Next Locally Grown Craze: Beer Hops

Check out Foothill Hops and Empire Brewing Co. on CNN Money! Craft brewing and localization are starting to get a lot of coverage across the nation and it's nice to see two of our own local CNY craft brewing associated companies getting the spotlight. Bravo!!

*For some stupid reason you'll have to follow the link to YouTube to watch the video...*

J Ryan's New Editions

J Ryan's New Editions

(9/21/11)

Had a few new beers at J Ryan's (Syracuse, NY) tonight, thought you should know about it:

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale: Intense spice level, rich in taste, a little too sweet for me.  Has a nice, creamy taste to it but the spice was a little much, especially at the end.  Could be a little bit more balanced but for a pumpkin ale at least it does have enough pumpkin and spice taste.

Horseheads Pumpkin Ale:  I hope you're starting to see a trend here... we really like our fall pumpkin beers...  Anyways, Horseheads Pumpkin is pretty good and, as Alicia at J Ryans told us, it's like eating a pumpkin pie with cream cheese frosting on it (absolute perfect description!).  Very sweet, somewhat spicy and finishes with... cream cheese?  Pretty good, I approve, but I don't know how many I can drink due to the sweetness of it.

Middle Ages X (10th Anniversary) Cask:  Usually, I steer away from cask conditioned IPAs (even though brewpubs and beer bars love to put IPAs on cask) because I feel as though a cask conditioned IPA looses it's hoppiness and flavor cask style and should be somewhat cold.  However, Middle Ages X definitely blew me away tonight.  The cask condition really exploited the hops and the flavors were extremely pronounced.  It's delicious and a definite if you get down to J Ryans while it's on cask.

Good Nature Brewing

Good Nature Brewing

Brewery In Progress - Estimated Opening: January 2012

Location: 37 Milford St, Hamilton, NY

Livin' the dream!

I am BEYOND jealous of Carrie Blackmore and Matt Whalen of Good Nature Brewing.  I'll have to be honest though, Jason handed me the article written about them from The Post-Standard and it took me a good day or two to actually pick it up and read it, just from pure jealousy.  Then, I got over dumb myself, read the article, fell in love and have reinstated my own brewery dreams as a possibility.

Where to begin... I guess first with a sincere congratulations!  It takes a lot of guts to start a new business, let alone a brewery, and Matt & Carrie definitely have some guts.  Good Nature Brewing will be Madison County's first brewery and will focus on using local ingredients and will create unfiltered, natural brews free from additives and adjuncts.  I'm happy to see that they are utilizing Foothill Hops, that's where Jason and I actually bought our supply of hops and they're fantastic and local.  I'm also super excited about how much help Good Nature Brewing is receiving, not only from the general public but from the government as well.  Madison County provided them with $35,000 in seed money (omg...) which could turn from a low-interest loan to a grant if they hire "a low- to moderate-income employee within a year" (Potrikus, The Post-Standard).  I mean, $35,000 to start a brewery!  Come on!  That's maybe the coolest thing since sliced bread...  Ohhh the possibilities...  **takes a minute to daydream about opening a brewery...**

Whalen & Blackmore at a beer tasting.

(courtesy of Good Nature's facebook page)

Good Nature's proposed brewery space.

(courtesy of Good Nature's facebook page)

Anddd I'm back.  Here's OverCarbonated's advice to the happy couple and Good Nature Brewing:

(1)  BEER:  Don't be afraid to take risks.  So far on your website I can see that you've perfected a Pale Ale, IPA and Mocha Porter, all of which I'm sure are fantastic, but they are pretty standard in the brewing world.  While it's important to master the basics, I would also push the envelope on brewing and try some crazy combinations.  For instance, Jason and I threw some pineapple into a batch of our IPA, just for the hell of it.  I'm not sure if our friends were just being courteous but our PiPA seemed to go over pretty well.  Get a little crazy!  Do some small test batches and test them out in your tap room; a good reaction means perfect it & brew it bigger.

(2)  BREWPUB:  Ever think about combining a small restaurant to your brewery?  A wise man (Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head) once wrote:

"In my research I learned that brewpubs had one-tenth the failure rate of restaurants that open without breweries.  I knew this statistic would be critical in raising capital...  I decided that I wanted to own a brewery in a restaurant as opposed to a straightforward beer-production factory because I felt there was great brand-building value in direct interactions with the customer...  They were paying us and providing feedback on our beer, and yet they enjoyed a level of input into what we brewed that is unheard of in the world of large-scale commercial brewing." (Calagione, Brewing Up a Business, p. 23-4)

I'm not sure if the thought has crossed the minds of Good Nature Brewing but I hope it does.  Opening a small restaurant in your brewery does not have to be extensive.  It could be mostly sandwiches, paninis, salads, cheese plates, what not...  But it'll attract a following and provide an outlet for people to really spend time at your establishment, enjoying your beer and munching.  For instance, Clark's Ale House in Syracuse (reopening soon, yayyy) serves beer and primarily one killer sandwich, and it's just enough.  I think it would be worth it so I'm hoping that this is part of their business plan.

