MankerBeer.com

Photo: Jason South/theage.com.au

We have seen pre-Copenhagen Beer Celebration interviews with brewers from China, Japan and New Zeeland – as well as with brewers from the western side of the world but lets stick to the eastern countries, or more specifically Australia. Mountain Goat Brewery is not only one of the more famous Aussie craft breweries but also great proof that beer can be brewed everywhere where someone with the passion for proper beer decides to set up shop. We had a talk with Cam Hines, co-founder and owner of the brewery that have been around for quite a while and since moving 2004 to a new building in North St, Richmond have been in the forefront of a sustainable environment, as an extra their beers are vegan friendly. Australia has not been famous for their craft beer scene and most pubs have been owned by one of the larger breweries, with little room for craft beers on the free taps, so despite being around for over 15 years 2012 marked the year when they for the first time could pay tax on their profits. Like in the rest of the world the winds are chaning and the world wide craft beer scene is growing, but it has taken time. When Mountain Goat first opened they produced 6.000 liters, last year they producted over 1 million litres and with more pubs opening up free taps for craft beer the beer revolution is progressing faster for every day. Let the Q&A begin.

Manker Beer: Not all beer festivals have Aussie craft breweries attending; but Copenhagen Beer Celebration sees both Mountain Goat and 8 Wired (although from New Zeeland). What can you tell us about your brewery and yourself?
Cam Hines (CH): We started back in 1997 after Dave and I saw craft beer in North America for the first time. Up until that point I really wasn’t very interested in beer because Australia really only had one type of boring lager on offer. So we changed that and went about trying to convert the local people of Melbourne. I has taken a long time but we are now growing very quickly. Makes me glad we stuck at it.

MB: You and fellow founder Dave Bonighton founded the brewery in 1996, a lot has happened since then – both in Australia but also in the rest of the craft beer world. What is your view on the craft beer revolution that we have seen the last couple of years, could one see it coming back when you started?
CH: We absolutely always thought craft beer would take hold internationally. It has just taken a lot longer than we hoped. But at least it’s happening at last we can be part of it all.

MB: You started shipping beer to the US in 2011 (an IPA and the Hightail Ale), how many international markets do you currently ship to? Is there room for new ones?
CH: We have shipped a bit of beer to the US and Sweden and a dribble into Singapore and Hong Kong. It is very early days for us and yes I think there is opportunity for more export markets in the future. We just have too be able to keep up with production first.

MB: CBC is a great meeting platform with brewers-only events, for you personally what do you look forward to the most with CBC?
CH: I have never been to Copenhagen so first up that is exciting to me. But to get all these great breweries together from around the globe is going to be awesome. I’m sure we we will get to meet some great brewers and beer geeks!

MB: It seems as if more and more Australian brewpubs look beyond their local market? What is the status of the Australian craft beer scene?
CH: In the last two years good beer has really started to take hold in Australia in a big way. What is really cool is that many bars / pubs are not renewing their tap contracts with the big breweries and instead are putting some great craft beer. The momentum is building by the day so it will be exciting to see how far we can take it here.

MB: You have made a couple of collaborations, some only with Australian breweries; among them Abbey Collabbey which has been made twice now together with Matilda Bay and Moondog, if I’m correct? How did you come up with the idea for Abbey Collabbey?
CH: Basically there are two other breweries very close by to us in Melbourne. We thought why not get us all together and see what comes of it? It’s been a lot of fun.

MB: In 2011 Mountain Goat made the first international collaboration for an Aussie brewery and together with one of my favorite British breweries Thornbridge you brewed Thorny Goat. Has this collaboration and the collaborations among Aussie breweries made it easier for future collaborations by putting Australia on the beer map?
CH: Yeah I think first and foremost it’s just great top get like-minded brewers together. For sure it helps spread the word too and that is a bonus.

MB: How is an average day in Cam Hines life and how has it changed along the growth of the brewery?
CH: My average day has changed a great deal in the last two years. At last we have been able to employ more staff and those staff do their jobs very well. So much better than Dave and I trying to do everything ourselves. So finally we are starting to work on the business rather than in it. I oversee our sales manager, financial controller and bar manager and then they all have many staff that report to them. My business partner Dave looks after everything to do with production and now has a head brewer who sits below him. We’ve both travel a reasonable amount these days, meeting with distribution partners, trade etc.

MB: What breweries do get inspired by and admire the most?
CH: I really like the little guys that are fresh and new and I also have a huge amount of respect for more established breweries that have opted to stay independent. The challenges just keep getting thrown at you and I admire tenacity a great deal.

