Not all brewers are approaching the creation of a desirable smoked beer in the same way. While some are using traditional methods of incorporating smoked malts that owe their origin to the German Rauchbier, the use of other smoked ingredients and the beer styles being produced are where things get creative and how the tasting notes become pleasantly unexpected.

Why Smoke Beers?

While the current popularity of smoke beers in the US might make it seem like the newest craft beer trend, these beers actually date back much further than familiar non-smoked styles.

Many smoke beers, like the German Rauchbier, use smoked malts to incorporate the desired flavor notes.

(More: American Brewers Fall for Brazil’s Spicy Amburana Wood)

“Smoking the malt simply uses the process used for centuries when the hot air from a fire was passed through the malt to dry it,” says Bill Cherry, founder and brewmaster at Switchback Brewing Co. in Burlington, Vermont. “It wasn’t until indirect heating of the air was invented around 1840 that beers started being unsmoked.”

Cherry’s Switchback Brewing Co. is on a mission to start a modern revolution with smoke beers.

“The smoke as a component in beer flavor is vastly underrepresented in the beer world,” he says. “We mean to show how smoke can contribute complex flavors to beers of all styles.”

Smoke beers are maintaining their popularity due to the opportunity for experimentation that captures interest from innovative brewers like Cherry and his team, as well as adventurous beer drinkers. Pearl Street Brewery in Wisconsin meets the demand for smoked dark beers with their Smokin’ Hemp Porter which they have been brewing for 10 years.

(Related: Simple Beer BBQ Sauce)

“Dark beers fall into the categories of sweet or savory,” says Tami Plourde, partner and director of marketing and sales at Pearl Street Brewery. “People like porters and stouts to come at them in layers. The smokiness introduces other flavors into the beer,” she says.

By introducing another flavor it seems this smokiness brings dark beers out of a simplified sweet or savory category and creates those layers that beer lovers are seeking.

Cherry and his team at Switchback are introducing beer lovers to different styles of smoke beers. Switchback’s smoke styles range from a French-style saison and an IPA to helles and märzen. They host the Flynn on Fire festival to feature the entire series of smoke beers.

“While the brewers of Bamberg, Germany, the worldwide mecca of smoked beer, have maintained wonderful examples of historical styles of smoked beers, we want to apply artisanal craft brewing sensibilities to develop smoked beer beyond historical and bring smoke to the 21^st century,” Cherry says.

How Do You Brew a Smoke Beer?

The use of smoked malts is the most common way of creating smoke beers and many brewers are obtaining them already smoked and ready for brewing from malt producers.

Beechwood and cherrywood are commonly used for smoking and peat moss can also be used in the process.

While these malts are commonly available, some breweries, including Alaskan Brewing Co., like to take matters into their own hands by smoking the malts themselves. Alaskan has been brewing its Smoked Porter for more than 30 years. The brewery says smoking malt gives brewers more control over the flavors in the final beer.

(More: How Long Is My Crowler Good?)

“The key for us is smoking our own malts. Since 1988 we have used the same re-purposed salmon smoker to smoke a portion of our malts over Alder wood. It’s a multi-day process to get the full smoky character we want in our malts. Alder wood is fairly unique as a smoke in the brewing world, but here in Alaska it is the traditional wood used to smoke meats and salmon,” says Communications Manager Andy Kline.

Other breweries are boldly stepping into new territory and learning that there is more than one way to smoke a beer. Short’s Brewing Company in Michigan is among the breweries who are smoking hops. Brewers there use hickory and mesquite smoked hops and brown sugar to create My Good Boy Amber Ale.

“We smoke the hops in a smoker, similar to how some chefs smoke vegetables,” explains Head Brewer Tony Hansen, “then we add these hops as a dry-hop addition, which imparts a lot of aroma and flavor into the beer.”

(Style Spotlight: Smoke Porter)

Short’s decided to use smoked hops instead of smoked malts for a couple of reasons.

“First, it sounded fun and cool. Second, most malts are smoked with beechwood or cherry. We wanted the smoke of hickory and mesquite, which we associated more with BBQ,” Hansen says.

How to Enjoy a Smoke Beer

There are ways to enhance your sipping experience when drinking smoke beer. Kline suggests serving the beer in a 12-ounce fluted glass that collects the aroma at the top of the glass.

The temperature is also important. It’s best not to serve your smoke beer straight from the beer fridge.

“Our Smoked Porter is best served at a cool, but not very cold temperature,” Alaskan’s Kline says. “Since the beer itself is sweet and fairly big-bodied, the richness of the smoke character mingles with the sweetness and can best be appreciated at a slightly warmer temperature.”

(Seek: The Independent Craft Brewer Seal)

Strategic sipping will also help you to identify and judge the delicate flavors carried through smoke beers.

“First and foremost, do not judge a smoked beer until after the third sip, minimum,” says Switchback’s Cherry. “In Bamberg they’ll tell you to wait until your third beer to judge, but the principle is the same. The first sip is surprising, and you will be hyper-focused on the smokiness. The second sip brings the realization that there is more going on in the beer than just smoke. On the third sip you just enjoy the wonderment.”

Summer Pairings for Smoke Beers from the Breweries that Make Them

Smoke beers will always have a place at the table during the winter months given that they are often rich and comforting, but their smokiness can accompany foods during warmer seasons as well.

“I like to think of smoky beers as the meat on a charcuterie board,” says Pearl Street’s Plourde. She lets them take the place of meats like prosciutto and pairs them with a mix of cheeses and fruits for an afternoon of sipping. She also suggests pairing smoke beers with summer salads because the richness of the beer can balance out a lighter meal.

(Find: A US Brewery Near You)

Cherry also favors cheese for pairing Switchback Brewing’s BISOU, smoked French-style saison. He chooses the nutty, sweet Les Pyramids goat cheese from Lazy Lady Farm in Vermont.

“Prepare to be transported to the French countryside, enjoying your beer, cheese, and baguette on a veranda overlooking the farms in the valley below,” he tells us.

As for Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Smoked Porter, Kline says, “Without a doubt, our Smoked Porter is best with, and in fact was designed to pair with, smoked salmon. Our Alder wood smoked malts combine with the sweet malt flavors of the porter and that works to highlight and stand up to the intense smoky flavors of freshly smoked Alaska salmon.”