(3)  BRANDING:  Build on an idea, build your brand and execute it perfectly.  There's nothing sadder than traveling (which I do often) to visit a brewery or brewpub to disappointed by the look and atmosphere of the establishment.  Your logo, pint glasses, shirts and website look fantastic right now so you're definitely heading in the right direction.  Let that energy flow into the look and feel of your brewery:

"Branding is the way you differentiate your products from those of the competition... It's every tool and technique you use to translate your company's philosophy to the consumer" (Calagione, Brewing Up a Business, p. 71)

(4)  EMPLOYEES:  If you're looking for any low-income employees... holler at me.  Turns out working in a restaurant, having an expensive taste in beer and running a small-scale beer blog doesn't ring in the bucks, who knew.  But it's not about money, it's about living the dream, and honestly, I am beyond excited for the possibility and potential your brewery has.  Make sure you hire the right people who have the same amount of honest excitement as you and really believe in what you are creating.

Live long and prosper,

OverCarbonated

Boulder Beer Company

Boulder Beer Company

Location: Boulder, CO

Overall: **** (4/5)

Taps, taps, taps, tapstapstaps!

Sitting at the bar at The Pub with a full view of the action behind the window.

Now, I've been drinking Boulder Beer for years now so getting to go to this brewpub was definitely one of the highlights of my two month sabbatical in Colorado.  Boulder Beer Co. is another Boulder brewery that isn't centrally located in the Pearl St. neighborhood so it's a little bit of a hike to get to, but definitely worth it.  The Pub at Boulder Beer has a really nice, laid back atmosphere with that cool yet eccentric Colorado feelings to it.  They also host an array of events at the Pub including small scale music concerts, unfortunately I didn't find the time to attend one.

So you wanna know about the beer, obviously... The beer was obviously fabulous and I wouldn't expect anything else.  The sampler (as seen below) is OUT OF CONTROL!  When we visited Boulder Beer Co., we had just finished eating dinner and drinking on Pearl St. and were hitting a serious wall.  We were served with lunch trays full of samples.  It was almost painful to get through... so if you go there, I would go on an empty stomach and make that the beginning of your drinking excursion.

The beginning of our beer journey...

Okay, here are some of my favs:

Mojo Risin': So you can get this beer on the east coast (cough cough J Ryans) but that doesn't take away from the greatness that is this beer.  This Double IPA is loaded with flavor and is perfectly balanced between malt and hops and is dry hopped with Amarillo hops, which happen to be one of my favorite hops to use in my own beer.

Planet Porter:  I love me a smooth, dark, roasty beer.  Planet Porter delivers on all of those terms and does not disappoint.  Very easy to drink and full of flavor.

Flashback (India Brown Ale):  Dark, hoppy and delicious.  Clean and crisp yet dark and hoppy.  Was a perfect combination of many different flavors packed into one beer.

Sweaty Betty (Blonde):  Bavarian-Style Wheat Beer (according to Boulder Beer's website) that has that typical "banana" (aka clove) flavor but isn't overwhelming.  I've also had this beer before on the east coast but I'm happy to have had it straight from the brewery.

Eric, Casie and Jason (who is reallyyy enjoying our sampler)

Jason's favorite part of the brewpub was that he learned it was founded by two University of Colorado at Boulder professors.  I liked learning this too because maybe when Jason does become Dr. Newtypants we will still be able to start a brewpub like we've wanted to do.  See!  Smart people love beer!

Tidbits of Boulder Beer history.

Clearly, even on full stomachs, we had a hard time finishing our samplers...  Thanks again, Boulder Beer, it was a pleasure.

...and the end of our journey.

Dostal Alley Brewpub and Casino

Dostal Alley Brewpub and Casino

Location: Central City, CO

Overall: ** (2/5)

Courtesy from The Beer Friends

Courtesy from Colorado Gaming News

Is it true nowadays that anywhere you go you’ll find a brewery?  Out in the middle of the Rocky Mountains (in the middle of nothing) lies a small western style, gamblin’ city called Central City.  So we’re driving back from quite possibly the most epic game of disc golf we’ve ever played (Ghost Town Disc Golf in Russell Gulch) and we’re driving through Central City when Jason spies the words “Brewery” on the side of a building.  Naturally, we pull over to debate if we have enough time to go in for a brew and pizza and Jason pulls the keys out of the ignition and runs inside.

So now we’re in Central City, home of the slot machine.  It literally seemed like every business (all 10 of them) had some sort of gambling element.  This might make a great retirement town for grandmas who are looking to give Atlantic City a break.

