Local Color

Located on Ocean Drive, Barrier Island Brewing has gained plenty of attention since opening its doors last October.

While it’s new to St. Simons stellar food and beverage line-up, it’s definitely not owner Blake Merrill’s first rodeo. He also operates Half Shell in the Pier Village and his family has owned the adjacent Crab Trap for years. After being in the game for years, Merrill noticed that something was lacking — craft beer.

Luckily, a friend of his Rylie Duncan was becoming quite the brewing enthusiast and, after returning to her St. Simons roots, they teamed up to provide the area with some stellar suds.

“I love beer. I’m a big brewery person. I travel a lot and always go from brewery to brewery,” Duncan says with a grin.

“I went to the University of Georgia and Terrapin was huge. Now, they have like five breweries, but in my day there was only one. It’s just the whole vibe of the brewery, it’s outside, I could bring my dog, there was live music. I just love it.”

Duncan actually worked in an Alaska brewery for two years before moving back to her hometown in order to help Merrill get Barrier Island Brewery going.

“We’d always thought it would be something great for the island … but it was just a dream for so long,” she says.

Of course, realizing that dream took a lot of work. Not only was nailing down the food portion of the restaurant challenging, Duncan had to perfect her brewing abilities, which is no easy feat.

“I’m not a ‘brew master’ that’s a distinction, but I have been doing it for a while. There is a lot of science that goes into it. I had my beakers out this morning, measuring things out,” she says, standing in front of the enormous steel kegs. “It’s a lot more complicated than people think. It’s so weird, I’m not a science gal by any means … I’m a social worker by trade, but I have learned a lot.”

For the most part, they’ve decided to offer flavors that embrace the Coastal vibe — light, clean, cool, and crisp. They prove drinkable for a variety of palettes — and it’s what summer in the South demands.

“The boat and beach beers … the kinds of things you want to drink outside when it’s 105 degrees out,” she says with a laugh. One of their most popular brews, the Ocean Boulevard Blueberry Wheat, is a perfect example. It combines the freshness of the fruit with the hearty malt, which proves to be a winning blend.

“People love, love, love it. We started that last June and people went crazy for it,” Duncan says. “We actually didn’t have plans to do it year-round but people wanted it, so we decided to add it. It’s an island, you can get away with doing it year-round.”

Another prime summer beverage is the brewery’s Golden Ray, named for the cargo ship that capsized in the St. Simons Sound at the end of 2019.

“It’s our most popular beer for sure. It’s a citrus, hazy New England style. It is done with citra-hops that gives it a flavor profile that includes grapefruit, pineapple, and mango,” she says.

Other brews that can often be found on tap include their Altamaha Amber Larger, Whiting Wheat, Traveler’s Belgian Tripel, and the Lagerhead Turtle Lager. Of course, as a true micro-brewery these are subject to change.

“We always have an amber or brown ale. We’ve experimented with both. We’ve been trying to figure out which people wanted more and I think we’ve decided on the amber,” she says.

All of these are available for on-site sipping or grabbing a growler to go. In addition to the brews, the restaurant also offers a number of hand-crafted cocktails, as well as wines.

Of course, as a bonafide “beer girl” Duncan is excited to keep brewing up unique blends for customers.

“I’m so excited to try funky flavors and sours. There are just so many things you can do,” she says.

Teresa Jones has always been drawn to creating, so naturally, the arts have held a particular interest for her. But when she received her first camera, a new world emerged.

“My father gifted me a Canon AE1 35mm camera when I was 16 years old. I’d always been into some form of art, but this was my stepping stone into the world of photography,” Jones says.

“Here it is 25 years later, and it’s honestly my biggest passion. I love so many different things about photography … you’re freezing a moment in time, capturing a memory. I’ve told many people over the years that I capture everything I can so that I never forget anything.”

As she’s collected those memories, she’s also continued to hone her craft, expanding into a variety of areas. There’s something about nature that proves to be a particular draw.

Like many photographers, Jones, who operates Gypsy Wild Photography, often takes early morning strolls along the Isles’ beaches, waiting for that first glimpse of dawn.

But, in an unconventional twist, she also shoots beachscapes at night. A friend who also enjoys the art form walked her through the basics, and the results are simply stunning. The darkness provides a rare opportunity to see the cosmos in all of its glory — from full moons to the expanse of the Milky Way galaxy.

True to form, Jones wanted to capture that beauty — but that can be a tricky task.

“I am absolutely fascinated by the sky, especially the night sky. What I like the most about them is the ability to capture a scene that’s hard to see with the naked eye. It’s as if I’ve captured a whole other world,” she says.