Hansen suggests pairing Short’s hop-smoked My Good Boy with grilled meats that could otherwise be smoked, such as steaks, ribs, burgers and bratwursts because it allows the beer to bring the smoky flavor.

While that sounds delicious, you’ll want to save some room for the final course. He summarizes his pairing recommendation by saying, “For dessert, something salty or chocolatey, like bacon bourbon brownies or salted caramel pie.”

Now that sounds like a smoke beer pairing home run we can agree with!

The post The Art of Smoke Beer and How to Enjoy It appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

It’s not required that you manage hives to create a great honey beer, but brewers find that doing so keeps them in better touch with the honey’s origin and taste for producing more creative beers. Some breweries keep bees to support their farmland. The honey has become an important byproduct that’s fueled innovation in brewing. For others, the honey is the motivation — and they are happy that in seeking it, they can support a healthy agricultural ecosystem.

How Honey Influences Beer and Brewing

Regardless of the location of a hive, bees travel. Their destinations lead to the pollination of flowers, fruits, nuts and vegetables. Flavors from each come back with the bee to the hive and eventually make their way into the honey.

Through their honey, bees bring a sense of terroir to a beer.

“You’re drinking the land,” says Jacob Meglio, co-founder of Arrowood Farm-Brewery in Accord, New York. They are the first organic certified farm brewery in New York and they aim to showcase agriculture in their beers. Their beers represent seasonal change and their honey is an ideal ingredient that amplifies those differences from beer to beer.

To the trained palate, the flavor variations in honey can be striking. Brandon Jones, brewer and blender at Yazoo Brewing Company in Nashville says, “Our honey definitely has buckwheat and pepper characteristics. There is a little citrus, but it’s more of pithy grapefruit.”

The brewery manages hives near the farmlands of West Nashville and have found that their bees spend time in an area rich with herb gardens along with pine and sap trees. For Jones, it’s been rewarding to say that they have something truly unique. No other brewery has honey exactly like this to use in production. Their Abeille Wild Ale is an oak-aged tart saison that undergoes a secondary fermentation with the honey to create a brew with notes of citrus, pepper, wildflowers, and pear.

You won’t get the same results twice. That is one certainty when using local honey. Meredith Sutton is the co-owner of Service Brewing Co. in Savannah, Georgia. They have brewed their Old Guard Bière de Garde for five years as a spring seasonal.

“Each year we have used a different type of honey. We have used yaupon honey, clover, orange blossom and even one that was a mix of Tupelo and wildflower. The honey adds its own personal touch to each batch, so each spring our Old Guard has a slightly different flavor profile from the year before,” she says.

(READ: Daughter of Fallen Marine Creates Beer to Support Desert Storm War Memorial)

Lessons Learned By Brewers

The honey harvested from their bees and the beers that result are rewarding, but managing hives can present more challenges than a few bee stings. Sometimes these challenges can be a bit heartbreaking.

Service Brewing Co. has taken a break from keeping hives for the time being. Sutton says, “Every summer I have lost my hives due to mosquito spraying. Two years ago I decided to take a break for this reason. It’s an expensive hobby. When you are a natural beekeeper–meaning I do not use any pest control in my hives–you invest so much time in protecting your colony without chemicals. The fact they they are killed by that very thing is a real bummer.”

Savannah has a long history of fighting mosquitoes and while there are areas that are protected from spraying, the traveling nature of bees makes it nearly impossible to keep them safe.

Even if spraying isn’t common in your area, there is more to keeping the bees happy and healthy. Michael King, brewer at Rogue Ales & Spirits says, “It’s important to keep hives near the source of flowering plants (hops, fruit, vegetables and flowers). The area has to be well ventilated and far away from pesticides and roads as possible.”

The Oregon brewery started keeping hives as a way to provide pollination to fruits, vegetables and other products grown on the farm. The honey from their hives is a bonus to use in their beers.

Once you have the right location, colony collapse and low production of honey are still risks. Karen Killough is co-founder of Vista Brewing in Driftwood, Texas. Their apiary provides honey for their beers such as the Dreamweaver, a braggot that they made with last year’s honey harvest. They expect to experiment with a new style with the 2019 harvest coming in July. The apiary is also used for teaching the community how to keep bees. The brewery partners with local BeeWeaver Apiaries to host educational classes on beekeeping.

“The biggest challenge in managing our apiary has been the Texas heat. Some years, rain and forageable plants are plentiful. Other years, lack of rain and forageable plants create challenges for the bees to produce a bountiful honey harvest,” she says.

(READ: How Long is My Crowler Good?)

Brewing Beer with Honey

Once brewers have the honey with its locally influenced flavor characteristics, how to produce the best beer with it is an individual process. The first step? “Taste all the honey!” says Service Brewing’s Sutton.

It’s an essential step emphasized by Jones of Yazoo as well. He admits that it may seem basic, but we are often quick to trust labels and descriptions from others. Taste the honey and taste many kinds of honey so that you can start to identify the subtle flavor differences. Orange blossom and wildflower are varieties many are familiar with, but there is also radish, lavender, blackberry, meadowfoam, avocado and almond honey.

King shares that they prefer wildflower honey at Rogue. It has a strong flavor that carries through to the final product. They expose the honey to as little heat as possible and avoid adding it directly to fermentation, unless the intent is mixed fermentation.

At Vista Brewing, they add the honey just before pitching the yeast. They also warm the honey by keeping it in a warmer environment so that it is easy to pour. This is a practice also adopted by Yazoo Brewing to help reduce the loss of product due to crystallization in the bottom of buckets.

Jones uses their honey during post-fermentation at Yazoo.

“The honey has beautifully nuanced characteristics. I would rather not boil or steam those off,” he says.

Producing this type of honey beer is a longer process, Jones explains. By the time the honey is added, the yeast is dormant and it takes some time to referment. It also requires some recirculation of the honey to keep it from settling.

He also challenges some things that have grown as common knowledge when it comes to using honey. For example, many are taught that a champagne or wine yeast is required when brewing with honey.

“In my experience, this simply isn’t true,” he says. At Yazoo, they use ale yeast with much success. He says that you can use a neutral yeast, but don’t feel as though it is a requirement.