MB: Which Mountain Goat beer is your favorite and which one do you think could be improved or is the least satisfied with?
CH: I am enjoying our IPA at the moment and we brew a stout called Surefoot in winter. I like that a lot. We are doing some tweaking on our Hightail right now. Just some gentle tweaking to get it to the best place we can

MB: What should beer fans really not miss at Copenhagen Beer Celebration?
CH: Fancy Pants is a nice one. Nothing crazy, just a nice fruity amber ale that is very drinkable. It’s a hot climate here, so we have learned to make beers with flavour that you can drink a few of.

We are really exited to try some more Aussie brews at CBC and we are thankful for the time set aside by Cam for our little interview. The full list of beers at CBC can be found through this link and the below listing of the beers Cam is bringing is subjective to change. Pinks gets to try them all.

Mountain Goat CBC Beer List:

• Hightail Ale
• Steam Ale
• IPA
• Rapunzel
• Lil Sister
• Surefoot Stout
• Bubble and Squeak
• Abbey Collabey
• Fancy Pants

Photo: Anchoragepress.com

I have had a little over 3.500 different beers and despite the lack of great number skills or amazing memory I tend to remember the beers that has passed my beer marinated body. Some I remember better than others, some only with difficulty – but still, I respect the product enough to at least keep a snapshot of where and when I had them. One beer that really stand out is Love Buzz Saison by Anchorage Brewing Company, a beer I bought at Ølbutikken Copenhagen and served at a beer tasting with a couple of friends. At the time I didn’t know that much of the brewery, or the beer but after only a few quick sips of Love Buzz I was stuck – this was just incredible, I wanted more, demanded more. Beer by beer my knowledge of the brewery came to change and from being a brewery I didn’t know it has become one of my favorite breweries with the special touch of brettanomyces to traditional beer styles. At Copenhagen Beer Celebration I hope more beer lovers who might not yet have tried any of Gabe Fletchers beers will have the chance to. To give you an idea of the philosophy of Gabe and what the brewery is all about we present you with the following read, enjoy (if you want more, I recommend this interview).

MankerBeer (MB): Before starting up Anchorage Brewing Company in 2010/2011 you used to work at another famous and appreciated brewery from Anchorage, Midnight Sun. How come you decided to leave 13 years of brewing at Midnight Sun to open your own all-brett, all-barrel aged brewery?
Gabe Fletcher (GF): I was just tired of doing production style brewing, where everything was always rushed. It’s every brewers dream to own their own brewery, and I though it was my time. I had come up with a good plan in my head, so I went for it! Most breweries focus on mainstream production beers and have a little fun on the side making some specially beers, Well, I wanted to make specialty beers all the time! I also wanted to keep the brewery small and very few employees.

MB: After running the brewery as a one-man project you hired Jeremiah Boone to help you out, still all of your beers are sold before they’re even made. What is the next step for the brewery and what motivates you?
GF: The next step is a new brewery that I’m currently working on. It will be the final resting place for the brewery. I have just ordered the brew house and am working on the plans now. I won’t be making a lot more beer, mainly I will have more room to age. I have 8 more 60 to 110 barrel founders coming in as well! There will be a nice small tasting room attached and a dedicated coolship room as well. There are may things that motivates me, but my main motivation is my family. I feel very lucky!

MB: With limited capacity, do you ever get frustrated by not being able to supply the eager beer fans who wants to try your beer or do you feel that your pace of growing suits you?
GF: I don’t ever want to flood any market with my beer. I like to spread it around to many places, so its always a treat for someone. When you have something all the time, you might start to loose interest. I want to make the beers at my own pace and always put the beer before any sort of schedule.

MB: You barrel age all of your beers and in my opinion the choice of barrels really complement the character of the different beers – how do you decide what barrels will work for the different beers?
GF: For my taste, I generally try and stay away from American oak, and stick with mainly French oak. The American oak tends to be too overpowering for me and it can detract from the beer. As far as what was aged in them before i got the barrels, I try and match up white wine barrels with my lighter beers and red wine with my darker beers. In the darker beers I will also mix in some spirit barrels, like Cognac or whiskey, maybe a blend of 3/4 Red wine barrels and 1/4 Whiskey barrels to give it some more complexity. I don’t like it when you have a whiskey barrel aged beer and all you can taste is Whiskey and Vanilla, the actual beer gets lost and becomes one dimensional.

