer-influenced love is in the air. Wait? What’s that? Your date doesn’t dig chocolate? No problem.
SOUTHEAST TRAVEL
From Beaches to Mountains: Weekend Getaways from Charlotte
TRIVAGO MAGAZINE
Even with all the attractions that Charlotte has to offer, Charlotteans have wandering souls – and bankers’ holidays – and enjoy hitting the road for weekend escapes from Charlotte to explore the rest of the great state of North Carolina.
The Ultimate Outdoor Fun Guide: From Beginner to Big League
CHARLOTTE HAPPENINGS
Charlotte comes alive in the springtime. Locals flock to favorite outdoor spots like Freedom Park, where they can enjoy a picnic with the backdrop of bikers pedaling along the trails, or the U.S. National Whitewater Center, where they can sip a beer while adventurers carve up the rapids.
Famous Food
ALLEGIANT AIR’S SUNSEEKER MAGAZINE
Fifteen years ago, Orlando was considered a gastronomical desert. Themed restaurants serving chicken fingers and Cesar salads with iceberg lettuce were the name of the game. Thankfully, a few celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Norman Van Aken and Melissa Kelly took a chance. Their forward-thinking restaurants have ushered in a new crop of celebrity chefs – Masaharu Morimoto, Rick Bayless and Guy Fieri, to name a few – all looking to test their chops on Mickey Mouse town.
Tee Time: The Best Ways to Experience Golf in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE HAPPENINGS
From the smell of morning dew and fresh-cut grass to the clink of the ball sent clipping through the air, nothing brings a smile to a golfer’s face like a day spent hitting the links beneath sunny skies. And with Charlotte’s pleasant, mild weather, golfing is a sport both locals and visitors are fortunate enough to enjoy year-round.
Charlotte’s Best Beer Gardens
EPICUREAN CHARLOTTE
My wife and I landed in Munich after a flight that was more eventful than it should have been. All we wanted to do was check in to our hotel for a shower and a nap. However, as is the case with most transatlantic flights, our room wasn’t ready. More than a little defeated, we did as most tourists in Munich do: we found the nearest beer garden for a liter of fresh keller lager and a juicy bratwurst to right our wrongs.
10 Charlotte Hotels Near Carowinds: Match Your Favorite Ride with Where You Stay
TRIVAGO MAGAZINE
I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my adult life.
Of course, my fear was completely irrational. There hadn’t been any headlines of riders falling out of Carowind’s Fury 325 roller coaster and tumbling to their death. Still, I was afraid. It had been two decades since I’d last been to an amusement park. During that time, roller coasters had grown remarkably taller and faster than I remembered, like Fury 325’s record-setting heights of 325 feet and speeds of 95 mph.
GENERAL TRAVEL
Embracing Buffalo
EPICUREAN CHARLOTTE
Anyone who has ever been to Tavern on the Tracks on an NFL Sunday knows that Buffalo Nation is alive and well in Charlotte. Nary can a turquoise and black jersey be found among the Buffalo expats that have made the Queen City their new home. They’re a proud bunch that often wax ecstatic not only about their prized football team but also about coming of age with bars that stay open until 4:00 a.m. and a cuisine that is uniquely its own.
One Happy Traveler: Exploring the Many Sides of Aruba
TRIVAGO MAGAZINE
I stood at the top of Aruba’s Boca Prims Beach in awe of Mother Nature as waves pummeled rocks protruding from the sand. The scene was a stark contrast to the day before on Baby Beach, where I spent the afternoon soaking up rays – beer in hand – while the water lapped gently at my feet.
4 Pro Business Travel Packing Tips
TRIPIT
Before I became a full-time travel writer and blogger, I spent close to ten years as a corporate road warrior—often staying in two to three hotels a week as I hopped from city-to-city to meet clients. Friends would commiserate on how difficult living out of a suitcase must be. I never felt that way.
FAMILY TRAVEL
Wilmington: Not Just a Beach Vacation
CHARLOTTE PARENT
Planning a family vacation isn’t easy. There are so many interests to consider — your teenage daughter, your 8-year old son, your husband and, yes, you. Consider Wilmington for your next family excursion. Not only does it offer quick access to Wrightsville Beach (only a 15-minute drive away), Wilmington also boasts plenty of other activities that appeal to multiple members of the family.
8 Tips for Planning A Babymoon
TRIPIT
Your two is about to become a three. With the big news comes a lot of planning as you shift into hyper-mode. Those carefree weekends are now dedicated to assembling contraptions for the nursery, making countless trips to Babies “R” Us for everything you forgot and attending a semester worth of parenting classes.
