JANESVILLE - John Greenley comes from a brewing heritage, of a sort. So it would seem only natural that he'd try his hand at the art.

He and his wife, Sandra, recently launched Briar Creek Brewery and its signature brew, Towhead Ale, out of their home.

It's been a long process.

Three years ago, John bought his first beer kit and started concocting mixtures in his kitchen.

Then, it was more a hobby than anything else, a way to carry on a long-standing family tradition, Greenley said.

"I just wanted to brew a beer that was similar to what my grandparents would have served," he said. "They started back in Prohibition, and it kept up to the late 1950s, so I figured it was decent beer."

Greenley said, initially, he didn't know what went into his grandparents' melange; all he knew was that it was good.

"It was probably made out of all grain, a little bit of hops and good water," he said. "I didn't really know what that meant."

He learned.

"I started reading books and brewed a batch of beer that was exactly that: It was good beer," he said.

The product of that first experiment is now known as Towhead Ale.

He credits his grandparents with having inspired the formula that has found its way onto the menus and shelves of more than 50 restaurants, bars and grocery stores in Janesville, Denver, Waterloo, Waverly and Cedar Falls.

"My grandfather died in 1968, but I checked with my grandma, and I checked with an uncle who had brewed it," Greenley said. "My uncle said it was a simple recipe; he didn't know if it was ever written down. So, I brewed something I'd figure people would be drinking."

The next step was to try the product out.

Friends told him the beer was light and unique, he said.

"We tried out this beer on the people that had helped me taste previous batches from the kits and expanded tasting to family and friends," Greenley said. "It was a hit, and everyone thought we should do something with it."

Greenley was quickly convinced he had something worth selling.

Production escalated and outgrew the Greenley kitchen.

The Greenleys converted their garage into a brewery with a 15-gallon production capacity.

John sourced grains from Chilton, Wis.-based Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.

"It's not bitter like a lot of beers are," Greenley said. "It does have a little bit of hops, but it's not a 'hoppy' beer. It doesn't have a lot of beer aftertaste. It's very smooth. A lot of people describe it as refreshing."

Fewer hops translates to the less-bitter quality, Greenley said. The blonde ale would be little to no hops, and we're kind of somewhere in between," he said. "We have some hops in our beer."

He describes the product as a "dirty blonde" ale.

"We certainly wouldn't win any contests as a blonde ale or pale ale," he said.

More tastings, in stores and bars followed.

In time, he had built a distribution network and contracted with Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls, Wis., to brew the product.

Sand Creek delivered the first 500-gallon batch about a month ago, Greenley said.

"I got into 50 locations in the first two weeks and that's just because it's good beer," he said.

The reaction has been nothing short of overwhelming, Greenley added.

The beer has been a hit at Roots Market in Cedar Falls, said Kim Wahl, beer manager at the store.

"I think they've shown a really positive response to his beer," Wahl said. "It's one of our better-selling beers. It's a lighter beer, and summer is a really good time for him to introduce that."

The brew's local roots are a major selling point, Wahl said.

"I think that has a lot to do with it," she said. "I think he has made a lot of personal contact, and I think the relationship is part of it."

Sarah Reinhardt, a bartender at Spicoli's, 3555 University Ave. in Waterloo, said Greenley's product has been a popular item there.

"People like it; it's doing well," Reinhardt said. "I know I like it."