Reformation Brewery honors memory of late employee with unique cider, donation

CANTON, Ga. - The family of a man electrocuted in Lake Lanier in July has teamed up with a local brewery to honor him with his own hard cider.

Shepard Milner, 24, died in July after jumping off his family’s dock into Lake Lanier.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources says he was electrocuted in the water.

"It's been hard, it's very hard to lose a child," said Milner’s mother, Martha.

She said her oldest son works at Reformation Brewery and had an idea for a way to honor Shepard.

"Drew said, ‘Hey, let's do something in honor of Shepard. Let's do a cider because that's what Shepard liked over beer. And he loved particularly cinnamon whiskey. So, Drew decided to brew a cider that was aged in a cinnamon whiskey barrel," his mother said.

"We actually took the cider and put it in a cinnamon whiskey barrel for about three weeks and let it hang out in there. Let it get kind of those oaky tones, some of that cinnamon spice…it’s something that he'd probably drink," said Drew Milner.

At least 10 area restaurants have already agreed to serve the cider and Reformation offered to donate the proceeds to a charity of the family’s choice. 

"I gave it a lot of thought. What would Shepard want? What would mean something to Shepard? He was an animal lover, particularly a cat lover. And he had a cat his entire life," his mother said.

That’s how she found the Feral Cat Program of Georgia (FCPGA).

"It was very local and very much spoke to me as we have taken in several feral cats over the years," she said. 

"We were founded in 2004, and since that time, we've grown to be a force for trap, neuter, return for feral cats in our local area, as well as we have a very thriving adoption program for adoptable cats and kittens. And we have a barn cat program as well. So, we place cats that need to be outside, that are not suitable for indoor homes to places where they can be cared for and live the rest of their lives," said Adoptions Coordinator for FCPGA, Lisa Tenerovich. 

Friday, Shepard’s family helped present a $1,000 donation from the cider sales to FCPGA. 

"This is a family that over the last few months has been through a tremendous loss and yet somewhere in the middle of that, they said, ‘Let's try to turn this into something good’…we will be good stewards of this donation because we know how hard it was for them," Tenerovich said. 

Martha Milner said it really raises their spirits to see their community come together around their son. 

"We know we're heading into a difficult time with the holidays. It’s going to be particularly difficult… So, it just was very heartwarming to know how much the community is willing to jump in whenever they're asked to. And it's just been a wonderful experience," his mother said. 

You can try some of Shepard's cider, T.S.M., at Reformation Brewery's Canton location.