Arrowood bottle conditions their Bees Porter with honey. Meglio says, “Honey is a nice ingredient because if you give it enough time, it will ferment into alcohol. It’s interesting to experience the flavor of honey without the sweetness.”

Fermenting complex sugars takes time. The longer it ferments, the drier a sugar will be. The bottle conditioning also influences the mouthfeel of the beer differently than other sugars. He shares that the carbonation results in bigger, champagne-like bubbles versus the smaller, velvety bubbles you’d get from maple syrup.

(READ: Trendy Rosé Beers Reach New Drinkers)

Future of Bee-friendly Beers

While some ingredients in beer are clearly trends that come and go, honey does not fit into this category. If the innovation in beekeeping by breweries and the use of honey at different steps in the brewing process isn’t enough of an indication, there is the support for brewing with honey from organizations such as the National Honey Board. They have worked with breweries the past few years to host an invite-only event called the Honey Beer Summit that gathers brewers in Austin and St. Louis to learn about beekeeping, brewing with honey, and honey beer tasting.

Beer experiments are also going beyond honey for brewing to yeast from bees, and beer and food pairings centered around honey and honeycomb. Arrowood’s all-New York farmhouse saison uses isolated yeast strains from their apiary. Meanwhile, Vista Brewing pairs their apiary education with special honey-centric beer and food pairings like fresh comb honey on top of local goat cheese over their chef’s warm spent-grain sourdough served alongside a wine-barrel aged Brett ale, which is Karen’s favorite.

So don’t let honey in the name or description of a beer fool you. As interest and experimentation with bees, honey and beers continue, chances are you will end up with something complex and enjoyable that also benefits the land and is anything but boring.

The post Busy Bees: Breweries Experiment with Beekeeping to Create Local Flavor appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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Reflecting on that conversation, Chuck says, “I had the realization that I didn’t have to stay where I was.” He’d called M.J. that day to let her know he was ready to start updating his resume and his LinkedIn account for a job change. That was the key moment that prompted the action of transforming the idea Silva Brewing into a reality. “It all happened in that phone call,” Chuck says.

Starting a brewery is not a small task, even for a professional brewer. Starting a brewery as a recently married couple is an even larger task and one that some might find more challenging than they can handle. That’s not the case for M.J. and Chuck. They are a couple that knew what they wanted and took the right steps to get there.

(READ: A Conversation with Nancy Palmer, Craft Beer Industry ‘Defender’)

The Role of Personal Development

Chuck is skilled at making high-quality beer, but the couple also attributes their success to personal development and self-improvement. It’s something they both dove into in early 2014 and continue today. “We started meditating, visualizing and journaling,” says Chuck. This not only helped them set goals for what they wanted as a couple, but also what they wanted for their brewery.

Exercise was another key component. “You have to take care of yourself. The most important part of our business is that we are healthy,” says M.J. Not only do they depend on each other, but now they have employees that depend on them, too.

Even with self-care and exercise as priorities, the couple warns that these habits are easily lost in the first year of launching your own business. It requires a concentrated effort to keep them going. “It’s crazy how the business does that to you,” says M.J. She says they began gaining weight and they weren’t sleeping well. Now they schedule their exercise and set aside morning time for their meditation and journaling. “It makes a world of difference in our spirit, attitude, health and energy,” says Chuck.

Identify Strengths and Recognize Weaknesses

Chuck emphasizes that it is important to understand what you are missing from your business. He and M.J. have duties within the brewery that play to their skills and strengths as well as duties that involve collaboration. He handles the production and beer sales while M.J. focuses on the tasting room and social media. They collaborate on naming their beers and marketing. Once they understood what they could do, they were able to identify gaps that needed to be filled. Next came the decision of whether they wanted to outsource the work or learn to do it themselves.

(TRAVEL: Finding Local Beers at Hotels is Getting Easier)

Set Aside Time to be a Couple

“It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of fun. And it’s a lot of work,” says M.J. They agree that you have to schedule time to simply be a couple and not a couple talking about the business. They commit to taking a Sunday afternoon off every other week to enjoy cooking and relaxing on their patio with no work talk allowed. They also tack on a couple extra days around travel for business to enjoy the destination, camp, and have time for themselves away from the brewery.

Let Your Inspiration Guide You

“We keep things simple and eloquent,” says M.J. They strive for simplicity, flavor and the elegance to shine through in both their beers and the environment they create for their customers. “For the love of beer,” says M.J. “That’s our motto and it’s what keeps us going every single day.”

The post Couple Behind Silva Brewing Talks About Sharing a Business appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Historic Architecture at Almanac Beer Co.

Almanac Beer Co. had been contract brewing in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2011. The team was searching for a spot to call their own when they were presented with a rare opportunity. It was 30,000-square-foot space in an abandoned building at Alameda Point in Alameda, California. The area is the former home of a naval base that has seen some renovation with new businesses, breweries and distilleries over the past few years. [newsletter_signup_box]

“It looked like a cathedral to barrel aging,” says Damian Fagan, co-founder and CEO, as he thinks back to when they first toured the building with their future landlord.

(MORE: The Competitiveness of Barrel-Aging Beer in American Brewing)

The building is constructed of redwood with 37-foot-tall ceilings and has doors at each end that stand at 22 feet tall. They soon learned that the building played an important part in U.S. history during WWII.

Nodding to those towering doors, Fagan says, “Those are there because a train ran through this building.” They had to remove the tracks inside to make way for brewery equipment, but evidence of the rail line remains just outside the door.

In 1942, the building was used for dry goods storage and as a depot for navy airplane parts. A train car would roll into the building, and parts would be loaded into the car. It would then roll through to a larger building next door where the plane would be assembled. These newly built planes went off to battle in WWII.

This space has not only been instrumental in allowing the Almanac team to take their production and experimentation to the next level. Here, they feel a part of something larger and more meaningful.

“A lot of heroes worked in this building. It has a lot of really interesting meaning for me that way,” Fagan reflects.

Keeping History Alive at Home of the Brave Brewing Company

On the island of Oahu in Hawaii, Home of the Brave Brewing Company president and founder Glen Tomlinson experiences a similar draw to the history of WWII. In 1991, during the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he began offering tours to survivors and families that explored nearby fighter command posts and battlefield sites. With overwhelming popularity, it quickly became a hobby turned job.

