It’s been a little while since we posted a spotlight article about one of our team members. So, we decided to put another one together that features Jason Coe, who has been bartending at The Jug since June 2020. In fact, we wanted to tell you about Jason because he recently accepted our offer to become our new Taproom Operations & Sales Manager. We are VERY excited to have him in this new role!
As such, Jason will oversee our team and operations at the new Downtown Durham taproom, slated to open this spring. Additionally, he’s going to take over the management of our wholesale program, helping us identify new partners to serve our beer at their bars, restaurants, and shops, while keeping Glass Jug beer flowing at all of our existing accounts.
We could not be more excited to have Jason move into this role at The Glass Jug. He is a wealth of knowledge, having spent several years managing teams and serving beer at Mellow Mushroom and Trophy Brewing Co. (including Busy Bee and State of Beer), where he also served as their sales representative. Jason is a great leader that is going to help us grow our brand in downtown Durham and across the Triangle.
While Jason has spent a lot of time in the Triangle area, he is originally from the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA, and has lived in Nevada and South Florida. His brother and his family now live in the Raleigh area, and their parents also recently retired to NC.
You’ll probably be seeing Jason downtown a lot once our new taproom opens, but, whenever he gets some time away from the bar, you’ll find him out on the golf course. He likes to squeeze in a round whenever his schedule allows, and, he’s notched two hole-in-ones in his golfing career!
When it comes to beer, Jason is keen on the Lambic family of Belgian barrel-aged sour beers. Whether it’s a gueuze, a kreik, or a framboise, the complex character of these beers make them his favorite. If you ever have questions about sour beer or need a good recommendation, Jason will definitely be able to help you out.
Jason told us, “I fell in love with 'sours' when I was working at The Busy Bee Cafe and that love has only grown over the years. I also really enjoy Belgian dubbels and quads, stouts, and well-done IPAs.”
That said, Jason doesn’t discriminate with his beverage selection. He is a fan of barrel-aged tequila and rum, and he’s been discovering the world of craft ciders over the past few years. However, when out on the golf course, you might catch him with a hard seltzer in his cart.
One of the things we love most about Jason is how he can use his sense of humor to connect with guests and get them to try something new. This fall, one of our regular customers ordered a flight with 4 straw-colored lagers & pilsners. Jason joked with him that it was the most boring flight he had ever seen. They both had a good laugh about it, and since then, that customer has allowed Jason to choose some new beers for him, and he has begun to routinely drink (and enjoy) IPAs.
Jason is very much a people person. When asked what his favorite part about working at The Glass Jug was, he did not hesitate. Instead of telling me (Chris) that the best part was all of the delicious beer we are brewing, he said that our team is hands-down the best part of working here. Jason is an integral part of the conversation and camaraderie behind the bar. To be fair, Jason also said he is proud of the beer we are making, loves the selection of beer in our shop, and has enjoyed getting to know all of our regular customers over the last 6 months (as much as possible, given the COVID restrictions).
On that note, with regards to our new taproom, Jason said that the things he was most excited about were building a team, helping the business grow, and becoming a part of the downtown Durham community.
“For years I've admired the downtown Durham community from afar and am now looking forward to joining in and experiencing all that it has to offer.”
While it seems like a tall order to manage a taproom and handle our wholesale sales, Jason is always up for a challenge. While at Trophy Brewing, Jason really enjoyed the time spent with Les, Woody, & Chris getting the Maywood taproom up and running, along with their venture into the wholesale market. We wanted to give him another new and exciting challenge to build on this experience, helping us to shape our new taproom, building the community downtown, while also fostering our wholesale relationships.
We hope you all will stop by and say hello to Jason. He’ll be working at our South Durham/RTP location until the end of February, then transitioning to downtown in March.
