MankerBeer.com

The time has come for our first clash of the pre-series, where the interviewee will attend both our primary focus, Great American Beer Festival but this time also Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival. Sweden and the Northern European market is gaining in importance for stateside breweries who slowly seem to understand the perks of exporting (the importer takes care of most of the business, no distributors, three-tier-systems or sales reps being sent out across the country. Just so happened to be the brewery and the co-founder which I will present today is from one of my favorite US craft breweries – Ballast Point Brewing Company. Jack White and co-founder Yuseff Cherney and their team are the reason why we have world class beers such as Sculpin IPA, Dorado DIPA and my latest love the imperial porter Victory at Sea. I remember my first Sculpin and the story that went with it, because back then (this might be 3-4 years ago) it was rare to find hoppy American beers in Sweden and when the beer had been transferred to my inner sanctum I knew that I wanted more. Over the years things have changed and a beer that once seemed impossible to find suddenly appeared at Roberta’s Pizza in Brooklyn, on draft for only a few bucks per plastic mug. Instant happiness. Two years later we will find Sculpin at Systembolaget (having monopoly and ruler of alcohol in Sweden) which is final proof that things are happening, not only in Sweden and the Nordic countries, but on the international beer scene.

This introduction focused more on my relationship with Ballast Point and Sculpin rather than Jack or Yuseff, so why not change that by checking in with Jack to see what is happening over in San Diego?

MankerBeer (MB): Along with Yuseff you started Ballast Point in 1996 and since then several Ballast Point beers have won different awards and the beers have found their way to remote places like South Korea and Sweden. What made you want to open your own brewery in the first place?
Jack White (JW): After college, I got into home brewing, and I quickly realized there wasn’t a good place in San Diego to easily get home brew ingredients or share conversions with fellow home brewers. I opened Home Brew Mart in 1992 to offer not only supplies, but a community for fellow home brewers to come and trade ideas. That’s where I met Yuseff, and together we took our home brewing passion to the next level to open Ballast Point.

MB: Ballast Point has been around for over 17 years, what is your take on what has happened with the American craft beer scene since then?
JW: When we started, there were a few other San Diego breweries just starting out, and for a long time, it was just a handful of us. Now there are over 70 craft breweries in San Diego, many of whom started as home brewers like us. I’m glad to see more attention being paid to craft beer; customers seem to want more quality and variety out of their beers, not just what’s coldest or lightest. It’s been great to watch the craft beer community grow around us locally and globally as well.

MB: During the fall of 2013 Victory at Sea, Sculpin and Sea Monster will be sold at the Swedish Systembolaget (monopoly outlet for alcoholic beverages) – How many countries do you export to and how important is exporting beers for the brewery?
JW: We export to 9 countries, from Asia to South America to Europe, and it’s been fun to see the international response to our beer. The craft beer community is still small, even on a global level. We are primarily recognized for a “West Coast-style” of brewing, but we are largely influenced by more traditional brewing techniques from around the world. We’ve had opportunities to collaborate with breweries in the UK and Japan, and those experiences just add to the creativity and innovation we bring to brewing in San Diego.

MB: Earlier this year Ballast Point launched the Homework Series, what can you tell us about it and how limited will be it be?
JW: Homework Series is a way to honor our home brewing roots, and it is the first beer we have bottled under our original Home Brew Mart name. For each “Batch” in the series, we ask one of our brewers to pick a brew from his (or her) home brew recipe book, and we feature that recipe right on the bottle for other home brewers to try themselves. As far as we know, it’s the first instance of a beer’s recipe being printed right on the bottle. We got a great response with Batch #1, a hoppy red ale our Director of R&D/Specialty Brewer Colby Chandler originally brewed for his wedding, and we will release Batch #2, a Belgian-style Double IPA, in limited quantities in October.

MB: What was the idea behind opening a microdestillery? Have you put some BP beers on old casks? Barrel-Aged Three Sheets Rum barrel-aged Sculpin!
JW: The distillery was always a dream of Yuseff’s that we are able to make into a reality. Yuseff built our first still himself out of a fermenter tank turned upside down. Once our spirits starting winning awards, we knew it was time to upgrade–we now have a custom copper Vendome still, and we produce seven spirits: Fugu Vodka, Three Sheets rum (white and barrel-aged), Old Grove Gin, and our Devil’s Share whiskey family: single-malt whiskey, bourbon, and moonshine. Having a brewery and distillery is fun because we get to do some exciting combinations, like barrel aging some of our beers in our own used barrels. “Nine Sheets” is our Three Sheets barley wine aged in our Three Sheets rum barrels – not for the faint of heart!