As the 75th anniversary approached, challenges began to arise. The WWII veteran population was aging. Not only were fewer people attending tours, but the important stories and memories of WWII threatened to disappear.

(LEARN: What is Craft Beer?)

“We started asking ourselves, ‘How can we keep these stories alive?’” says Tomlinson. At that time, his son was attending college in Fort Collins, Colorado, and was suggesting starting a brewery back home. It seemed like an ideal opportunity to reach a younger crowd and keep the WWII stories alive.

The endeavor evolved into a local brewery operating with a small brewing system and beers available at their Brewseum, a spot that was a stop on the historic tours just 10 miles from Pearl Harbor.

“Our goal is to reconnect with a younger generation,” says Tomlinson. As a result, their craft beers bring an inviting touch to an educational experience in their space, which is overflowing with WWII memorabilia donated by veterans and their families.

‘Brewed with Heart’ at Newburgh Brewing Company

Along the Hudson River in New York, Newburgh Brewing Company is influenced by a military history that dates back much further than the World Wars. Just outside the window of the historic building where the brewery is located sits General George Washington’s Headquarters, where he was stationed at the end of the Revolutionary War.

It was in this space that he awarded the first Badge of Military Merit, which later became the Purple Heart. “It was the first award for enlisted soldiers,” says brewery president Paul Halayko.

As they were settling on their branding, Newburgh Brewing Company was on the search for something deep in the history of the city that could be incorporated into their logo. Brewmaster Christopher Basso was taking a tour of the headquarters when he learned of the Badge of Military Merit. He took those thoughts and ideas to their graphic artist, and the brewery’s current logo emerged along with their slogan, “Brewed with Heart.”

Three Notch’d Brewing Revels in the Revolutionary War

Also during the Revolutionary War, a thoroughfare named Three Notch’d Road ran east and west through the state of Virginia. It sits less than a quarter mile from Three Notch’d Brewing Company in Charlottesville.

It’s believed to be named for notches made in the trees to signify the trail which is the same path that Jack Jouett, the “Paul Revere of the South,” rode in 1781 to warn Governor Thomas Jefferson and other state officials of the approaching British Army.

(Find a Brewery: CraftBeer.com’s Brewery Finder)

“We all love the rich history of Charlottesville and we wanted to embrace that. The history is something we really latched onto early with branding,” says Scott Roth, Three Notch’d Road’s founder and president.

The location and history inspired their mission. “’Leave Your Mark’ became our guiding principle,” he says. Relating back to those war heroes who left their mark long ago, through great beer and collaboration, they hope to inspire patrons to leave a positive mark in their communities.

Craft Beers Offer a Taste of History

The connection of breweries to U.S. history does not end with missions, buildings and logos. They have also used their locations to inspire the styles and names of the beers that they serve.

“We released a three-part barrel aged brown ale series, each named for a recipient of the Badge of Military Merit,” says Newburgh’s Halayko. Their Russian Imperial Stout is named for the Newburgh Conspiracy, a pivotal moment in history when General George Washington overturned a planned revolt. The brewery also works closely with the state historic site for special events. Reenactors dressed in appropriate attire for the era have even served beer in their taproom.

Home of the Brave Brewing Company often names its beers after war heroes. Their flagship Taylor & Welch Pilot Pale Ale honors two brave pilots. According to Tomlinson, beer names spark questions about the famous military they are named after, providing the opportunity to educate his customers about WWII history.

The flagship beer at Three Notch’d Brewing Company carries the name 40 Mile IPA after Jack Jouett’s 40-mile ride. Their Minute Man New England Style IPA is named for the famous minutemen that also played an important role in the American Revolutionary War.

The compelling stories of their locations and strong connection that these craft breweries have to this country’s history is helping to ensure that stories carry on. These accounts range from well-known events of past wars to personal family stories of those challenging times.

Whether you go for the history or the beer, as a visitor to these historic brewery locations, you are sure to walk away saying, “I learned something today.” That is worth raising your pint in a toast to our inspiring past –and to the present and future of great craft beer.

The post Breweries Take Residence in the Country’s Most Historic Spots appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Seclusion Works to Breweries Advantage … Sometimes

The Central Valley runs the length of the center of California from just north of Sacramento to Bakersfield in the south. In recent years, the region has been experiencing its own craft beer boom as new breweries open creating a name for independent craft beer in an often forgotten part of the state.[newsletter_signup_box]

“Being secluded is both an advantage and a disadvantage,” says Ben Litwack, owner of Rocky Hill Brewing in Exeter, California. His brewery sits between citrus groves and a canal just a short detour from State Route 198 that lead straight to the gates of Sequoia National Park.

(MORE: A Beer Geek’s Travel Checklist)

He explains that Rocky Hill isn’t exactly on the way home from work for happy hour, but no one can argue with the tranquility of the space where he and his family once ran a contract packing business for wine. When the market for that was in decline, Litwack decided to give brewing a try. Now the brewery packs in fans for special bottle releases, supports local food trucks and thanks to some new outdoor upgrades, serves as a wedding venue during the cooler months in the valley.

For Don Bynum, CEO of Temblor Brewing Company, Bakersfield was the right place to share his love for beer. “We care about the community. We want to be in Bakersfield and we want to build the craft beer culture here,” he says.

After a trip to Belgium and Germany that left him questioning everything he previously knew about beer, he came home and immediately started homebrewing. It was a venture that led to opening the brewery with partners, Tom Maxwell and Derrick Miller.

Speaking of his beer travels Bynum says, “We wanted to share the passion of what we learned with the community.” That passion has turned into an inviting space in Bakersfield with indoor and outdoor seating, a full-service restaurant, and a lineup of craft beers that are ultimately inspired by his travels.

While some Central Valley breweries come about from new beginnings and world exploration, others are born from an effort to tie the past with the present. Blaker Brewing in Ceres, California, serves as a reminder of the strong connection between agriculture and brewing. Owner Tom Lucas’ family has been farming in California’s Central Valley since the 1930s. Their craft beer adventure began as a hobby in an old dairy barn as homebrewers serving at small non-profit events until they opened their new facility in 2017 that allows them to sell to the public.

