Marble Falls – The Lone Star State is home to nearly 300 breweries and each of them are unique in their own way. But there’s one beer maker in Marble Falls that has a business method that bestows goodwill, making it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.
“They brew high-quality beers that are across the spectrum,” said customer Kelly Walne.
Quynh and David Rathkamp started Save The World Brewing back in 2014 but they’ve been together since 2001. Both are former doctors, pediatricians to be precise, who had the calling to brew big Belgian ales in Burnet County. Switching careers might seem like a critical situation for most people but for Dave it was divine calling. He received his calling after reading the book The Purpose Driven Life and discussing it with his prayer group.
“It was kind of talking about God gives you certain talents and ambitions and skills and that’s what you’re supposed to do with your life,” Dave said. “We were a group of guys in a circle going around, ‘What’s your passion?’ We’ve got, ‘I love to sing. I just love to sing to the Lord.’ Another guy, ‘I like to make things.’ It came to me and it was like, ‘I like to make beer,’ and everybody kind of turned and looked at me. I was like, ‘Yeah. That’s what I like to do.’ The leader was like, ‘God can use that.’”
How could hops have a holy calling? I mean turning water to wine is one thing, but sacred suds?
“Quynh’s passion has always been forgiving,” Dave said. “She thought if she could ever do anything, she’d retire and work at a not-for-profit and just give money away. I was like, ‘Why don’t we merge these two together? I’ll make the beer and you give the money away to charity.’ That’s what we came up with, Save the World Brewing.”
A brewery that bestows its profits may seem like a peculiar proposition, but for Quynh and David it’s what they were put on this earth to do.
“It really was and truthful, God provides, and God continues to provide,” Quynh said. “We’ve been very thankful, very thankful.”
Since being in business in 2014, Save The World has donated over $100,000 to charities like Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheel and Food For the Hungry.
“The charities we give to are those that supply basic human needs, food, clothing and shelter,” Dave said.
Even the tips made by the staff are donated to charity.
“We’re taken care of and Quinn and Dave make sure that we’re paid well and we would rather those tips go to charity and go where they’re supposed to go,” Leigh Damuth said.
Leigh takes care of the tasting room. Watching the tip jar fill up means more to her than a few extra bucks in her pocket.
“This charity, Feed My Starving Children, it’s $80 per day will feed one kid for an entire year,” Leigh said. “You see the money going in and you’re counting it, that’s one kid. That’s two children. That’s three children. It’s very exciting to see that, that money is going to do amazing things.”
Supporting a good cause is always worth checking off the list, so we showed our support by finally getting to gulp the beer that gives.
“We’re going to start here with our Lux Mundi, or our potter’s beer, which is a Belgium single,” Leigh said. “Humilis Filius, which is our Belgian pale ale. Next, I’m gonna go with our Biere de garde, because it’s my favorite. This is our Sol Vinum. We brew all of our celebration ales come in champagne bottles, because they carbonate better. It’s our award-winning, golden strong ale. Then, we brew the Sole Vinum. We age it on crushed crush shira grapes. They’re all gonna be nice, flavorful ales.”
Just like any good Belgian Ale, they’re all strong and sensational.
“I’m not a connoisseur of beer, but I know when I like something and I like their beers,” Bob Baker said.
However, trying to remember the names can be a bit difficult.
“I didn’t want to name a beer that somebody else had already named up there,” Dave said. “Nobody’s gonna use these crazy Latin names that I came up with.”
It’s been claimed that founding father Benjamin Franklin once said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” It seems for Quynh and David, God took it to the next level. For excellent beer and a sensational cause, Save the World Brewery is a can’t miss stop on the Texas Bucket List.
“It’s a leap of faith, like you said, but some say a faith that hasn’t been tested is no faith at all,” Dave said. “You gotta jump out there. Yeah know? Test those waters. It wasn’t about just making money. It was about making beer for people and to serve God, which has been pretty cool.”