MB: In 2010 Ballast Point brewed 20.000 barrels with the goal this year to be almost four times that. How do you feel when looking at where you started and the brewery today?
JW: I sometimes joke that it took us 17 years to be an overnight success. We are growing very quickly–and most of that growth has happened over the last few years. It’s humbling to look back at where we started in the back of Home Brew Mart and how far we’ve come, and I’m excited for what we have on the horizon.

MB: With more and more US craft breweries expanding and quadrupling their production over the last few years, are we still to talk about “micro” and “craft”?
JW: “Micro” is an interesting word – it’s all relative. Ballast Point is growing, the craft industry is growing, but it’s all still a fraction of the overall beer market. What is encouraging to me is that people are still opening up “micro” and “nano” breweries; the growth in the industry just allows more room for the small craft producers.

MB: The new canning line seems to be up and running, why the decision to run both a canning and a bottling line?
JW: For us, the decision to produce cans came down to the ability to ave great beer while doing the things we love to do: we love fishing, hiking, sailing, being outdoors or at sporting events. In most cases, these are areas where bottles are prohibited, and we didn’t want our customers to have their options limited simply because they can’t have bottles in certain places. We have done a lot of quality testing and there is no difference between our beer in cans or our beer in bottles; in some tests, the beer in cans actually performs better.

MB: What are you looking forward to with GABF and how important is the festival for breweries and the American beer scene?
JW: Festivals like these are important because they draw consumers from all over, and also allows us to see what our peers are doing in other parts of the country. I know brewery registration for GABF sold out in a matter of hours, so I’m looking forward to trying some of the new breweries on the scene; it’ll be exciting to see some old friends and many new faces.

MB: Are there anything all GABF-debutants reallly shouldn’t miss and/or think about at GABF?
JW: With the size the festival has become, it’s hard to say what the can’t misses are. Obviously, the Ballast Point booth is a can’t miss!

MB: What cool Ballast Point brews will be poured at the festival?
JW: Sculpin IPA
Grunion Pale Ale
Even Keel Session Ale
Navigator Doppelbock
Longfin Lager

We say thank you to Jack and hope that people try out Ballast Point both at SBWF and GABF this year. We will spend some time with Sculpin later in October and our hope is to give you a great insight into the brewery and the people working there. So long and thank you for all the fish! All you who will be in Sweden for SBWF should mark September 27 in your calender/wall papers as there will be a Ballast Point Tap Take Over and Monks American Bar Sveavägen in Stockholm that day (Facebook event here). Nine (!) different beers on draft, among them beers such as Calico Amber, Black Marlin Porter, Fathom India Pale Lager and Smoked Helles Lager. Miss out and blame yourself. During that weekend Jack will also be at SBWF, so if you see him say hi.

Det är en händelserik dag idag, denna dag när Raven har inofficiell namnsdag. All in Brewing har dubbla releasefester på sin senaste öl, Schysst IPA i Göteborg och Stockholm medan Sigtuna har release för Röd IPA, speciellt framtagen för Bishops Arms 20-årsjubileum, på Bishops Arms Gamla Stan i Stockholm. Som om det inte vore nog har Galatea bjudit in Anderson Valleys bryggmästare Fal Allen och ägare Frans de Groen för en Tap Special på samma krog. Mer om det finner ni här och om Tap Speciel’en här.

I övriga landet är det dags att fira slutet på ännu en jobbvecka som denna vecka också råkar vara den sista veckan innan “Stockholm Beer“ drar igång, taggande! För att fira att vi har så mycket som händer idag och nästa vecka så tycker vi att ni ska lyxa till det lite extra och samtidigt bunkra upp lite. Veckans fredagsöl är därför det Fantastic Four Variety Pack från Samuel Adams som nu kommit in på Systembolaget och skall gå att få tag på i de flesta butikerna. Packet som kostar 79,60 kronor för fyra stycken öl (med andra ord runt 20 kronor flaskan) innehåller bryggeriets Imperial Stout, Latitude 48 IPA, Boston Lager och Noble Pils. En perfekt kombination av ölstilar, alkoholstyrkor och smaker där Boston Lager gör sig perfekt som en after work-öl medan Pilsen och IPA’n kan avnjutas till maten och Imperial Stouten som dessertöl. Eller så sprider ni ut dem under hela källen, oavsett vilket är det ett bra köp och ett bra pack att ha hemma då det finns något för alla, med andra ord ett bra festkit.

Kolla om packet finns hos just ditt Systembolag här.

