CLEANSING THE SPIRITS

“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times,” starts Charles Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities.” The human condition has remained unchanged not only from Dickens’ nineteenth century but also from ancient times.

In times of war, pestilence, famine and disease, there are always those who come forward in those circumstances to aid others when the situations are at their lowest and worst point.

Craft hand sanitizer?

Desert Door, a Driftwood distillery in the business of making the tequila-like liquor Sotol, switched over to make hand sanitizer to help stop the spread of the disease.

“When South By Southwest was canceled…we started to look at the situation. It’s pretty serious with the number of events a liquor company is a part of,” Ryan Campbell one of the founders said. They tried a test run of hand sanitizer. “Maybe there’s something here. We can make hand sanitizer,” Campbell said. “The ingredients for hand sanitizer include ethanol, glycerin, and distilled water.” The change from liquor to sanitizer was a big hit.

“So far we have supplied needs in police departments in San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi, the FBI… We have made over 270 gallons with 35 gallons going to Kyle.” He continued. “Hays County Sheriff and Constables, local municipalities across the state, state troopers, it’s insane,” Campbell said. If you have a 55 gallons drum, they’ll fill it up, and with over 10,000 bottles distributed, many of them to law enforcement, they are trying to meet the demand.

“It’s not even close to our production,” Campbell said. The situation has made some changes to Desert Door. Although the workers are still being paid, “how long can you keep employing people that are not working?” he said. “The good news is that our product is still being sold through our distributors.”

The tasting room is closed and events have been canceled. “The challenge is to make hand sanitizer, it’s a sense of purpose,” he said.

They have accounts on Instagram and Facebook and a gofundme account. See their website at desertdoor.com or send inquiries to [email protected]

Middleton keeping it clean

One local brewery is also helping by distributing 70% isopropyl alcohol, which is purchased industrially. Keeping all equipment sanitized is crucial in the making of beer and ale, which is why the brewery has so much of it on hand.

“We’re giving it away in ¾ oz. bottles, repurposing and repackaging to regular people,” said Carl Rabenaldt, co-owner and Executive Manager of Middleton Brewing. The isopropyl is purchased in seven gallon buckets and also repackaged in spray bottles for use by nursing homes, the sheriff’s department and others.

“It’s great to see everyone pulling together to help people anyway we can,” Rabenaldt said.

Anyone can pick up sanitizer from 2 to 8 p.m. except Tuesday and Wednesday when they are closed. They still sell beer but the profits go to the employees who are getting their regular pay. “We made that commitment early on,” Rabenaldt said.

“Come by and get sanitizer. We’ll continue to buy as long as we can.”

Middleton Brewing is located at 101 Oakwood Loop, right off of Ranch Road12 on the way to San Marcos. Phone number (512) 847- 3435.