Mathew Dapkins of Duryea is the 36th #NEPACreative of 2017, and he brings creativity to the area as a craft beer video journalist and reviewer. Essentially, he educates people both locally and worldwide about beer in its many forms, typically focusing on the smaller, more independent breweries.
“I started in early 2014 as a fun project due to my love of independent craft beer, and that’s still why I do it,” Dapkins said. “That dedication and love has opened doors I didn’t think were possible to where I’ve now gotten to interview and work with some of the best minds in the beer world, which has lead me to a syndicated radio show, being featured by various magazines and breweries.”
When asked if he could have an unlimited supply of one beer, Dapkins said, “On one hand I could pick a rare beer that I love that is uber hard to find, but those tend to be bigger, heavier, high octane beers that are not daily chuggers, or I could go with a smaller, more versatile beer that would do me proper day in and day out that wouldn’t crush me, one that I could really push that promise of ‘unlimited’ supply.”
Ultimately, Dapkins said he would definitely go for the former, more specifically, Thomas Hardy’s Ale. “It’s a big, English style Barleywine that is as rare as could be, ages like a champion, and tastes like raisinettes covered in toffee and rainbows. It was produced on and off from 1968 till 2008 when the brewery who was making it axed it from their line so it ceased production,” Dapkins explained. “A new Brewery just picked the recipe back up last year so it’s coming back, but it’s not available in the United States yet.”
To Dapkins, being creative means loving something and giving yourself over to that. “Creativity also has to be natural, not forced,” Dapkins explained. “You get back what you put into things in life, so if you love something and are genuine, good things happen to you and those who encounter what you do.”
When being considered as an NEPA Creative, individuals are asked to explain how they bring creativity to the area, how long they have been doing it and why, and finally what being creative means to them. Once chosen, the next step is to bring each creative into CoalCreative’s studio space to be filmed for a 60 second video that is shared every Wednesday across all their social media platforms. The series plans to highlight all sorts of creatives throughout the rest of the year. There are no limits to who could be considered. Photographers, musicians, barbers, magicians, and improv artists are just a handful of the submissions CoalCreative has received thus far.