MB: Copenhagen Beer Celebration is both a place for beer drinkers and brewers and some of the top brewers of the world will attend – which brewers or breweries have inspired you the most throughout the years, and why?
GF: It seems like my inspirations change all the time as I grow as a brewer. I’m always looking to improve and it seems information and new ways of doing things is never ending. Vinnie at Russian River has been a big inspiration for me. He has helped me out quite a bit since starting this new brewery. I never want to just copy people though, I take the help that people give me, then try and incorporate it into something new. A lot of what I do just comes from my head though. Shaun Hill from Hill Farmstead has inspired me recently. I like the beers he makes and the way he runs his brewery. He’s coming up to a beer fest I’m doing on April 20th and we decided to make an IPA to pour the week of the fest. I’m brewing it before he comes up, but I wanted to make it just like he does in Vermont. It’s been interesting to see how he make beer vs how I make beer. I’ve learned a few things through the process.

MB: When not brewing beer yourself, what beers do you prefer yourself?
GF: It depend on the situation. If I’m doing a bunch of construction type stuff on a hot day at the house, there’s something about a really cold Pilsner Urquell that I just love. Dupont Saison is another beer I drink frequently. Also, any really fresh, juicy IPA. Edward is pretty Killer! Anything really good and unique!

MB: There is a collaboration coming together with Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead, now ranked #1 brewery in the world – what can you tell us about it?
GF: That’s something we’ve been talking about for a while. I’m actually from Vermont and all of my family lives there. Shaun distributes my beers in Vermont for me and sells them at his brewery too. Every time I go down to visit my family I never seem to have enough time to get out to his place and brew. So, when I decide to do The Culmination Festival, I invited him up, so we could hang out and brew a batch. Well we actually decide to make a beer under his Grassroots label and distribute it through my network with the Shelton Brothers. It will be a Saison fermented in foudres with 3 different yeast involved. 2 brett strains and a saison strain, then bottle conditioned. There will be 1300 cases made, so it will make it around to a lot of the different states.

MB: Playing with brett and oak casks seems to be like playing with fire if you don’t know what you’re doing – what beer have you been least proud of?
GF: None yet;) I always put everything into every beer at Anchorage Brewing Company. If I did make one I didn’t like, It would go down the drain.

MB: Beer and cheese is something I can never get tired of, what cheese would you pair your beers with?
GF: A nice, Funky brie with a little honey drizzled on top with the Galaxy White IPA.

MB: The beer community seems like such a big friendly family; what are the best things with being a brewer?
GF: For me, it’s the whole creative process. And the freedom I have owning my own brewery. The camaraderie in the brewing industry is pretty amazing. I love starting with an idea in my head, brewing the beer, coming up with the name, designing the label, and in the end you have a beautiful work of art.

MB: What should beer fans really not miss at Copenhagen Beer Celebration?
GF: One of the beers is called A Deal with the Devil. I’s a 17.3% ABV Barleywine that was aged in Cognac Barrels for a year. No Brett;) It’s pretty Epic.

We salute Gabe for setting aside some time to answer our questions and we are exited to try all the beers he is bringing to CBC – do not miss out on any of them (go pink!) as, in my opinion, there are few US breweries like Anchorage.  You find his list of beers below and through this link you can find the full list of beers being served at CBC! Changes may occur! Rock on!

Anchorage CBC Beer List:

• The Tides and its Takers Triple
• Anadromous Black Sour
• Love Buzz Saison
• Rondy Brew White IPA
• Galaxy White IPA
• A Deal with the Devil Barleywine

Photo: Brewchief.com

So far we have had interviews with breweries from New Zeeland (Sören Eriksen/8 Wired), China (Michael Jackson/Boxing Cat Brewery), Denmark (Amager Bryghus) and the US (most lately Doug Dozark/Cycle Brewing), just to mention a few. Copenhagen Beer Celebration will host not only breweries from 8 different countries (AUS, US, DK, NO, CH, BR, JP, NZ) but will have beer lovers from unexpected countries such as Turkey, India, United Arab Emirats and Brazil – beer lovers unite. Suitable enough we have an interview with Bryan Baird from Japanese brewery Baird Brewing to share with you all on this day of many origins. Baird Brewing attended CBC 2012 and now at CBC 2013 they are bringing it one more time, so check out what Bryan has to say about the Japanese beer culture, his own journey in the life of beer and what they are pouring at CBC.

