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JBLM Soldier brewing up business acumen

There are two things in life Aaron Meade knows very well: blood and beer

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There are two things in life Aaron Meade knows very well: blood and beer.

While it sounds like a strange combination, the two liquids have played a major role in the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army Reservist's life over the past six years.

"They're the lifeblood of America," the 28-year-old Meade said with a laugh.

While serving on active-duty with the 62nd Medical Brigade, Meade worked as a lab and supply technician in the brigade's blood bank, even deploying to Balad Air Base, Iraq, where he worked in the region's largest blood supply center.

All the while, the experience was setting him up for his post active-duty career: opening a tap room/restaurant of his own.

"It gave me a lot of insight and training into how I want to run a business, especially when it comes to the distribution, shipping and receiving (part)," said Meade, a Boston native who now lives in DuPont. "I just apply that training to what I'm doing now."

After PCSing to JBLM in 2006, Meade needed something to do when the weather turned ugly in the fall. After another Soldier introduced him to home brewing, Meade was hooked.

"I've made many different beers; some turned out great, some didn't come out as I hoped," said Meade, whose last day on active duty was March 16.

But Meade recently got some great feedback on a couple of his favorite home brews, as his Mountain Spice Ale scored strong with judges at the Seattle Pro Am home brew competition, and attendees at the McChord Field Brewfest drank all of his supply of his Black Cherry Cream Stout.

It has Meade on a positive track heading into his next venture.

"I've done a lot of collaboration when it comes to who I'm going to market this to, and I have to go with what I know: the military," he said.

Meade pooled his savings with a bonus he received from signing up for the Army Reserve and is on his way to opening up Pistol Belt Brewers in Tacoma. Along with a few other investors - both veterans - Meade plans on fashioning the tap room with a vintage military look.

"It's going to be very relatable for veterans from the last four decades," he said. "I want them to feel comfortable coming in there and I want them to feel a real camaraderie with the beer as well."

As for the suds, each brew will have a military-themed name.

"We're just going to have some fun with it," Meade said. "We're going to have the basics at first, but hopefully we can expand on that and add a small kitchen."

Meade hopes to open the establishment within the next couple months, and is working hard to make it happen. He's already purchased a supply of large-scale home brewing equipment for the tap room and is busy trying to get the final paperwork with the state completed.

"This is a whole new venture for me," Meade said.

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