Äntligen. Äntligen? Äntligen! Oavsett hur taggade ni är eller hur lite jag och M2 har skrivit om Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival så kvarstår faktum, mässan börjar om 7 dagar och kommer även i år att gå av stapeln som världens tredje största ölmässa. Då vi kort efter mässans slut åker till USA för att rapportera från Great American Beer Festival så kommer årets rapportering från SBWF vara lite komprimerad, men vi hade svårt att låta bli det helt varpå vi har intervjuat de hetaste svenska bryggerierna/bryggarna just nu.

Först ut är en ständigt aktuell herre – Henok Fentie på Omnipollo. Är det inte nya öl, releasefester, bokreleaser eller glas som ska släppas så är det bryggningar med några av världens bästa bryggerier på g. Hur trötta ni än må vara (vilket jag tvekar på) på att få läsa om dem så är det svårt att undvika då Omnipollo efter förra årets framgångar varit ledande för utvecklingen av den svenska internationella ölscenen. Förutom att försvara sina medaljer på Stockholm Beer är Henok och Karl aktuella med ett besök i Göteborg och med en samarbetsbrygd med USA’s hippaste bryggeri just nu, Oklahomabryggeriet Prairie Artisan Ales. Dessutom är det nu snart sverigepremiär för vinnarbrygden i deras hembryggartävling att presenteras, Näcken, ett samarbete mellan Omnipollo, brittiska Siren och vinnaren i tävlingen Rick Lindqvist. Innan allt det här går av stapeln eller kan provas ska vi dock ta tempen på Henok.

MankerBeer (MB): Förra året blev det onekligen storslam för er på SBWF med de största priserna, varför tror ni att Omnipollo gått hem så hos svenska folket?
Henok Fentie (HF): Ja det blev det verkligen. Oj, ”svenska folket” vet jag inte men vi känner stort stöd helt klart. Sverige har blivit en av de bästa marknaderna i hela världen för hantverksöl och det är tack vare konsumenterna. Vi ligger sömnlösa om nätterna för att kunna presentera det bästa och mest spännande från hela världen, vare sig det är dagsfärsk IIPA, dekadent stout eller kul stilkorsningar. Jag tror att folk ser och uppskattar det.

MB: Ni saknar eget bryggeri utan brygger runtom i världen med och hos de där ni känner att ölen blir bäst, börjar synen på gypsy/flying brewers förändras?
HF: Jag är egentligen fel person att fråga eftersom att den negativa feedbacken sällan når mig, men det är klart att i takt med att synen på öppen källkod och annan modern utveckling gör framsteg gör även synen på nya produktionsmetoder det.

MB: Sedan första samarbetsbrygden (med Evil Twin) har ni gjort öl med Siren, De Molen, To Öl m.fl. vilket samarbete har varit det roligaste och mest lärorika? Varför?
HF: Vi älskar att samarbeta och att få göra det med några utav världens bästa bryggerier har varit otroligt kul och lärorikt. Vi har idag resurser att öppna ett eget bryggeri och skulle vi någon gång göra det så är det nog samarbetena jag skulle sakna mest. Det skulle helt enkelt finnas mindre tid till det.

Jag kan fortfarande komma ihåg känslan av landa i ett kallt Köpenhamn och en fantastisk bryggdag på Amager med Jeppe (Evil Twin). Jag lärde mig flera knep som jag fortfarande använder mig av flitigt, och så har det fortsatt. Att brygga med Nómada i Spanien var en riktig tripp, lite som att träffa politiskt likasinnade i en internationell guerillarörelse. To Øl är kungar och tänker på många sätt som vi gör. Ögonblicket när jag öppnade en resväska full med marshmallows på De Molen glömmer jag nog aldrig heller.

MB: Leon har nu kommit in i Systembolagets standardsortiment och Mazarin och “Neb” börjar dyka upp alltmer frekvent, hur är tanken kring vad Omnipollo ska ha för standardsortiment?
HF: Vi brygger alla våra egna öl med målsättning att brygga dem flera gånger. Bara då kan de nå sin fulla potential. Leon är ett bra exempel på det, ett öl som vi bryggt kontinuerligt i snart tre år och polerat över tid. Samma sak sker med Nebuchadnezzar, Mazarin, Hypnopompa, Agamemnon osv. Det enda som begränsar hur ofta vi brygger är tillgång på bra råvaror och efterfrågan.

MB: På tal om samarbeten, ni ska brygga en öl med USA’s största “IT”-bryggeri just nu – Prarie, vad kan du berätta om det?
HF: Vi träffade Chase och Colin (bröderna som driver Prairie) på en mässa i USA i somras och kort därefter frågade de oss om vi ville göra ett samarbete. Prairie har på kort tid gjort sig ett namn i USA genom att brygga förförande farmhouse ales/saisons – en stil som verkligen kommit upp i USA de senaste åren. Vi hade precis bryggt en farmhouse ale (Omnipollo Bacchanale) och tackade ja direkt. Upplägget är att Omnipollo brygger ett öl i Europa och Prairie brygger ett öl i USA – exakt samma recept. Jag bokade flygbiljetten till Belgien i förra veckan och är superpeppad (som vanligt).