MankerBeer (MB): You graduated from John Hopkins SAIS within the area of Japan Studies; from where comes your fascination with Japan and why did you end up starting a brewery there and not in the US?
Bryan Baird (BB): I first visited Japan as a newly minted 22-year-old liberal arts college graduate who wasn’t yet sure what to do with his life. I became fascinated with Japan in college primarily through a course I took on modern Japanese history. As a English language teacher in Osaka I instantly fell in love with the country and its culture. I stayed on for three years working and studying before returning to the U.S. for graduate school studies. After my first year in Japan, though, I knew that I wanted to be involved with the country for the rest of my life. During graduate school in the mid-1990s, Japan underwent a period of economic deregulation which, among other things, lead to the birth of Japan’s craft beer movement. This captured my attention as a passionate beer enthusiast and ultimately led to my determination to pursue craft brewing in Japan.

MB: After completing the American Brewers Guild’s 3-month intensive brewing science and engineering program you had an apprenticeship at
Redhook, before that how much practical brewing experience did you have and what experience have you brought with you from Redhook?
BB: I had no practical brewing experience before attending the Guild program and apprenticing at Redhook. To be honest, the experience at Redhook was mainly valuable for showing me how I didn’t want to pursue craft beer brewing. Redhook was a big craft brewery back in 1997 and the vibe around the place was very corporate. Brewers were treated more as factor inputs than skilled artisans. I never forgot that. At the end of the day it is brewers who make beer, it is not the equipment. The equipment constitutes an important tool, but it is human passion, judgement and skill that lend to craft beer its soul.

MB: Baird have been around for a relatively long time; as an American living in Japan what is your view on the ongoing US craft beer movement over the last ten years?
BB: In a word, phenomenal! The American craft brewers have really led the way with their passion and irreverent creativity. The craft beer movement in the U.S. is a representative microcosm of all that is good about American culture.

MB: We find more and more of your beers in the Nordic countries, how many countries do you distribute to and what are the future distribution/expansion plans?
BB: We are about to break ground on a new greenfield brewery where are initial capacity will be around 20,000 HL expandable to 60,000 or 70,000 HL. We hope to be producing Baird Beer there by December of this year. With that new capacity you will see us become more proactive on the export front. We are just getting started in our efforts to export Baird Beer to Europe.

MB:  In an article from 2010 it seemed as your predicament for the short-term beer revolution in Japan wasn’t looking to bright, with too many craft breweries of less quality, has that changed?
BB: Craft beer in Japan only accounted for 0.3 percent or so of the beer market in 2010. I haven’t seen more recent statistics but I don’t imagine that is too much higher than that. The truth of the matter is that out of more than 200 craft breweries in Japan, perhaps only 20 or so are really growing. The vast majority of makers are for the most part unknown and becoming more so. Japanese consumers are very sophisticated and for more of them to become excited about craft brewing, more breweries have to be crafting a broader array of outstanding beer. This is now happening. I am optimistic about the future.

MB: From where does the Japanese breweries take their inspiration? The few local Japanese craft brewed beers I’ve tried don’t seem as influenced by other ‘beer traditions’ as I expected?
BB: I don’t think I can answer this question as I don’t believe there is a single or main source of inspiration. That is part of the problem: too many Japan craft breweries have no philosophical underpinning to their beer brewing methods. That said, some of the better breweres clearly have sources of inspiration (eg. Swan Lake Brewery in Niigata brews beautifully clean ales inspired by the American craft beer culture; Fujizakura Kogen in Yamanashi prefecture brews a wonderful lineup of German-inspired beer – particurlarly noted for its weizen brewing; Shiga Kogen in Nagano prefecture is an old-line sake maker whose beer is eclectic and interesting and probably influenced by several sources).

MB: Any specific local Japanese breweries should one keep an eye on in the future?
BB: See above comment.

MB: What would you say are the main influences of the beers Baird produce? Do you try to be Japanese with an American twist or American with a Japanese twist – or maybe just be Baird?
BB: I am first and foremost a beer enthusiast who enjoys the breadth and diversity inherent in beer. I drink very broadly and appreciate all classic beer cultures. In that sense, I am very American in my approach to brewing. My taste preferences, though, are very heavily influenced by Japanese culinary culture where balance and harmony of flavor are highly prized. We strive to brew beers of character, which we define as the interplay of balance and complexity. I think many American craft beers give short shrift to balance. They taste interesting for half a pint or so, but by the end of the glass the drinker’s pallete is exhausted and she will not want to order another. The drinker should always want or be tempted to order another – that is balance.

MB: What challenges are there with brewing in Japan when it comes to legislation, markets or maybe the beers that people tend to prefer – which affects what you might brew or how you can develop?
BB: The legal landscape for brewing in Japan is very reasonable and fair. The only drawback, and it is a big one, is the extremely high taxation applied to beer. We brew beers that we love and think very little about the consumer market. I would be brewing Baird Beer in the same way no matter where I was located.