“We are truly a farm-to-table brewery. We attempt to use everything we can from the farm in our beer and give back to the farm with spent grains,” explains Lucas. They have a three-year-old, quarter-acre hop yard on site growing Cascade hops. This plot will eventually grow enough hops to produce one new batch of beer a month.

Challenges for California’s Central Valley Craft Breweries

These breweries dot the valley with many others that warrant a visit. Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co., Full Circle Brewing Co. and Pine and Palm Brewing represent both long-time residents and newcomers to Fresno. Tactical OPS Brewing is another spot getting attention with tasting rooms in Fresno and Clovis. House of Pendragon Brewing Co. brews in Sanger and offers a tasting room in Clovis as well. Once only a small brewpub in downtown Turlock, Dust Bowl Brewing Co. now features an expansive family-friendly brewery and restaurant that jumps into view just off of State Route 99. Kaweah Brewing Co. recently opened a tasting room to the public in Tulare, and Dionysus Brewing Co. is another favorite of craft beer fans in Bakersfield.

Despite being spread across a rather large region, California’s Central Valley craft breweries share similar challenges. The majority of beer drinkers in this area prefer mass produced American Lagers. Litwack shares this as the reason that their most popular pick is the Rocky Hill Brewing Blonde Ale. When that isn’t an option they have managed to successfully introduce people to one of their many New England-style IPAs due to the lower bitterness.

(LEARN: Craft Beer and Cheese Style Guide)

“Our job as craft breweries is to show consumers why our product should be chosen,” Lucas says. Blaker Brewing Vanilla Bean Milk Stout is the beer that allowed them to grab consumer attention. It’s closely followed in popularity by the Plowed Under IPA.

For Temblor Brewing, Under a Blood Orange Sky, a Belgian wit, was their first beer and remains their most popular followed by the El Cerrito Mexican Style Lager. For his brewery, Bynum sees another set of challenges that are unique to his location. He says that more beer is consumed per capita to the north in Visalia and Fresno, making craft beer a more popular choice in that area than it is in Bakersfield. The culture is resistant to change in Bakersfield, but they are working to move the needle.

Central Valley Craft Brewers Predict Positive Growth

Whether these challenges will remain is yet to be determined, but the view on the future of craft beer in California’s Central Valley is consistent.

“I think we all feel like it is going to change and grow dramatically in the coming years,” says Bynum.

How do the breweries that are up and running feel about the growth? “The more the merrier,” says Lucas. The best thing for them so far has been welcoming new breweries into their space and serving as a resource for questions about how to get started.

(MORE: Seek the Independent Craft Brewer Seal)

A view that supports community over competition will serve beneficial in the long run as the growth and experimentation in California’s Central Valley craft beer show no signs of stopping. Rocky Hill Brewing is exploring the option of cans in addition to their current 22-ounce bottle releases. Temblor has a chardonnay barrel-aged Belgian beer in the works through collaboration with wineries in nearby Paso Robles. Blaker Brewing plans to offer a year-round estate pale ale brewed using hops exclusively from their hop yard.

As current breweries plow ahead and new locations open their doors, it’s an opportunity to share and grow. “We aren’t backwards here in the valley. We are progressing to improve today’s world and tomorrow’s,” says Lucas.

The post Secluded Craft Breweries in California’s Central Valley appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

The Return Voyage of Banshee Cutter Coffee Golden Ale | Insight Brewing | Minneapolis, MN

With the aromas of a light roast, Insight Brewing’s coffee golden ale shows hints of citrus and honey that lead to a crisp coffee sweetness. Its smooth creaminess is akin to a latte. Available both canned and on draft, this year-round favorite is also served on nitro.

Cafe Sour | Newburgh Brewing Company | Newburgh, NY

Newburgh Brewing Company’s Cafe Sour is an Ethiopian-inspired sour with cold brewed Yirgicheffe coffee added after fermentation. Brewmaster Christopher Basso says, “We wanted to make a coffee beer, but rather than the standard porter, stout, or brown ale, we decided to go a totally different route.” He explains that the coffee, an Ethiopian variety they source from a local roaster, Plowshares Coffee, has an acidity that their team felt would lend nicely to a sour beer.

The coffee guided the direction of the rest of the recipe and they incorporated other ingredients native to Ethiopia including teff (a grain) and Gesho (a flavoring root). Christopher says, “The result is something we believe is truly unique. The nose of the beer is rich, flavorful, dark coffee, but the beer itself is like drinking a glass of pleasantly tart iced coffee.”

(SEASONALS: 2017’s Offbeat Pumpkin Beers)

Kindling Coffee Kolsch | Burial Beer Co. | Asheville, NC

Burial Beer Co. doesn’t believe that coffee beer has to be dark. They step outside the dark beer box with the Kindling Coffee Kolsch. A Kolsch ale yeast fermented brew with a pilsner and flaked wheat base, it gets a twist from North Carolina’s Counter Culture Coffee. The coffee adds a balance of acidity and roast character to the smoothness of the malt bill.

Coffee Blonde | Four Day Ray Brewing | Fishers, IN

A year-round offering served exclusively on draft at Four Day Ray Brewing, the Coffee Blonde has a malty and sweet flavor with hints of citrus, resin and cedar. Marketing Director Brooke Killey says, “We partner with local coffee roaster Indie Coffee Roasters providing a fresh roasted small batch, single origin coffee to mingle with the flavors in our blonde recipe. The result is a refreshing marriage between citrus and roasted coffee. The blonde style allows the coffee to shine and take the lead.”

Coffee Saison | Peddler Brewing Company | Seattle, WA

On tap for fall, Peddler Brewing Company’s Coffee Saison is a classic French farmhouse ale. Brewing it with locally roasted coffee lends light citrus and earthy notes with a smooth finish. Co-Owner Haley Keller says, “We steep course ground coffee for 10 minutes at the end of the boil, so it is similar to a French press brew. This allows us to get more fruity notes out of the light roasted coffee to complement the lighter and peppery notes of the French Saison yeast.”

Tropic Blunder | Cleophus Quealy Beer Company | San Leandro, CA

On tap through October, Tropic Blunder is an imperial IPA fermented with pineapple and cold-pressed coffee from Zocalo Coffeehouse in San Leandro. Cleophus Quealy Beer Company owner and brewer, Dan Watson, describes it as a weird and wonderful beer.