MB: Vad tror du är den vanligaste missuppfattningen folk har med Omnipollo?
HF: Huruvida vi är ett svenskt bryggeri eller inte. Men det är också den minst intressanta aspekten av det vi gör.

MB: Ni har släppt en bok, ett gäng nya öl, egna glas – vad är nästa steg för Omnipollo, små bryggarkurser?
HF: Nästa steg är alltid nästa batch. Jag jobbar just nu på att förbättra vår tillgång av ingredienser. Bra bryggare finns det gott om men de som får tag på de bästa ingredienserna är oslagbara.

Vi drömmer även om ett par projekt som jag hoppas ska bli av under 2014.

MB: Hur viktigt är/har SBWF varit för dig?
HF: SBWF är en fantastisk plats att möta folk, dricka bra öl, bli småpackad och smida planer på världsdominans, ha ha. Nä men allvarligt talat så har utmärkelserna som vi fått från SBWF, ratebeer etc. varit jätteviktigt. De gör så att folk anstränger sig för att få tag på våra öl…sedan är det upp till oss.

MB: Vad ser du personligen fram emot med årets SBWF?
HF: Att bli pappa för andra gången, alla vänner och all bra öl!

MB: Vad för Omnipolloöl kommer finnas hos Brill i år?
HF: Omnipollo Bacchanale – Saison (6%) brygd med framförallt tjeckisk humle och lagrad/jäst med brett i 3 månader. Ett öl vi gjort för att fira mina föredetta kollegor på Bishops Arms som fyller 20 år i år. Jag älskar det här ölet.

Omnipollo Hypnopompa – Imperial Stout (11%) bryggd med marshmallows och tahitisk vanilj. Hög sötma och låg kolsyra. Mättad. Kommer på systembolaget 1:a okt!

Omnipollo Erzulie – en golden Barley Wine (13%) gjord på ett enkelt recept utan fatlagring för att se vad tid gör med endast ett fåtal råvaror. Jag har funderat en del kring begreppet ”komplexitet” på senare tid. Släpps på systembolaget 1:a okt!

Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar – dubbel IPA (8,5%) brygd med Centennial, Columbus och Simcoe. Guldmedalj och Festivalens Bästa Öl alla kategorier SBWF 2012. Bästa svenska öl på ratebeer 2013. Bästa svenska öl enligt Allt om Öls läsare. Bästa svenska öl enligt beersweden forum. På listan över ”30 great IPAs to drink before you die” http://firstwefeast.com/drink/30-great-ipas-to-drink-before-you-die/

Omnipollo Leon – belgisk mash-up pale ale (6.5%) bryggd med champagnejäst och amerikansk humle. Vårt mest säljande öl. Mjuk och samtidigt torr, egen och samtidigt bred.

Omnipollo Brygd – Imperial Stout (10%) brygd för att fira vår bok om hembryggning (Brygg öl). Recept på etiketten. Text book stout med toner av kaffe, choklad och rök. Mums.

Omnipollo Agamemnon – Imperial Stout (12.5%) brygd med lönnsirap. Kokad i många timmar för hög viskositet. Rör sig som sirap.

Omnipollo Nathalius – dubbel IPA (8,5%) brygd med majs och ris. Kruttorr, genomskinligt ljus och besk som en gin tonic. Vårt mest hatade och älskade öl. Det är antingen eller.

Omnipollo/Siren/Rick Lindqvist Näcken – en hopfenweizen (6.4%) brygd tillsammans med Siren Craft Brew (UK) och tävlingsvinnare Rick Lindqvist. Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra, vete och havre. Det här är ett öl som vi verkligen längtar efter att få koppla på.

Tack till Henok och väl mött på SBWF alla ölfantaster! Köp era biljetter i tid, det lär garanterat bli knökad på fredag och lördagpassen! Köp biljetter här (i år är Tickster biljettombud).

Photo: Olradet.se

My relation to California based brewery Coronado Brewing Company have not been a long one. The first time I tried a beer from the brewery, previously only a brewpub on the Coronado island outside San Diego was as close back as to May this year. Since then a lot has happened; they held a short seminar at Danish brewer Mikkeller’s Copenhagen Beer Celebration and their beers are now found at most proper beer bars in Sweden. Despite them being new to me they have been in productions since 1996 when brothers Rick and Ron Chapman decided that it was time to dream less and do more, thus they opened up their brewpub in their hometown of Coronado. Now, 17 years later they recently released their collaboration with Cigar City, the California Common The Last Spike and with the new brewery brewing capacity increased by twelve times the old capacity, making it possible for them to reach outside their home market and even to go international.