The technique also connects on a deeply personal level. Summer stars and moonlight bring back memories of her childhood.

“The biggest thing for me that makes them so special is the memories I have about my paternal grandfather. He’s the inspiration in my night photography. At around the age of 10, he woke me from my sleep in the very early hours of a summer morning,” Jones says.

“He loaded me into his truck and drove us to a field way behind their house away from the city lights. All of this, to show me an incredible meteor shower. The love I have for the sky and the night only multiplied tenfold.”

Jillisa Hope Milner shares that love. The owner of Wings Open Photography started capturing the sky after participating in a program that outlined the method.

“I took a night sky photography workshop in 2016 with the photographer Mark Buckler and I immediately fell in love with the magic of it. For me, gazing at and photographing the stars always helps remind me that we are just a little part of a big, wide universe,” she says.

“Problems and worries always seem much less significant when I gaze at the vastness of space. I also love that the camera can capture even more than the human eye can see — it allows us to see more deeply into the universe around us.                                                                                            

Milner says that shooting with a shutter speed of 18 to 25 seconds allows the camera to capture all the light the stars emit.

“That’s why it looks even more dramatic. Our eyes see light moment to moment. The camera can capture light across many seconds, or minutes even,” she says.

But there are multiple factors that make these shoots difficult. First off, one must be very comfortable with his or her camera — and it must be a pretty high-tech instrument. Among other techniques, photographers shoot with specific lenses and in manual-focus mode. Milner adds that one also has to be aware of the celestial movements.

“You can’t just pop out on any night with any camera and get a great Milky Way shot. It has to be the right time of year — about April through September for our area — and you have to know the weather, what phase the moon is in, when the moon will rise and set, and when and where you can see the galactic center of the Milky Way — that’s the thick, beautiful band of stars most people are eager to photograph,” she says.

“The galactic center rises and sets just like the sun and the moon, so it takes some planning and some luck to get all the conditions to align. It often means being out with your camera between 1 and 4 a.m. I use an app called the Photographers’ Ephemeris to track the best times based on any given location.”

When one gets that perfect shot — all of the planning, effort, and sand gnat bites are worth it. Milner points to the image of a shooting star taken on Cumberland Island as evidence.

“One of my favorite photos is from Cumberland Island, taken while I was camping there during a Perseid meteor shower,” she says.

“I was on the beach doing time-lapse photography, which involves taking hundreds of photos over the span of hours. I was so lucky to have one of those hundreds be at the perfect moment to capture this shooting star.”

From capturing shimmering celestial bodies over the ocean to tropical maritime forests and sweeping marsh vistas, the land of the Golden Isles offers an unending source of artistic inspiration.

“We are so fortunate to live in a place where it’s possible to photograph the night sky. People who live in big cities can’t get Milky Way shots like this due to light pollution,” Milner says.

“These photos show us a little more about the nature of our area — literally, where we are in the universe. And through these photos, we get to explore the beauty of our coast during the hours when most of us are asleep.”

Water, it is all around us. We are fascinated by it, yet we take it for granted. Scientists know many of its secrets, but there is a mystery that lies in the deep.

I grew up next to the Mississippi River. When my world seemed to be going wrong — problems seemed to be piling up with no solution in sight — I would go down to the river’s edge and watch it flow by me. There were times when there was too much water, and the currents in the river would swallow everything carrying things bobbing downriver. That river taught me to respect water. Settling along the ocean, I wondered about the power of that vast ocean and what lurks beneath its surface. A lifetime later, the ocean still holds secrets.

Last year, when I went out to the South end of Jekyll. I had never seen so many dead Cannonball Jellyfish in my life.

Doing research, I discovered that Jekyll and St. Simons were not the only barrier islands that were hit by piles of jellies. There was an article in the Myrtle Beach newspaper about this same invasion of the Cannonball Jellyfish. This die-off was happening from South Carolina to Florida. What are Cannonball Jellyfish and why do they end up dead on the beach?

“Cannonball Jellyfish” is actually an inaccurate name of this beast. People who study these creatures call them “jellies” and proclaim loudly — “they are not fish.” They are called Cannonball jellies because they look like gray translucent balls when they wash up on our beaches. There are always a few dead along the wrack line. I looked into it and learned that they are common along our Southern coast. They use water to move. When the current is too swift, or the water isn’t salty enough because there is a lot of rain, these jellies die and end up on the beach.