“Definitely not your normal IPA! The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee imparts earthy, roasty and chocolate flavors which meld with spicy rye malt and tropical flavors of Citra and Mosaic hops,” says Dan.

(SEASONALS: More 2017 Fall Beer Releases)

Cranknbrew Coffee Pale Ale | Snowbank Brewing | Fort Collins, CO

According to Snowbank Brewing’s Sarah Barlow, “Cranknbrew was something of a successful experiment. It was originally designed as a collaborative small batch, but the beer ended up being so successful that Snowbank started to produce the beer full-time.”

The idea for the beer was driven by the thought that the fruity notes in quality coffee beans would complement the fruity notes provided by some varieties of hops. “We chose a pale ale and combined it with a “dry hop” of lots of fresh Ethiopian coffee beans roasted by our friends at Peritus Coffee Roasters down the street.” The brew is described as a “crisp and clean pale ale infused with a powerful dose of fresh, locally roasted coffee.”

Coffeetine | Libertine Brewing Company | San Luis Obispo, CA

Head brewer Stephen Ruddy says Libertine Brewing Company’s Coffeetine, a golden sour with coffee, comes about when they find the right coffee or the mood suits them. Stephen says, “Our last few batches have been partnerships with Honey Co. Coffee roasters here in San Luis Obispo and we have tried to pair the coffees with our Wild Golden Ale, from our foeder, in much the same way you would find hops or fruit that match the profile. Since ours is a golden base we go for some light acidity, floral and fruit notes, and try not to add any color.” He describes the most recent batch as having tropical fruit notes from the coffee that is likely unexpected when you are used to the dark roasts often used in darker beers.

Coffeetine has limited bottle production, but it’s currently on the draft rotation at Libertine’s Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo locations. If you miss out this fall, it’s likely the next batch will be available to the brewery’s Member Club in the spring.

The post Unexpected Fall Coffee Beers: Goldens, Sours & Saisons appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

We asked brewers and brewery founders across the country to share their favorite craft beer and food pairings. The results will inspire you to think outside the box the next time you choose a perfect bite for your favorite beer.

(MORE: SAVOR’S 10th Anniversary Brings Exciting Changes)

Danny McMahon, Door County Brewing Co. Head Brewer

Pastoral Farmhouse Ale + Pad Thai

“We brew a lot of Belgian beers and that style lends itself so well to food,” says Danny McMahon of Door County Brewing Co. in Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin. He got his start homebrewing in college and eventually went to brewing school. When his family had the opportunity to open a brewery in Bailey’s Harbor, he was a clear fit for head brewer.

(MORE: CraftBeer.com Flavor Triangle)

McMahon shares that living in a rural area, they don’t have access to a wide variety of Asian-inspired ingredients. But there is one Asian dish his family makes often, and it is his favorite to pair with their Pastoral Farmhouse Ale. “Pad Thai is one thing we can find all the ingredients for so we make a lot of Pad Thai at home,” he says. “Belgian saisons have super dry spice complex without bombarding you with 50 different flavors,” he says. This allows for the aromatics and spiciness of Southeast Asian foods, specifically their Pad Thai, to pair well with the juicy character of the yeast and the aromatics of the saison.

Ting Su, Eagle Rock Brewery Co-Founder

Yearling American Wild Ale + Lamb

“I grew up in a restaurant family so I am essentially the palate for the team,” says Eagle Rock Brewery co-founder, Ting Su. That team includes Su along with her husband and her father-in- law who were avid homebrewers before the three opened the brewery in Los Angeles. Su is also the founder of the Women’s Beer Forum, an educational forum that meets once per month and has hosted as many as 70 participants per meeting. “We incorporate pairings quite a bit,” she says, adding that a recent forum topic was pairing beer with baking.

Su’s favorite pairing is their Yearling, an American wild ale, with gamey meat, specifically lamb. “The funkiness matches really nicely with the gaminess,” she says as she explains why the beer works so well with the meat. It’s a balance of the richness that comes from the meat with the acidity of the wild ale.

Jason Alexander, Free Range Brewing Co-founder & Brewer

Cream of the Crop Cream Ale + Eastern Carolina Barbecue

When asked about his favorite food to pair with beer, brewer, Jason Alexander, immediately says, “Eastern Carolina barbecue.” “Whole hog, wood-smoked and vinegar-based sauce. Those are non-negotiable,” he states when asked to define that type of barbecue.

At Charlotte’s Free Range Brewing, their beers change all the time, but they do keep one staple beer on the menu and it is his favorite to pair with the barbecue. Cream of the Crop, a cream ale brewed with North Carolina malted grains, has a crisp sweetness that is balanced by the acidity of the pig. Alexander also adds, “Cornbread or hush puppies are served with it and they augment the flavor of the beer.”

But for him, this pairing is as much about the company as the flavors. Eastern Carolina barbecue is almost always a gathering food. “It’s not just eating, but eating with people you care about being around,” says Alexander. It makes both the food and the beer comforting and delicious.

Bailey Spaulding, Jackalope Brewing Co. CEO & Brewmaster

Rampo Red Rye Ale + Banana Pudding

Jackalope Brewing Company in Nashville was established because of brewmaster Bailey Spaulding’s love for beer. She describes it as, “A passion for creating something, and the perfect blend of art and science.” The brewmaster also adds, “Being an active part of your community is a fun way to spend your time.”

According to Spaulding, one of their beers that has somewhat of a local cult following is Rampo, a red rye ale. She describes it as being like an Irish red, but with some spice that comes from the rye. Her pick for a pairing? Banana pudding. Specifically, banana pudding from the popular hot chicken spot, Haddie B’s. “It has a nice malty backbone. Rye gives it some spice and it dries out in the finish,” Spaulding says of the beer. It’s these qualities that balance out the sweet creaminess of the dessert.

Robyn Schumacher, Stoup Brewing Co-Founder & Brewer

Stoup’s Robust Porter + Short Ribs

Robyn Schumacher’s brewing inspiration comes from the camaraderie of the brewing community and the joy of harvesting the power of living organisms to create a beverage that brings happiness. “Before I’d even tried craft beer, I loved the communal aspect of drinking beer with friends at parties, around campfires and in loud bars,” says the brewer and Certified Cicerone.