If that was not enough their co-owner, co-founder and man-of-many-trades Shawn DeWitt happened to be in Sweden earlier this summer where he held a “meet the brewer” event. Unfortunately the event was held a little too far away for us to attend but as we will travel California and visit the brewery after GABF we already now took the liberty of talking to Shawn about the brewery, the US beer scene and GABF.

MankerBeer (MB): Coronado Brewing Company has been around for a while, but only recently hit the Swedish market. Could you tell us about yourself and the brewery?
Shawn DeWitt (SDW):  Coronado Brewing Company started doing business on August 30th of 1996 as a brewpub. We only had a 10 barell system with 3 10 barell fermenters and a four head tap tower. I am one of the founding partners and was our first brewer. I also managed the restaurant, ran our first bottling line, did sales, was our director of brewery operations, president of the San Diego Brewers Guild, and currently our regional sales manager.

We are coming up on 17 years of existence, have expanded the brewpub to now have 12 20 barell fermenters along with the 3 10 barell fermenters. We have opened up a production/tasting room facility in San Diego that has a 30 barell system, 6 60 barell fermenters, 2 90 barell fermenters, 5 120 barell fermenters, with another 4 120 barell fermenters coming. We will double our barells sold this year from last.

MB: For a while you were the president of the San Diego Brewers Guild, apart from promoting local craft beer are there any practical benefits the guild assist with which might help newly started breweries?
SDW: The guild provides direction for new breweries who want it. The guild fields many emails from guild members and new potential members in regards to info needed to start a brewery or help with the permit process.

MB: In my opinion San Diego is one of the most craft beery cities in the world, are there any simple answers to why so many of the top US craft breweries has located themselves in and around the city?
SDW: Currently we have 72 breweries in San Diego with another 35 in planning and I believe that is the case because of the early successes of the first breweries that began in San Diego in the mid 90’s. We have many talented brewers in town and many stay because of the weather and the brewery environment we have here in San Diego. We all work together to help promote craft beer as a whole.

MB: I really have to know, what is the story behind the beer and the name Idiot IPA?
SDW: The story behind the idiot ipa is that it is our double ipa and we first brewed that beer about 8 years go to keep up with our fellow brewers here in San Diego. The name came from the first time we all sat down together and had one pint. After one pint, our general manager of the pub at that time, stood up to go to the restroom and said he felt like an idiot after just one pint. Thus the name took off and was called idiot ipa. It comes in at 8.5%.

MB: Between 2010 and with the new brewing facility opening last year you have increased the product from 5.000 to 60.000 barrels, thats a lot of beers. How does a brewery adapt to such an increase in production capability?
SDW: The adaption process is a challenging one on many levels. For starters, you have the increase of need for money to buy more tanks and equipment to support the expansion of your barells. You also have to hire more people and train them up to fit into your brewery. What I think is the most challenging aspect of growing is your ability to secure all of the hops, malts, and kegs you need to expand. Hops and malts are a commodity and each year you really don’t know how good of a yield you will get. Obviously you need hops and malt to make beer and when they become tight, that is when I get quite nervous. As for the kegs, you have so many new breweries opening up and it is simple supply and demand. Right now pub kegs or one way kegs that we send to Sweden are in very tight supply and we actually could not send Sweden any draft beer on this last order due to a lack of kegs.

MB: The demand for craft beer, all over the US but also internationally appears to grow every day. Still many breweries would have to triple or even quadruble their brewing capacity before being able to deliver beers to all national markets that request their brews. How will the craft beer brewery scene look like in the future? Will we have more larger craft breweries or will they have to be protectional and focus more on the core markets?
SDW: Currently we have approximately 2600 breweries in the US and most of them are of the nano size or quite small. For those breweries, you most likely would not see their beer in any markets other that their own. The bigger breweries understand that the foreign markets for craft beer are growing and are planning for that with extra capacity. However, I do know that the rule of thumb for shipping beer is to not short your local markets. Thus the beer will stay here in the US if it is limited.

MB: When going to San Diego, what new breweries and beer bars should one make sure not to miss?
SDW: In my opinion, one of the best new breweries in San Diego is Society Brewing Company. They make great beers and have a cool tasting room. I would also say the new Ballast Point restaurant in Little Italy would be one you have to hit while you are here. If you go to the San Diego Brewers guild website, there is a guide of all breweries in San Diego.