Another name for this creature is “jelly balls.” Jelly balls help filter the ocean’s water. They eat zooplankton, small crabs, and fish larvae. In turn, they are food for our sea turtles and fish. It is a favorite food for leatherback turtles. But turtles aren’t the only ones that eat these jellies. It is a prized food in Asia. Jelly balls are said to be good for high blood pressure, arthritis, and bronchitis. Jellies are low in fat and high in collagen, which is what our skin needs to appear youthful. It tastes like tofu; in other words, they have no flavor.

About 20 years ago, some shrimpers discovered that they could expand their fishing season by catching jelly balls. Today, it is the third-largest fishery on the Georgia coast right behind shrimp and crab.

Golden Island International in Darien, Georgia, process these jellies. The process is like pickling. The workers remove the stem from the round “head,” then it is salted down and dried. As it dries, it loses eighty to ninety percent of its mass. They are cut into strips and shipped off to Japan and China.

So, the next time you go out to the beach and see all those gelatinous masses along the ocean edge, know that water is revealing one more nature connection.

The publication earned the Eddie or editorial award for the Southeast city and regional category for “George’s Bait” from the July/August 2018 edition. The story was written by Larry Hobbs and photographed by Benjamin Galland. GIM also received an Eddie honorable mention for Long Form Feature Content Magazine Section for “Ask A Local” in Sept/Oct 2018.

It was awarded an Ozzie (design) honorable mention for the the Spirit of Christmas published in Nov/Dec 2018 and for Illustration in the “Ask a Local” story in Sept/Oct 2018.

Editor Lindsey Adkison is thrilled by the recognition the magazine continues to receive.

“Naturally, the credit for achievement goes to my predecessor, Bethany Leggett. She has set the bar so incredibly high, and should certainly be commended for her vision,” she says.

“Larry and Ben also did outstanding work in creating an engaging and truly beautiful story. It really is such an honor to be a part of this outstanding team.”

Becky Derrick, marketing director for Golden Isles Magazine says it is a privilege to tell the stories of the area’s treasured coastline.

“Our collaborative team treats that responsibility with great care and it’s apparent in our finished product,” Derrick says. “Every year I wonder how we’re going to top the last one, but our team always comes through. They make sure we are undeniably the area’s premier lifestyle publication, and I’m grateful to them for making my job so easy.”

Golden Isles Magazine has an impressive history with the FOLIO: Awards, securing numerous honors over the years. GIM received its Folio’s Eddie & Ozzie award in 2014. Since that time, the publication has received five awards for editorial and design content. It has also garnered nine honorable mentions.

Competition for Golden Isles Magazine includes publications covering large metropolitan areas, like Baltimore Magazine, and regional heavyweights like Charleston-based Garden and Gun.

For Adkison, the awards are well-deserved and represent the tireless work of a team of writers, editors, photographers, and designers.

“Each issue of Golden Isles Magazine has the fingerprints of so many people throughout its pages,” she said. “There is no way that it would be the publication it is without the creativity and brilliance of individuals working behind the scenes — from marketing to design. It truly is a labor of love.”

Not many cities can claim a native dish that houses as much controversy as it does acclaim — but that’s precisely what Brunswick stew brings to Brunswick.

The stew, which both Brunswick County, Virginia, and the Coastal Georgia city lay claim to, is the center of attention for the 21st annual Brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee.

The Stewbilee is part music festival, part cook-off, part cultural institution, and part good old-fashioned get-together for the citizens of Brunswick and beyond. Different cooking teams come together to present their takes on Brunswick stew for judges and attendees to taste.

The Stewbilee is a joint effort between its committee and the local Kiwanis Club. The committee’s responsibilities include the logistics — road closures, sponsorships, and security, among others — while the Kiwanis Club organizes the actual stew competition, the classic car show, and the kids’ area.

All funds that the committee raises through sponsorships go to the Boys and Girls Club, while all the Kiwanis Club funds go to the organization’s general fund.

Teeple Hill is Stewbilee’s chairman and has been involved in the event since 2007. He said that it takes everyone — the volunteers, musicians, cooks, and judges — to create such a memorable and, at this point, historic event.

“All these different teams donate their time, their work, and their stew to make a successful event,” Hill emphasizes. “Without the teams, we don’t have Stewbilee.”

Ron Adams is a cook in this year’s Stewbilee, but was one of the key organizers from its inception. Since its first event in 1999, the event has gone through as many iterations and changes as there are differences from one person’s stew recipe to another.