10 Exciting Things to do in Alabama’s Gulf Shores with Kids
TRAVEL MAMAS
Okay, ladies. I have some brutal honesty that I need to share. We males need a little more excitement on family vacations. High tea at a swanky hotel? Not our thing. Character parades? They’re cute for a few minutes, but then it’s…meh. And don’t even get me started on shopping. We men desire something more.
PARENTING
How to Raise a Non-Picky Eater
CHARLOTTE PARENT
When I think back to my favorite food memories, none surround convenience meals like Hamburger Helper or SpaghettiOs that my mother whipped together. The memories that stick out most are remembering when I was in the thick of the meal preparation with my grandparents.
Best First Aid Kits for Babies 2018
BABYLIST
Infant first aid kits can be one of those things you don’t realize you need until it’s too late.
The items in the household first aid kit will suffice, right? Not really. Does your family first aid kit include a nasal aspirator, medicine dropper or rectal thermometer? Chances are it doesn’t. When you have a baby in the house, the first aid kit is a different ball game.
Child Chefs: Tips for Getting Your Kids Cooking in the Kitchen
CHARLOTTE PARENT
As our son transitioned from a peaceful, napping baby into a gets-into-everything, mobile toddler, our family dinners transitioned from the highlight of our day to its most dreaded hour. We eventually threw our hands in the air and resorted to the one thing we vowed never to do as young parents – use television to babysit while we cooked.
MEN’S INTERESTS
Milwaukee Guys Weekend – A Destination for Manly Men
TRAVEL MAMAS
Guy getaways tend to follow the same broken record of trips – a bachelor party in Vegas, a golf trip somewhere, or a weekend of debauchery in Mexico. Put on repeat. Over and over again. Men, I’m here to tell you that there are better options than unsuccessfully trying to relive your youth in an oomph-oomph club or spending a frustrating weekend making up excuses about why your golf game is so bad. How about a Milwaukee guys weekend instead?
Shop Small – Ole Mason Jar
CHARLOTTE HAPPENINGS
Appalachian State University roommates Filipe Ho and Bradley Rhyne founded Ole Mason Jar in 2013 with three things in mind: to give back, to craft high quality menswear made in the USA, and to tell a great story.
Booze, BBQ, and Golf: Vacation Ideas for Dads Who Need a Timeout
TRIVAGO MAGAZINE
The truth is, men suck at planning. That’s why when our wives are out enjoying girlfriend getaways sipping wine in Napa or hitting up the shops of 5th Avenue in New York City, we stay at home serving up a chocolate cake for breakfast to the kiddos out of spite.
DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS
Forward Thinking Fare
CHARLOTTE VISITOR’S GUIDE
Ask Charlotteans about their favorite local dishes, and they’ll most likely respond with a lengthy list of options ranging from an authentic fried chicken from Price’s Chicken Coop to a steaming bowl of ramen from Futo Buta. This culinary scene mixes the new with the old, southern fried with more than a dash of international spice and local talent with a melting pot of transplants. Stirred together, you have a culinary scene that’s exciting, authentic and most definitely delicious.
The Coast Goes Beyond the Beach
WILMINGTON AND THE BEACHES
My wife and I are world travelers—safari in Africa, wine tasting in Tuscany, temple exploration in Thailand—but then, our duo became a trio. The thought of trading our adventures gallivanting around the globe for a stateside coastal vacation sounded unnaturally tame. We weren’t “beach people.” But a few years ago, we learned about Wilmington, North Carolina and the three nearby beaches. You know what? We didn’t just like it; we loved it so much we became repeat offenders—er, beachgoers. Alongside the miles and miles of beaches on which to play, we discovered plenty of culture, adventure and educational activities to invigorate our wandering souls.
AUTHENTIC AND INDEPENDENT: A TASTE OF HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA
ALL ABOUT BEER MAGAZINE
As I stood atop Peters Mountain along the Appalachian Trail taking in views of the Susquehanna River, I felt more alive than I had in a long time. I may say that I work for my beer and have grand visions of weekends spent exploring the great outdoors with a stop at a local brewery after to hoist pints and compare stories of adventure. But, if I’m being honest, most weekends are spent tossing bags with one hand and downing a well-loved IPA or three from my neighborhood brewery with the other.
Bryan’s full portfolio is available on Contently.
TESTIMONIALS
I could always rely on Bryan to write clean and compelling copy that would resonate with our audience. His pitches were thoughtful and relevant to the publication, and he was quick to respond to questions. A pleasure to edit.