MB: Copenhagen Beer Celebration have breweries from all parts of the world this year; being among the more remote ones (seen from a European perspective) how important are events like this for you – both for the brewery but also for you as a brewer?
BB: Events like this are fun; they are very satisifying to participate in and that is what is most important. Beer enthusiasts everywhere tend to be very interesting, well-educated people and it is a pleasure meeting and interacting with them. Moreover, meeting with and drinking other brewer’s beer is a terrific way to find new inspiration. Personally, I have never been to Copenhagen and having beer as an excuse to visit is a pretty cool thing.

MB: What should beer fans at Copenhagen Beer Celebration really not miss?
BB: We will be pouring a wide selection of Baird Beer but two in particular are rare and brewed with unique local Japanese ingredients – (1) Fruitful Life Collaboration Ale (together with Mikkeller) which is fruited with five varieites of fresh local citrus fruit, and (2) CBC Celebration Ale which is a herbal ale incorporating Japanese green tea leaves and fresh wasabi. These are not to miss!

Thank you Bryan for taking the time to answer our questions! The list of beers at CBC is growing for everyday, while you have Baird Brewings beers below you can find the full list of beers at this link. Changes may occur and not all beers will be served during all sessions.

Baird Brewings CBC Beer List:

• Rising Sun Pale Ale
• Suruga Bay Imperial IPA
• Angry Boy Brown Ale
• Morning Coffee Stout
• Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale
• CBC Celebration Ale
• Fruitful Life Collaboration Ale (Baird-Mikkeller)

Photo: Todd Bates / Creative Loafing

Gulfport, a mid-western town in Floridas that received its current name in 1910 and has a population of 12-13.000 citizens. Gulfport is also home to Peg’s Cantina, a brewpub where the brewer in today’s MankerBeer Meets used to work before eventually starting up his own brewery. Doug Dozark worked at Cigar City for a couple of years before taking the role of head brewer at Peg’s where he worked for a while before feeling that it was time to start what is now becoming Cycle Brewing. Copenhagen Beer Celebration will the first time Doug has brought his beers outside of the US and among the beers are Cycle Brewing beers, Peg’s rarities like Rare DOS as well as other G.O.O.D beers (more on the beers here). Make sure not to miss Doug and his beers and do not hesitate to ask him about the emerging beer scene in Florida or what we can expect from Cycle Brewing in the future.

MankerBeer (MB): Taking off from brew pub Peg’s Cantina in Gulfport, Florida Cycle Brewing is a rather new adventure. How would you describe Cycle Brewing and the journey so far?
Douglas Dozark (DD): Cycle brewing is really just a reflection of where are as a brewery, Peg’s is very small and Gulfport is a great but also tiny community and our beers are starting to outgrow our location. We are opening the Cycle Brewing brewery in downtown St Petersburg, only a few miles away but with a greater impact on the community that has really supported our beers and our message of fresh local beers. So far things have gone very well, there has been some question of why we would depart from the name and reputation we established with Peg’s and the reality is that Peg’s is not a brand, it is a place that started as a restaurant over 8 years ago and only became a brewpub about 4 years ago. Peg’s is not an identity we can export and we think that’s great for Peg’s and an opportunity for Cycle to be the next step.

MB: What have been the biggest obstacles so far when setting up Cycle Brewing and have they in any way had any impact on the brewery?
DD: The only obstacle we have had is location scouting, and the size and location of our brewery has certainly impacted what we can do. We decided to get a prime, but very small location so that we can maximize our presence in the downtown area and also to help manage our growth, it’s hard to say no to bigger tanks and more sales if you have the space, even when it’s not the right move for the quality of the product.

MB: With over two hundred new US craft breweries starting up per year, what would make Cycle Brewing different or why should a beer drinker chose a Cycle Brewing beer over one from say Cigar City?
DD: As the head brewer and more or less creative director of the company I can say that our approach to brewing is what sets is apart, and in several styles I think that’s true. Session IPA is something we have worked hard on and our 2 different yet similar approaches to the style, Freewheel and Fixie, are beers we don’t see a lot of comparison to in our market. Our barrel aged stouts have been a big part of our reputation and to some degree our Florida Weiss (let the style debate begin!) has been a pioneering beer. All of those make for a good reputation and a quality product but what I think will truly make people choose our beer is our message and efforts to support the community. St Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area in general wants local, and we provide that but our company is getting involved wherever it can in grassroots efforts to improve this city. We are a beer company, we love beer and we work hard to make great beer, but there is more to life than beer and we embrace that.

