Barley & Hops Brings a Craft Beer Philosophy to Candles

You can buy candles that produce just about any relaxing scent you can imagine—lavender, sandalwood, vanilla and more.

Well, what’s more relaxing than a nice glass of beer? A new business, Barley & Hops, has created a lineup of 10 candles that smell just like a tasty craft brew.

Barley & Hops is the brainchild of Carrie Atkins, a local designer, and Marsha Flowers, who started the longtime 5B & Co. Candlemakers shop in Weston, Mo.

“They’re the best I’ve ever done, and I’ve been doing this a long time,” said Flowers, who has more than two decades of experience creating candles.

One of the earliest inspirations from Barley & Hops came from an old friend who’s living in Germany, Flowers said. The friend sent her a bottle from overseas and challenged Flowers to duplicate the brew’s scent as a candle.

It became one of Barley & Hops’ first candles, its Bitter Sweet IPA.

All of the candles have their own craft-beer-style name and brand, like the Screaming Vixen Agave Hazelnut Ale Candle or the Hard Coraline Apple Crisp Prohibition Beer Candle. Atkins designs the labels and packaging.

The 6 oz. candles are packaged as a beer flight. The 12 oz. version will actually be sold in an upcycled beer bottle.

There are other beer-scented candles out there, but the duo says their commitment to getting the scent right is what sets their products apart. They strive for an aroma that emphasizes the hops and the barley, but not the yeasty odor associated with too many home brews gone wrong. (Their husbands, Brandon Atkins and Jack Flowers, happen to be craft beer fans, too, so they’ve got in-house quality control.)

“That’s the biggest thing we strive to do—is make them authentic, not gimmicky,” Atkins said.

The candles can be purchased at www.beerscents.com and at 5B & Co. Candlemakers in Brookside. (Flowers has closed her shop in Weston.) Flowers and Atkins also want to take their products on the road to beer festival and other events.

While all of Barley & Hops’ initial candle “brands” were invented by Atkins and Flowers, the two entrepreneurs are working with local breweries to create candles based specifically on their beer. The first, with Big Rip Brewing Co. in North Kansas City, should debut sometime this summer.

Originally, Atkins and Flowers thought men would be the target market for Barley & Hops. “But I’ve yet to find a woman who puts her nose to it and doesn’t like it,” Flowers said.