It was a tall challenge that took Bryan Derr a moment to picture.
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan had just asked Derr, the Anheuser-Busch senior brewmaster, if he’d jump from EverBank Field’s light tower.
The 34-year-old brewmaster has been to many Jaguars games. He’d remember seeing Jaxson de Ville perform high-flying stunts. And in a moment with so many thoughts running in his head, it suddenly became clear.
“That’s a long way up there,” he thought.
His response? Challenge accepted.
The leap will be done Sunday, but what led to it was part of the “craziest day of work” Derr’s ever had.
A trip to the brewery
Last Friday was like many others for Derr, who’s served as Anheuser-Busch’s senior brewmaster for the past couple of years.
He arrived in the morning. Had a cup of coffee. Checked in on the crew to ensure all was well with production.
Then he received a phone call, one that set everything in motion.
“I picked up the phone and they said ‘Mr. Khan wants to come to the brewery,’” Derr recalls, “And he’s bringing a camera crew.”
He was shocked. And he only had about 15 minutes to prepare.
He thought Khan wanted a tour, so he gathered the crew in the plant’s tap room to share the news. They were a little nervous, Derr said, so he told them to relax. Have a beer.
Khan arrived with cameras in tow and Derr led the tour area, showing how the company made its beer. Back at the tap room, though, the two shared a beer with cameras rolling.
That’s when Khan asked if Derr was “up for whatever,” a recent Bud Light campaign slogan that results in atypical encounters.
Khan’s challenge: He wanted the “freshest beer ever” for fans at Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
That is, making and selling beer at the stadium in the same day.
Logistics immediately came to mind. Overtime hours on weekends. Distributor pickups atr 2 a.m. Tight schedules.
It was doable, he said, but then asked the crew behind him if it was manageable.
They roared with enthusiasm.
“They were excited,” he said. “It’s not something that’s just simple to do.”
Challenge accepted — but Khan had one more up his sleeve.
Making the leap
After the initial enthusiasm wore down, a smiling Khan said he had one more challenge.
He said he wanted Derr to deliver the first beer to fans — by jumping off an EverBank Field light tower onto the field.
“It took me a second to think about what it really meant,” Derr said. “I’ve been to games and tried to picture light towers.”
But after it became clear, he agreed. He doesn’t quite recall how he accepted in that blurry moment, but he accepted.
His crew was stunned, then cheered.
Next was telling his wife.
That evening, he had the conversation with his seven-month pregnant wife, Liz.
At the part of him jumping from tall structures, her eyes got big, he said.
“Is it safe?” she asked.
It is, he replied.
“Are you going to do it?” she asked.
He was. The look of shock subsided when he assured her it was safe.
The past week has been typical, with the exception of people at work being pumped to see him jump, giving him support along the way. He compares the anticipation to that of other big events — it’s coming faster than he thought.
He’s not afraid of heights and has done a tandem sky dive. But with the crowd, it’ll be completely different. He thinks the adrenaline will kill any nerves he might have.
There will be a practice jump Saturday. The spotlight is Sunday, a moment he realizes he’ll be hundreds of feet in the air. Performing in front of more people than his 1,000-resident hometown of Oregon, Mo.
“I’m uncomfortably excited,” he said with a big smile.
It’ll only take seconds. And when he safely hits the ground, he thinks he might need a drink.
Good thing he’ll have a beer on him.
@writerchapman
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