MB: Your RareR D.O.S is currently ranked as one of the world’s best imperial stouts; do high reviews raise our own expectations or put pressure on you?
DD: The rankings are fun to see, it’s quite flattering to get that kind of attention for a beer brewed 30 gallons at a time and put into 15 gallon barrels. I think I can honestly say that I am my harshest critic, so the pressure has always been on to make the best barrel aged stout or really beer in any style. Beer and reviews are subjective, I think we all understand that you will never please everybody but for me when I taste my beers, especially from the barrel I have to be very honest with myself when asking is this the best barrel aged beer I’ve had? Would I stake my reputation on this beer? I want the answer to be yes but sometimes it’s not and I have to go in a different direction with it.

MB: When looking at Peg’s menu it is difficult not to get hungry; what food and beer pairings would you suggest among your own beers?
DD: Right now I would say a Freewheel with the fresh salsa and chips has been hitting the spot for me, also the Shrimp Burrito, the lighter fare with a 4.7% Nelson Sauvin hop bomb goes very well together.

MB: In a recent article in the Tampa Tribune I read that only 5.6 percent of beer sales in Florida come from microbreweries, a relatively low number when compared to other states. Why do you believe Florida lack behind in craft beer sales?
DD: I think there are many factors behind Florida’s sluggish embracing of craft beer, location, age demographics, reputation and therefore expectation for the beer scene. All of that is changing and what I see now is a building wave and growth in craft at a greater rate than most other states. Florida craft beer sales are rising, and fast.o I think all of the craft breweries owe at least a small thank you to Cigar City for seizing the opportunity to make innovative quality beers and grow large enough to get them out there to everybody. They showed that if you make a great product people will buy it and now we have some momentum and I expect craft market share to grow significantly each year for quite a while.

MB: I read in Tampa Bay Times that you’re focusing on beers and IPAs, being a good fit for the Florida beer drinkers – but what else is in line for the future?
DD: Hard to say what is next, I think bright hops character and sessionable ABVs are going to continue their rise and we are certainly excited about that. I have a feeling the culinary ties with beer in terms or pairings and even recipe formulation will continue and using ingredients beyond the basic 4 has a ton of potential.

MB: Before you started as head brewer at Peg’s you worked four years at Cigar City – what lessons and experience would you highlight from those years?
DD: The years I spent at Cigar City were enlightening in many ways. The best thing I learned was what kind of brewery I want to run and what direction I want to go in personally. Working for such a fast growing and creative brewery opened my eyes to the possibilities for recipes, events and planning, and so many pitfalls and problems I want to avoid for my brewery. I learned about various equipment options, how many people it takes to operate and one of the most valuable was how to deal with errors.

MB: What should beer fans at Copenhagen Beer Celebration really not miss?
DD: We are bringing a lot of great beers, both Rare and RareR DOS, a collaboration with Jonathan Wakefield brewed with Dulce de Leche and hopefully our session IPAs fixie and freewheel held up well on the journey across the ocean.

We are happy that Doug wanted to answer our questions and we know that all of you beer lovers are thrilled to see the below list! The beers then? Changes may occur. Different beers will be poured during different sessions and well, you know the drill by know. For the full list of beers attending CBC check out this post!

Cycle Brewing CBC Beer List:

• Freewheel Session IPA
• G.O.O.D Night Imperial Stout
• Fixie Session IPA
• G.O.O.D Bottom of the 9th Brown Ale
• G.O.O.D Rare DOS
• G.O.O.D RareR DOS
• G.O.O.D Dancing Cody IPA
• Patch Kit Wheat Porter
• Hazelnut Imperial Stout

Against the grain, that’s where I’ll stay
Swimming upstream, I maintain against the grain

Photo: Steve Coomes / InsiderLouisville.com

Yeah, it’s hard not to start with a quote from one of my favorite bands, Bad Religion and the song with the same name as the brewery whose brewer and co-owner I will present you with in the next sentence. Sam Cruz is his name, co-owner and brewer of Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse is his game. He is also part of the four man team which decided it was time to do something different, why follow the mainstream and brew what is expected or tradition? Why not just go with what you want to do? Consequently, the brewpub and smokehouse in Louisville, Kentucky have their own take on how to brew beers. Without being over to the US most Europeans have probably not had a beer from ‘AtG’, except maybe at Mikkeller Bar in Copenhagen where thanks to Mikkel’s friendship with the American brewers visitors have been able to occasionally find a new and exiting AtG beer.

Personally, when I try new beers from a new brewery I like to know about the brewers, the brewery and its history. Knowledge is king and might often explain the story and variety of flavors in the beer. So what better way to prepare for CBC than to ask Sam all about the brewery, music, that Justin Biibier kid and about anal pleasure. Oh, sorry An Ale Pleasure.

