We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Brooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’m a outdoor gear head! I love learning about and using new outdoor gear! there was a time when i was constantly reading outdoor magazined looking online to read up on the newest sleeping bag or best insulating jacket or lightest trekking poles or tent. And then I would go out buy some of these items and head out to go backpacking! Whenever something else new came out, the cycle would start all over again. My knowledge for gear later lead to a job working a part time retail job at patagonia which i went on to work for them for 10 years. Anyway, a few years a go my wife and brother and I were sitting around one thanksgiving. My brother, a graphic designer was telling me I needed to take my talents to social media and start making gear review post. My wife said it should called “Outdoor Gear and Beer” since I also loved beer! We thought the handle was already taken but it was not! several months in I started to see that I had an opportunity to be apart of a narrative bigger than outdoor gear and that was to change the narrative that black people get outside too! I also wanted other black people may not have many experiences in the outdoors see my face in the outdoors and know that the outdoors is for all! Since this time I have lead hikes, taught classes, and hosted campouts to promote diversity and inclusion in the outdoors. While enjoying great beer, of course!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is home to some amazing places to eat, drink and be merry! Some of my favorite spots for hanging out to grab a bite to eat or enjoy a cold one are along Atlanta’s Beltline. In the the historic West End Beltline area, you can visit Monday Night Garage for top-notch local craft beer or go upstairs to Boxcar to enjoy a meal with friends. For lunch one afternoon you go further down the Beltline into the city and enjoy some good eats at Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall. I recommend just exploring the whole Beltline. It’s got great walkability and great way to experience the heart of Atlanta. If you are looking to switch it up and get some international cuisine, take the trek up to Buford Highway a little north of Atlanta to find some amazing foods from all over the globe. If Baseball season is in, then you have to go to a Braves game and enjoy the vibe that is Truist Park. As an outdoorsman, I can’t go without mentioning some of my favorite places to enjoy being outside in Atlanta. For a good hike and in warmer months a cool dip in river, you have to check out Sweetwater Creek State Park a little west of the city in Douglasville, GA. If you go a little north of the city in Acworth, you can rent a boat for the day and enjoy some water sport or fishing on Lake Alatoona. If you don’t want to leave the city but want to get out into nature, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has some easy, beautiful hikes including one trail that leads a really cool bamboo forest.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my father!! He was into so many things in the outdoors and introduced them to my triplet brothers and I. He, an Eagle Scout, was into hiking and backpacking, climbing, fishing, sailing, kayaking, riding horses, so many things. He even did search and rescue for a couple years. I never thought the outdoors wasn’t for us (black people). I’d say he definitely planted a seed in me for adventure and getting outside as much as possible.

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outdoorgearandbeer/

Twitter: @outdoorbeer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/outdoorgearandbeer

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftsuJdASSbVW4xHFMyRkKA

Other: my email is outdoorgearandbeer@gmail.com

Image Credits
Ventana Media Royal & Rae Outdoor Gear and Beer

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