Central City, CO

I’m pleased to find that this very small brewery/pizza shop has emerged in this city.  Craft brewing is a serious growing trend and if you can make it in the middle of a small town in the Rocky Mountains, then serious nods to you!  I gave this brewery two out of five stars given how small the brewery is and how when we were there they only had four beers on tap.  I had their stout which was acceptable for the style, but it wasn’t anything too glorious.

Brewing Tanks

Jason & Eric... note the computer gambling games on the bar.

According to their website, the brewery started in 1998 and given that they are in such a secluded area, I can see how they only have the capabilities to produce small batches of beer at a time.  They have though won a few awards which are posted on their website which is quite impressive.  I guess what impresses me the most was finding this gem completely randomly and in a completely unexpected place.  Good for you Dostal Alley!  Keep on a brewin’!

Award hanging on the wall in Dostal Alley.

And if you live in Colorado, you should give them a try (bring your quarters for the slot machines) and play a game of disc golf at Ghost Town.

Twisted Pine Brewing Company

Twisted Pine Brewing Co.

Location: Boulder, CO

Overall: ***** (5/5)

The wall of gloriousness!

Courtesy of Metromix Denver

Welcome to Boulder!  Land of the rich and intelligent hippies who all seem to ride around Pearl Street on their Triton:

Courtesy of Triton Buzz

Off the beaten path (down on Walnut Street) lays a little gem called Twisted Pine Brewing Company.  Before coming to Colorado I had never heard of Twisted Pine before but when my friends told us about them, I was anxious to give them a try.  In this laid back, yet somewhat small, brewpub holds some of the most creative and crazy beers I have ever tried.  And since, yes, I have been to Dogfish Head in Delaware, so this means a lot.

What I love the most about Twisted Pine is that they are taking some serious risks.  They were creating their version of a Chili Beer (Billies Chillies) years before it really caught on.  I had the opportunity to talk to one of their owners or brewers (I assume from his presence/knowledge) and he told me that they were brewing  Billies Chillies for a really long time and only recently did it start catching fire.  Kudos to them for being creative from the beginning!  Andddd, the only reason I had the opportunity to talk to this gentleman was because he approached me as I sat at the bar to ask my opinion about their beer:

1.  This never really happens because I’m a girl… no seriously.

2.  He asked me what I liked and if I thought they should stop brewing any of their beers… bold question my friend, I like how you are really concerned about what your customer thinks.

3.  After I gave him the sense that I did know a thing or two about beer he stayed and chatted with me for a little bit about their beers, giving me some hints on their brewing process.  Honestly, I really appreciated it.  Really makes your customer feel connected to your brewery!

Twisted Pine taps

Twisted Pine gets an almost never seen 5 out of 5 stars because (a) their beer is fabulous!  Even the ones that are their more standard beers are done artfully.  (b)  Their staff is fantastic, knowledgeable and are genuinely curious about what their customers have to say about their brews.  (c)  They are creative but not to the point of ridiculousness.  Their experimental beers are imaginative and original but also delicious.  I love a brewery that’s willing to take some risks.  (d)  The overall feel of the brewpub was super laid back with really friendly, down-to-earth people which gives it a relaxed and fun atmosphere.  They even had a guy come in and play piano covers of songs… I love it.  On a side note though, I know, Twisted Pine, that I’m giving you 5 stars, but you didn’t have to go and name one of your beers after me!  You’re too kind! (wink...)

Reilly's Oak Whisky Red

Okay, let’s go over some of the beers I had that knocked my socks off:

Billies Chillies:  This is one of their more popular beers and I can understand why.  Easy to drink but has that Chili Beer kick.  The gentleman I spoke to told me that the hint is just using the fruit and not the seeds in the brewing process.  Clever!

Experimental Brews:  Twisted Pine does something quite clever at their brewpub.  They come up with what I like to call “experimental brews” that they showcase at their brewpub.  Taking their regular beers, they mix together with their other beers, flavors and additives to create something completely crazy but most of the time absolutely delicious.  I’m digging this idea because the way that I see it is this is an opportunity for them to try out an idea on a super small level, get a reaction, and see if it’s worth brewing on a larger scale.  I can’t remember the names of the ones that I had but I’m pretty sure some of them included a Raspberry Espresso Stout, a Billies Chillies Stout and a Blueberry Blonde.

Big Shot Espresso Stout:  Super creamy with bold coffee and dark chocolate flavors.  Super rich but not so much that it’s hard to drink.  The really nice mouth feel and aroma of the beer top off the rich and delicate flavors.

Jackie enjoying a "make your own" sampler.

 

And, if you have to know, we did enjoy their nachos.  They were fantastic, but then again, nachos are always fantastic and the best appetizer option aside from a cheese plate a brewpub can offer (I’m trying to save my money for the drinking!).  Jason also found a sweet portrait of himself on the wall:

Jason... obvs