MankerBeer (MB): Against the Grain is as much a brewery as a concept of what beer is and can be – tell us about the story and the brewery?
Sam Cruz (SC): Essentially, we were tired of the regular old ‘stuff.’ At Against The Grain, we have thrown the, traditional, mode of thought (producing the same thing over and over…i think they call it consistency) and shifted our thoughts to producing amazing beer consistently, which can be any given style or twist on it. We hang our hats on quality and want people to know that there is a world of options out there….and we make them…and to top it all off, they can all be good!

MB: You have a certain approach to what to brew, and in my opinion a great one – with a spectrum of six categories (Session, Hop, Whim, Malt, Dark, and Smoke) which is enough, then you brew beers that fit into any of them – when did you come up with that idea? Why not make a few beers and keep them rolling?
SC: The truth is that our entire business concept is based on the idea that we can produce new and exciting things, always changing. In a previous life, we were brewers for Bluegrass Brewing Company, while there we noticed a trend of the ‘specialty’ or ‘seasonal’ beers we made being the first tanks to empty. This coupled with the boredom of repetitive brewing of the same brands led us to decide that what the world needed was a brewery that threw caution into the wind and was willing to experiment. Much like the path carved by our friends at Mikkeller, the object is to produce beers without boundaries. To not be afraid of experimentation and innovation.

So why not make the same brands repetitively….well…. its boring. I like to drink different beers, I think that its about each beer being an experience. Since we are making so many different beers, we can use them as a tool to inform or teach our customers all the nuances about beer that we love.

MB: Any beers that have been brewed so far that turned out way different than what you expected and which you weren’t satisfied with?
SC: We’ve actually had a great deal of success and have yet to put a ‘dog’ in the market. So I guess the answer is no. Some of the beers are received better by folks and others not so much. But up to this point, everything is as it was intended to be. Since we are so experimental at times, we are often identifying new flavors expressed in beer, so ultimately we are looking to create something for everyone at some point or another.

MB: The four founding fathers of the brewery all have different background within the food and/or beer industry – do you all share the same idea on what you want to create with the brewery or what do you disagree on?
SC: So far we are all on the same page. The beauty of the team we have assembled is that we all have very different areas of expertise, while still being skilled and experienced brewers. So naturally the decision making process lends to the most adept of the four of us, in any situation, drifting into a leadership role for the given situation. When it comes to the beers, the synergy amongst us allows us to create ideas for beers as a group.

MB: I love your graphical profile with the bearded tattoos hop freak – who is behind it all?
SC: We are very fortunate to have found the right artist to reflect the personality of our brands. Robby Davis (a Louisville native), is responsible for our illustrations, label/poster design, and overall branding (logo). A little story…I met Robby years ago at a back alley art show known as The UnFair. I was checking out the work there and happened onto his stuff. Immediately I knew he would be the one for my beers. So I took a card and told him he’d get a call someday to design the labels for my beers. At the time he didnt take me all that serious. So right as we were getting the project together and deciding on who would do our branding, I tracked him down and the rest is history… He is now a vital component in our brand imagery and the direction of our brand design. Id have to say, there is no one on the planet who is more ‘in tune’ with the Against The Grain brand. If you’d like more information on Robby, you can find his website… www.robbydavis.com

MB: You opened up just 2 years ago, in retrospect – should you have done anything differently?
SC: Its hard to say that we would have done anything differently. I can say this, had I known what I know now, we would have planned to brew more beer for distribution. We have come to a point where our distribution sales are as important and fruitful as our in-house sales. Against The Grain is located in a baseball stadium, so we do a substantial amount of beer sales at the tap here in Louisville, but I and my partners believe it very important that we spread the word and message of our brand all over the world.

MB: You seem to have a lot of fun at the brewery and just by looking at your webpage you get the impression that you all do what you love to – is Against the Grain the perfect place to work?
SC: Im a bit biased 😉 But I’d say yes. Right here and right now, we have very little turnover in our brewery and restaurant. We employ anywhere from 25 to 50 people depending on the season and most of them have been with us from day one. Our company philosophy is pretty simple… We love beer, beer is fun, we love fun. This philosophy translates to our team having a great time. Since our concept calls for a lot of upheaval and change, it is impossible to get complacent or in the rut of day to day work. So new and fresh ideas are always welcomed, quirky and fun projects are a must, and poking fun at, an otherwise, too serious world is apart of our thought process.