MB: We love food, and we love beer. What food and beer pairings would you suggest for the Coronado Brewing beers?
SDW: Our favorite food pairings we have done in the past couple of years has been with Cheese. We like pairing our idiot ipa with a red snap dragon cheese and we liked our Hoppy Daze (Belgian ipa) paired with a cheese by the name of purple haze. I believe any of our ipas will pair very well with most cheeses. Of course our coffee stout pairs well with most desserts. Our mermaid red goes well with our pastas.

MB: What are you looking forward to with GABF and how important is the festival for breweries and the American beer scene?
SDW: What I look forward to most in the GABF is seeing many old friends and trying beers I have never had before. It is very important to the US beer scene as it supports our BA (brewers association) who is our watchdog and leader on many beer topics here in the US.

MB: Are there anything all GABF-debutants reallly shouldn’t miss and/or think about at GABF?
SDW: If it is your first time to GABF, then I highly recommend taking time to go east in Colorado and do brewery tours. It is amazing to see how many cool breweries there are, New Belgium, Odell, Oskar Blues, Lefthand, Avery, Great Divide, Boulder Brew, and so many more. You can hit most of these breweries in one day.

MB: What cool Coronado brews will be poured at the festival?
SDW: We will ofcourse be serving all of our core beers and the fun beers we will have our Berry the Hatchet (berry beer), Rye Dogg Ipa ( rye ipa), Rauch Sham bo (smoked lager), Old Blighty (ESB), Borracho Brown (American brown), and our Saison. So lots to choose from.

Some great beers there that will be poured in Denver during GABF. We high five Shawn for taking the time to deal with us and we look forward to visit the brewery and brewpub in San Diego. If any of you readers out there have any recommendations in or around San Diego, except for the obvious world class breweries, please tell us. We love a good dinner and hidden gems.

Photo: DrinkEatTravel.com

I remember my first three beers from California based brewery The Bruery. This was at the beginning of my evolution as a beer writer and beer lover and I remember how they opened a whole new world of beers for me. They were uncommon in the way that they used “unusual” spices and had flavors my rookie palate hadn’t experienced before. As time passed and I had my first taste of the 19.2% ABV imperial stout Black Tuesday, by then the most expensive beer I had ever tried I got to learn that as a Swede The Bruery’s beers were not to be found easily, neither to be taken lightly. This was back in 2009/2010, only 1-2 years after Patrick Rue opened the brewery in Placentia, California. Since then a lot has happened, both for myself and my journey into the land of craft beer but also for The Bruery. In 5 years time they have managed to open up and close a specialty store in Orange County which provided customers with beer, cheese, wine etc, they have earned several awards for their beers and have now grown and reached the peak of where it might be time with further expansion.

Over the last year I have been lucky enough to get to try a representative variety of The Bruery beers as several have been available in Copenhagen while some have been aquired through beer trades or as gifts. The often high ABV beers follow the US craft beer “trend” where the breweries go their own way and thanks to a loyal fan base they dare to experiment with flavors, styles and additions of unsual ingredients. For our MankerBeer Meets-series leading up to Great American Beer Festival we have tried to focus on the most prominent breweries among these and we are now happy to present you with Patrick Rue of The Bruery.

MankerBeer (MB): After attending law school you chose a different path and went all in for another passion, brewing beer. When did you begin brewing at home and when did you realize that brewing was the passion to follow in life?
Patrick Rue (PR): I began homebrewing at the beginning of my first year in law school in 2003. Rachel, my wife, told me I needed a hobby because all I was doing was studying and going to classes, and I had become a boring person. Once I started homebrewing, I immediately became hooked– it dominated most of my time (and I became boring in a different way)! When it came time to choosing what I’d be doing for a career, I didn’t have a mortgage, or kids, or anything to lose, so Rachel and I took a chance and started a brewery. Luckily my family supported the idea and provided the funding.

MB: Was it set from the start that you would focus on Belgian(-‘ish) beers? What had inspired you?
PR: Belgian-style beers have always been among my favorite styles to brew and drink. The wide range of styles, characteristic strong yeast character (high attenuation, fruit driven esters), ability use of spices, fruit, oak barrels, souring bacteria– these are the beers I love to make and they are a lot of fun to drink. Spending some time in Belgium with my wife before starting up The Bruery helped solidify my excitement of Belgian beer and its culture.

MB: In retrospect, have The Bruery become the brewery of your dreams? Would you have done anything differently or are there things you wish to adjust or add in the future?
PR: The Bruery has grown beyond my wildest dreams, about double the size of my initial very optimistic business plan at this point.  At this point, we’ve grown about as large as we can in our brewery, but we don’t have any immediate plans to start a new brewery. With the crazy growth of other craft breweries and the amount of new brewery entrants, I think this is a perfect time to take a breather before taking on any major expansions.