(WATCH: Stoup Brewing on the Art & Science of Craft Beer)

Regarding her favorite food and beer pairing, “There are so many delicious options! Don’t make me choose!” she jokes. She shares that there is a strong Vietnamese community in Seattle and that her wife is Vietnamese making the cuisine one of her go-to favorites. Vietnamese short ribs with Stoup Brewing Robust Porter is her favorite combination. Schumacher explains, “The short ribs are slightly sweet so the maltiness of the porter complements the dark, caramelized sugars. We use several types of roasted malts in our porter, so the grilled beef and the roasted malts are a natural complement. The roasted malts also cut the richness of the beef fat very well.”

Steph Cope, CraftHaus Brewery Founding Brewer

Evocation Saison + Grilled/Poached Fish & Seafood

A 12-month tour of the U.S. beer scene by Las Vegas’ CraftHaus Brewery’s Steph Cope laid the foundation for the beers they offer. “We identified key elements of our favorite breweries that we eventually emulated at CraftHaus Brewery. For example, we specialize in fewer (albeit still broad) styles, namely Belgian-styles and IPA’s – the two styles I enjoy drinking and brewing the most,” says the founding brewer.

It’s one of these Belgian styles that she enjoys pairing with food, the CraftHaus Evocation Saison. She likes it best with grilled or poached fish and seafood. “Our saison has subtle notes of lemon, pepper and rye-spiciness. It is also dry and effervescent so it lends itself well to be paired with seafood dishes, helping balance any saltiness or oiliness of the dish.” She sometimes takes things a step further and, in addition to pairing the beer with fish, she cooks with it, too. “I also enjoy using saison to poach the fish, then use the leftover broth to create a sauce. This brings out the nuanced flavors of the saison,” she shares.

Harvey Kenney, Great Raft Brewing Chief Brewer

Pale Lager + Raw Fish

A career that began in biotech eventually led Harvey Kenney back to his love for beer and brewing. It’s a journey that has taken him from California to Turkey, and currently to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he is the chief brewer at Great Raft Brewing. “Our inspiration is often from within and based on what we want to be drinking. A hoppy lager or funky saison. We brew what we like to drink,” Kenney says.

(READ: IBUs: Fact, Fiction and Their Impact on Your Beer)

His pick for a favorite beer and food pairing is a pale lager with raw fish. “The clean refreshing aspects of a good lager pairs beautifully with the delicate flavors of a good raw fish dish like Poke or sashimi. Both are perfect for showcasing quality, but not intensity of flavor,” he explains. He also adds the same beer is a nice match for onion or vinegar-based salad dressings and the shoestring fried onions you can often find atop hamburgers.

Cole Corbin, Maine Beer Company Director of Brewing Operations

Lunch IPA + Fruit Tart

For many, craft beer is their second career, but few spent career number one as an aerospace engineer, or what we commonly refer to as a “rocket scientist.” But this is the path for Cole Corbin whose past as an avid homebrewer led to a career switch making him Director of Brewing Operations at Maine Beer Company in Freeport. “What draws me to making beer is that it’s the perfect balance between science and art; using my creativity to come up with recipes with unique hop flavor combinations, while also using my scientific and engineering background to consider the variables during recipe design.”

Corbin’s perfect pairing is Maine Beer Company’s Lunch IPA with Chef Emil’s Passion Fruit Tart at Sur Lie, a restaurant in Portland, Maine. “This pairing was so special and memorable for me because I’ve never had a dessert paired with an IPA before,” says Corbin. When explaining how the beer and dessert worked together, he says, “The tropical fruit flavor and aroma in our Lunch IPA melded seamlessly with the bright passion fruit flavors of the tart; each enhanced the intensity of the other and elevated both to a whole new level.”

Kathy Davis, Abbey of the Holy Goats Founder, CEO and Brewer

The Goat’s Obsession Belgian-Style India Dark Ale + Dimmed Duck with Maple Syrup and Orange Glaze

“I was introduced to Belgian beers and fell in love,” says Kathy Davis, “Head Goat” and brewer at Abbey of the Holy Goats, as she shares about her journey in craft beer. Before opening the brewery, she went back to school to better understand the business side of brewing, and spent time perfecting her beers, centering them around food pairings.

Her favorite food pairing goes with their Belgian-style India dark ale, a beer she describes as being like a Belgian dark strong, but hopped up. “I pair it with dimmed duck that has a maple syrup, orange glaze. The richness of the duck is balanced perfectly against the bitterness of the hops, but the malty background of the beer brings out the smoky notes of the duck,” Davis says.

Randy Mosher, 5 Rabbit Cervecería Active Partner

Yodo Café con Leche Imperial Porter + Italian Piave (cheese)

An active member of the brewing team at 5 Rabbit Cervecería in Bedford Park, Illinois, Randy Mosher shares that the brewery considers its job to represent the culture of Latin America by brewing beers that tell stories. “We formulated our first three beers around certain types of food,” says Mosher. As an example he explains that 5 Lizard, a passion fruit witbier, is a creamy, acidic, fruity beer tinged with fresh lime peel making it perfect for ceviche and other light seafood and vegetable dishes.

When it comes to his favorite beer and food pairing, though, Mosher turns to cheese. When asked which beer and cheese is a favorite combination, he says, “With the Yodo Café con Leche Imperial Porter, I’ve enjoyed an Italian Piave.” He explains that it’s a hard cheese comparable to Parmigiana, but slightly rounder and sweeter. “This brings a meatiness and a hint of salted caramel to the pair, relating to the coffee roastiness and the dulce de leche. Dairy and chocolatey notes are another layer. Because it’s a fairly strong beer, there’s enough alcohol and carbonation to scrub the fat off the palate,” says Mosher.

The post 10 Beer and Food Pairings That Wow Craft Brewers appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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Beet IPA (BIPA) from Bleeding Heart Brewery in Palmer, Alaska

This northwest coast style American IPA has a bright red color that comes from locally grown and harvested organic red beets that are cleaned, peeled, chopped and juiced in-house. A small amount of pure juice is added to the beer while it carbonates in the bright tank. Bleeding Heart describes BIPA as having an aggressive citrusy hop aroma with a touch of beet earthiness and pine aroma. Stone fruit flavors from the Amarillo hops gently fade to a nice balance of sweetness from the organic beet juice and clean bitterness from the Columbus hops.