MB: There is both a brewery and a smokehouse, any amazing combos you could share? Why not with a side order of some great tips for music to it?
SC: Based on our being a smokehouse and frankly a hearty love of smoked beers, Id say any of our smoked beers with our signature smoked pork. Its slow smoked in a great big country smoker…low and slow. That shit is killer!

A great pairing of music and beer….perhaps you havent heard of the most metal beer ever…Save Ferrous. Any Slayer rip and Save Ferrous and youve got a pairing!

MB: Danish brewers Tobias and Tore from To Øl were over earlier this year and now we see the result at CBC – An Ale Pleasure, fittingly aged on two different woods. Hos was their stay at the brewery and what’s your opinion the beer?
SC: Tore and Tobias were great. I am eternally grateful that they were able to come out and work with us. It was a pleasure to hear about how things are going for them and what their thoughts on Kentucky were. I have to say, that the their stay was too short. We were almost on a whirlwind tour of party time here. The first night (they were majorly jet lagged) I took them to a seedy bar on the other side of the city and we got trashed. It was a good start to a busy weekend. The beer is amazing. For the CBC there are only 2 variations available, but we actually split the beer into 8 different parts and have aged them on all different woods. The one aged on cherry wood is my favorite thus far. I believe it will be at CBC. Very good recipe for the wood.

MB: So if you had to choose, would you rather down a sixer of Miller Lite or listen happily to Justin Bieber for a full hour?
SC: Since I was in a state college here in the US, I have a ton of experience crushing light beers…so for the sake of familiarity, gimmie the sixer! Id have to gouge my ears out if someone tried to force Bieber on me…. besides, isnt he a rapper now or something. 🙂

MB: CBC is not only a great opportunity to meet your European beer drinkers, but also a great place to meet some of the best brewers of the world. Its your first time at CBC, what expectations have you got?
SC: My biggest expectation is come away with a more accurate picture of the Euro beer drinker… but realistically, I expect to raise a little hell, drink some beer…pick on some folks. Eat foods im not accustomed too… Long for a nights rest at my country home…no seriously, im really looking forward to connecting with some of the other brewers out there. It has been, far and away, one of the most valuable tools knowing other brewers. There is so much to learn, so many ideas to gather, and of course a world of people to work with at some level. Im really looking forward to that.

MB: What should beer fans really not miss at Copenhagen Beer Celebration?
SC: We brewed a collab beer with Menno Oliver of De Molen, Bo & Luke. There will be a version of Bo & Luke aged in a port barrel after aging in a bourbon barrel…its fuckin rad! Get it. Beyond that, Everything going is pretty sexy… id drink them all!

Thanks Sam for giving us some insight into AtG and what you guys are all about! Now lets see what beers beer freaks at CBC will be able to try (changes may occur and different beers will be poured during different sessions)! The fantastic full list of beers at CBC can be found here (will be updated day by day).

Against the Grain CBC Beer List:

• Shit Jeans
• Goldern Sower
• Green Dragon
• Wakatube
• Booby Trap
• MacFannybaw
• Port Barrel  Aged Bo & Luke
• Kentucky Ryed Chiquen
• To ØL & Against the Grain Collab “An Ale Pleasure” – aged on 2 different types of wood

Two weeks and one day until bartime – so start preparing, Copenhagen Beer Celebration is in the air! I was just writing an article on UK brewery Thornbridge and how one of their brewers, Matthew, explained to us how they try to make all of their beers sessionable or at least with a good drinkability. A sane beer geek wouldn’t down a pint o Three Floyds Dark Lord (or…), not because the quality or taste of the beer but simply because its too flavorful and strong. At CBC we will see breweries from all corners of the world and with different focus – some are making big beers while some prefer easy drinking beers. I would put Lagunitas Brewing Co. in the middle, leaning towards the more easy drinking beers. Quite unexpectedly, many Swedes really like Lagunitas – a brewery we until last year had to go to Denmark to be able to find. The brewery is attending CBC for the first time and their beer list, subjective to change, has a nice mix of easy drinking beers such as their IPA and my favorite, New Dogtown Pale Ale to their new Chardonnay barrel aged Imperial wheat ale Doppelomyces and and Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. I wouldn’t miss fresh Hop Stoopid or Maximus – beers that will give you your morning hop fix. For the complete list, of all the beers as well as ABV and descriptions – consult this great list! As soon as all beers have been announced we will upload the final version for you to print, edit and play around with!

Lagunitas CBC Beer List:

• IPA
• New Dogtown Pale Ale
• Hop Stoopid
• Little Sumpin Sumpin
• Maximus
• Doppelmyces
• B.A Imperial Stout
• Wilco Tango Foxtrot (WTF)