MB: Beer conservatives and non-understanders tend to criticize breweries that brew strong or oddly spiced beers. Compared to drinking heavy, high ABV wine they have a hard time drinking beers above 7-8% ABV. Several of your beers are on the higher %-scale, are people sometimes too narrow in their perception of what a beer can be?
PR: I accept that not everyone is going to enjoy our beers, we’re a niche brewery and by design we know we aren’t going to be everyone’s favorite brewery. We create pretty unique beers that certainly aren’t for everyone. I do think our beers are pretty balanced, even our very high ABV beers. I feel that we’re successful as long as we have a small but loyal following of customers.

MB: The demand for, and interest in US craft beer has seen a crazy increase over the last few years resulting in a demand which seems difficult for many breweries to satisfy. For The Bruery a beer such as Black Tuesday could sell out before even being brewed. How do you handle the demand, trying to satisfy as many as possible but not letting go of the year round or “regular” special beers?
PR: We’ve attempted to deal with our demand with our more time / labor / cost intensive beers by creating several clubs (Preservation Society / Reserve Society / Hoarders Society) where our biggest supporters can have guaranteed access to these beers. We realized a few years ago there is no point in meeting demand with beers like this would consume too much of our efforts. We like brewing new things, not just the same old beers, and our capacity is only what it is.

MB: Is it possible for the US craft beer scene to keep growing? Will it be possible for breweries such as yours to satisfy more than only a few core markets? Do you want to go inter/-national?
PR: It is certainly possible for the US craft beer scene to keep growing– craft beer’s market share by volume in the U.S. is well below 10% (much lower in other parts of the world), and most breweries are in a growth spurt right now. It’s not my priority to satisfy demand– at this point we aren’t looking for permanent tap placements, we like our beers to be at the right places (specialty markets, great restaurants and craft beer bars), and we’re already fairly wide spread, distributing to 22 states and a few countries. Niche breweries tend to need a shallow, wide distribution model, or severely limit production and sell most production on-site and locally. I think we have room for growth, but I don’t see us trying to become a large player in the overall craft beer industry, though certainly we want to be a big player our niche of craft beer. I like being the niche brewery, being able to create what we’d like and be able to find a home for it.

MB: I am constantly amazed with how great friends most brewers seems to be, it’s like one huge family sharing a common dream. What brewers do you admire and/or have inspired you the most?
PR: That’s a tough question, I admire a lot of folks in this industry. Getting started, local brewers Rick Smets (formerly of Left Coast, starting up Stereo Brewing) and Dave Moody (formerly of Back Street, now at Alcatraz Brewing) let me hang out with them and helped me understand how professional brewing is different from homebrewing. Matt Brynildson is someone I admired as a homebrewer and still greatly admire, and had the opportunity to taste through most of the barrels of the Firestone 10th anniversary blend with him (I won it as a Best of Show prize– cool, huh?). This was a great opportunity to understand how their barrel program works, and the amazing things that can happen when the right beers are blended together. Guys like Tomme Arthur and Vinnie Cilurzo were quite helpful in advice on barrel aging and packaging. Steve Wagner and Greg Koch at Stone were amazingly helpful with bouncing off ideas for my business plan, and became our first distributor when other smaller distributors weren’t willing to take a chance on a crazy homebrewer.

MB: Beer blogs, ratebeerians and “beer experts” are growing in numbers, do people tend to be too serious and nerdy about beer nowadays or is it fun too see people sharing the interest in great craftmanship?
PR: I think it’s great that there is such a large following for craft beer, and that people are willing to share their beer experiences with others.  These are educated beer drinkers and some of our biggest supporters. The increase in communication that the web has provided is certainly one of the big factors in craft beers growth, and we follow BeerAdvocate, RateBeer, beer blogs, etc. very closely and try to be a part of these communities as well.

MB: So, GABF. What are you looking forward to with GABF and how important is the festival for breweries and the American beer scene?
PR: I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, and making new ones. GABF is a very large festival, so it’s difficult to stand out or be remembered when the week is over.  Winning medals certainly help with this. The GABF experience for the attendee shows how diverse and alive craft beer is right now, and the love brewers put into their beers. Just reading articles and seeing pictures from the event shows the world how important craft beer has become.

MB: For all GABF-debutants, what should one think about and/or not miss at GABF?
PR: I love trying beers from breweries that I don’t get to try on a regular basis. I try to spend a good amount of time visiting breweries that have just started in the last year and try their lineup, followed by some favorite breweries of mine that don’t have distribution in Southern California (Cigar City, Perennial (who I was introduced to last year), Founders, Bells, the list goes on…). Sam Adams Utopias is always a priority as well, great stuff!