WELD Rhubarb Sour Ale from Tin Man Brewing Company in Evansville, Indiana

The tartness of rhubarb combined with a sour ale has one prepared for a first sip that is sure to cause a pucker, but this beer leaves the taste buds pleasantly surprised. Robust with rhubarb, it has a mellow sweetness that creates a balanced, drinkable brew.

Also look for: Tomato Gose – A seasonal release, this tasty Gose pairs perfectly with any brunch. Tomatoes, poblano peppers, cucumber and spices meld together with the slight sour and saltiness of the gose style, making for a refreshing beer.

Autumn Maple from The Bruery in Placentia, California

An autumn seasonal beer, this Belgian-style brown ale is brewed with 15 pounds of yams per barrel and provides a welcomed variation to popular pumpkin beers. Spices, vanilla, molasses, maple syrup and fermentation with a traditional Belgian yeast strain creates a bold and comforting brew.

Squash Bucket from The FarmHouse Brewery in Owego, New York

Founder and brewer, Marty Mattrazzo, says, “We love to support our local county farms by incorporating local fruits and veggies wherever we can.” This leads to more obvious inclusions of ingredients like fresh berries in their beers, but also to some uncommon additions like the squash in their Squash Bucket, a light, crisp cream ale made with yellow summer squash. This favorite is one of the brewery’s many locally grown beers that also uses malt and hops grown and processed in New York. With an ABV of 4 percent, it’s a smooth beer that can be sipped all season long.

Also look for: Genovese Tomato Basil Saison and Don’t Miss a Beet Saison – In the Genovese, the basil is first apparent on the nose. Once tasted, the basil and tomato are mild with the tomato adding some acidity that blends well with the Belgian saison. Don’t Miss a Beet is a saison made with local beets. This red beer with a pink head has a balanced beet flavor up front with a solid French-style saison finish.

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Cucumbier from Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co in Fresno, California

One sip and you know that the crisp cucumber and bright pilsner were meant to be together. Hundreds of pounds of locally sourced organic cucumbers are hand-peeled and juiced to produce this well-balanced, refreshing beer. Its subtle cucumber flavor blends well with the aromas and flavors contributed by Bohemian malts and Saaz hops.

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Nacho Bait from Country Boy Brewing in Lexington, Kentucky

A blonde ale aged on fresh habanero peppers, this beer has a subdued heat that is pleasantly drinkable. This is accomplished by partially removing seeds and veins from the habaneros to decrease the heat and bring out the mango and peach flavors hidden in the peppers. The comfortable heat and hints of stone fruit blend with the malty notes of the base that brings out a mild, corn-chip like flavor.

Also look for: Barreled Jalapeno Smoked Porter and Mexican Chocolate Stout – The smoked porter uses fresh jalapenos and is aged for 3 to 6 months in bourbon barrels. The stout is brewed with ancho, mulatto, pasilla and arbol chilies and aged in rum barrels.

The post New Year’s Resolution: Drink Your Veggies! appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout Mustard from Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

Foods that pair well with beer tend to call for a good mustard. This brown mustard has the rich sweetness of the oatmeal stout that is used to make it. It’s an ideal spread for brats and it adds the perfect touch to leftover holiday ham sandwiches.

Hopyard Cheddar from Rogue Ales & Spirits and Rogue Creamery

This complex cheese uses Rogue Ale’s Freedom Hops from Chatoe Rogue Hop Farm to create a floral flavor that is blended with a sweetness of brown butter and hazelnuts. It’s a cheddar that shows how well hops can be used as an ingredient in things beyond beer to create balance in each bite.

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Cascade Hop Salt from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

This salt shows off another culinary use for aromatic hops. It can be used while cooking or as a finishing salt to add a touch of hoppy flavor to everything from roasted vegetables to grilled meats, French fries, and salad dressings.

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Beer Flavored Kettle Chips from Sprecher Brewing Company

Chips are a classic crispy snack to pair with any beer, but these kettle chips from Sprecher have the beer built right in. The beer creates a touch of malty sweetness that combines well with the expected salty crunch of a kettle chip.

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Hopped-Up Devil Ice Cream from Victory Brewing Company

Victory Brewing Company uses the wort from their brews to create innovative ice cream flavors. They combine the wort from their HopDevil IPA with cinnamon, cayenne, crushed coffee beans and chocolate flakes to create this deliciously wild flavor. Their ice creams are a product that comes full circle by blending the wort with milk from the local cows that feast on their spent grains.

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Salted Orange Wheat Beer Caramels from SunnysideLOCAL Produce and Nursery with Hangar 24 Craft Brewery

A 2015 Good Food Awards Winner, these caramels use Hangar 24 Orange Wheat Beer to complement the orange flavors from the fruit grown by SunnsideLOCAL Farm. The combination creates a soft candy that is balanced in sweetness with a touch of salty bite.

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Beer Peanuts from Sugar Plum Chocolates, Inc. with Susquehanna Brewing Co.

This snack redefines what it means to eat peanuts while drinking beer. The nuts are hand-roasted and kettle-cooked with one of two Susquehanna Brewing Company’s beers, Hopcellerator West Coast IPA or Pils Noir Schwarzbier. Can’t decide? Order the duo tin with both flavors.

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Ruination Mustard Grill Sauce from Stone Brewing

With hoppy notes from the IPA paired with curry, this sauce adds an unexpected twist when brushed over grilled favorites like chicken and pork chops. It also makes a great post-grilling condiment for burgers and there is definitely no shame in stirring a bit into the potato salad.

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Mama’s Little Yella Pils Saaz Hoppin’ Honey Siracha Sauce from Oskar Blues Brewery

There are few foods that aren’t made better by a heavy dash of hot sauce. When that sauce is sweet, spicy and spiked with Mama’s Little Yella Pils, more than a heavy dash may be in order. This sauce is a win-win for craft beer lovers and diehard sriracha fans.

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Pike Kilt Lifter BBQ Sauce from Pike Brewing Co.

Pulled pork and ribs taste better than when basted with the right barbecue sauce. This sauce blends the Pike Kilt Lifter ale with peated malt for a subtle smoky flavor. It leans more towards sweet and smoky than spicy, but the flavors are well balanced with seasonings like allspice, cayenne, and cloves.

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