At one time, it was a three-day event in October or November, featuring musical acts such as the B-52s, The Neville Brothers, and Casey and the Sunshine Band. When the 2008-2009 recession hit however, the organizers decided it was time to size the event down. Then, when hurricanes caused problems two years in a row, the decision was made to move the date to January, which Adams says has worked out well for the competition.

Even after going through so many changes, the Stewbilee is such an economic boon for the city that even the best cooks of downtown aren’t able to take the day off to compete, Adams says.

“I’ve tried to get (Tipsy McSway’s owner) Susan Bates to cook in the Stewbilee, but she can’t be out of the restaurant because she has so much business that day,” he says, laughing.

While the event has become a downtown staple, Stewbilee almost had to change venues this year due to the city’s plans to renovate Mary Ross Waterfront Park. However, the powers that be, due in part to urging by the Brunswick Exchange Club, promised they would wait until after 2020 to make any changes. As it stands, the event stretches on Bay Street from Newcastle to Gloucester, as well as all of Mary Ross Park.

Adams says Stewbilee not only aids the Boys and Girls Club, but also the city’s inhabitants through sheer exposure and attendance.

“It’s a great calling card for the city of Brunswick,” he said. “It helps people see the real beauty of our city. It’s been a very mutually beneficial event.”

Hill agrees. “This is an event that brings the entire community together,” he said. “Everyone comes out for this and has a good time. It’s a real melting pot for the community,” Hill says.

Though Brunswick, Georgia, is the home of the Stewbilee, and even has a pot at the intersection of F and Bay Streets labeled “in this pot the first Brunswick Stew was made on St. Simon Isle, July 2, 1898” — many Virginians will argue that the coastal city doesn’t deserve to host it.

When asked where he thought Brunswick stew originated, Hill immediately responded, “Brunswick.” A pause, then with a small laugh, “Georgia.”

Whenever anyone starts to talk about traveling out of Glynn County, my friend Sandy says, “We don’t travel, OK!” Over the years, I have met travelers who are always on the move. Their boats and RVs are their homes. Then there are other folks, like Sandy, who are happy just where they are. 

Variety is the spice of life. In the ocean, there are big fish and whales that travel long distances with no qualms. On the other side of the coin, there are organisms that, once they find a home, they stick to it like glue. If you are a boat person, these creatures can be a nuisance. For this reason, creatures like sea anemones, barnacles, and oysters are called “fouling organisms.”

I decided to explore Jekyll Island’s Driftwood Beach one quiet day. It is a fascinating place. Trees are stranded on the beach with the tide washing over them twice a day. It is a fantastic example of nature’s sculpture garden. People visiting for the first time think that storms washed them up on the beach. The trees were once on high, dry land, and the ocean ate away at that land. The barrier islands of South Carolina, Georgia, and Northern Florida are always moving. The concept is called “sand sharing.” The offshore currents take the sand from the north ends of barrier islands and tumble it south to build the south end of these islands. But, the trees on the north end are left stranded in the sand. The tide washes around the root systems and branches, leaving tide pools. Out on the Pacific Coast of California, Oregon, and Washington State, people like to go tide pooling, looking for sea creatures stranded in the pools of water.

This quiet day, I was exploring the tide pools on Driftwood Beach. There were living sand dollars stranded on the dry sand. I picked them up and placed them in the water. The creatures slowly disappeared into the sand. While watching them, something moved in the water at the base of a fallen tree. Wow! It was real, live sea anemones just like the ones in the movie, Finding Nemo. Discovering these sea anemones in the wild was thrilling. I have seen them in salt-water fish tanks, but here they were on Driftwood Beach. They were stuck deep in the pools attached to a root.

Some of the creatures were closed up. They looked like funny, bumpy, squishy pale rocks. I timidly touched one, and it sprung open. It had tentacles. They were larger on the outer rim and smaller closer to the central opening. It was a stunning creature. Richard Chewning is the 4-H Center’s director of Camp Jekyll, a UGA/Jekyll Island Authority Environmental Educational Center at the south end of Jekyll. He is my go-to guy for all things ocean. He told me that these were warty anemones. These are common sea anemones found around the big driftwood trees at the north end. Chewning said the kids at Camp Jekyll got a kick out of these anemones because tentacles called nematocysts do not sting. An interesting fact, he added, is these warty anemones are not found on the south end of Jekyll because the sand is too fine, but love to attach themselves to the roots and rocks at the north end. There is always something to learn in this diverse Georgia Coast.

Take some time and explore. Find the animals that will travel long distances to get here. Discover the creatures like the warty sea anemones that find a home and stick to it like glue.