MB: What cool The Bruery brews will be poured at the festival?
PR: We’ll be pouring some pretty fun beers– Chocolate Rain, Oude Tart with Cherries, and Sour in the Rye with Peaches, along with a few others.

We are greatful for stealing some time from Patrick who have been busy travelling Belgium (read all about it on The Bruery blog) and we hope to be able to offer all you MankerBeer readers out there a follow up article on the brewery as we will try to make it there during our post-GABF trip to California. Until then, cheers and keep on rockin’.

Systembolaget har i år imponerat och levererat släpp som bara för ett år sedan hade ansetts galna. Kvaliteten på ölen som har släppts har varit snäppet högre, priserna har kunnat pressas då antalet flaskor har varit fler och så även antalet butiker som släpper dem. Variationen i bryggerier och ursprungsländer har varit balanserad och det känns inte lika trendkänsligt som det ibland gjort.

Därför är det synd att se att det återkommande abret med julölen fortsätter. Kalla mig bortskämd eller otacksam, men jag tycker att julölssläppen de senaste 2-3 åren har varit oerhört intetsägande. Tyvärr är det för många öl som är återkommande enbart på tidigare meriter och försäljningssiffror. Julölsförsäljningen känns lika självskriven som snaps runt midsommar – folk köper öl på julen, nästan oavsett vad man stoppar i hyllan. Därför är det inte så konstigt att ölen säljer och jag tycker att det har mer med efterfrågan på öl runt jul att göra än många av ölen i sig själva.

Ta den julkartong som Belgoklubben släpper så finner man redan nu  en hel knippe fantastiska öl som skulle kunna ge bredd och variation i ett rätt enformigt belgosortiment bland julölen. Likaså har amerikanska bryggerier en hel fauna av julöl som vi svenskar knappt får se eller höra om. Problemet har med alla säkerhet att göra med möjligheten till leveranser av ölen. Till skillnad från T5-släppet veckorna efter julölssläpet så ska julölen kunna levereras i ett bra mycket större antal flaskor. Så även om en leverantör får in 20.000 flaskor av en trevlig julöl så räcker det inte nödvändigtvis för att hamna i julölssegmentet där ölen ska kunna skickas till samtliga bolag och gärna finnas i större kvantitet än en kartong per butik.

Av de 53 julölen som släpps 15e november är i år 18 stycken att räkna som relativt nya, även om det i vissa fall rör sig om en lite annan öl men från ett bryggeri som var år kommer med 1-2 olika julöl. Jämfört med tidigare år får det väl räknas som helt okey och jag ser positivt på ett par nya spännande öl från Electric Nurse, Dugges och Sigtuna men saknar variation och tillskott från utländska bryggerier. Här kommer möjligheten att få leveranser och kvantiteter i rätt tid och jag tror att vi även i år får se lite Underlig Jul, Anchor Our Special Ale, Alesmith Yulesmith, någon skumt kryddad julöl från BrewDog etc. i T5-sortimentet. Ge mig en kvart och antalet öl som vi får se i decembersläppet och jag skulle nog kunna pricka in ett par säkra julölspjäser som kommer tillbaka var år.

Varför inte satsa på öl man faktiskt vill dricka än öl som bara ska vara experimentella och som man knappt vill dricka en hel flaska av själv. Det kan vara kul, men med det utbud som finns gäller det att börja leverera också och inte bara vara galna. Eller? Eller ska alla högtidssläpp vara lika fredade från förändring som standardsortimentet länge var? Jag tror att det ligger mycket politik med möjligheten att planera långsiktigt bakom vissa val. Genom att erbjuda en bra relation med återkommande släpp kan svenska bryggerier i tid planera sin bryggnkng och importörer får mer att säga till om mot deras internationella bryggerier då de snabbt kan garantera en viss försäljning. Detta är bara min tanke över det och inget jag säger stämmer men det kändes ändå som något att lyfta upp.

Kom gärna med förslag på julöl ni skulle vilja se så får vi se om något av dem kommer hit i framtiden.

Alla julölen som släpps i november finner ni här nedan och jag återkommer framöver med en närmare analys av dem.

11011-01 Ayinger Winter-Bock Tyskland 500 29.9
11012-03 Flying Dog K-9 Winter Ale USA 355 26.9
11300-03 Nils Oscar Kalasjulöl Sverige 330 19.5
11301-03 Sleepy Bulldog Winter Ale Sverige 330 19.9
11302-01 Brutal Brewing Winter Ale Sverige 500 ml 20.8
11303-01 Ölfabrikken Jule Ale Finland 500 27.9
11310-01 Midtfyns Jule Stout Danmark 500 39.8
11311-03 Wisby Julbrygd Sverige 330 18.9
11316-03 Sigtuna Christmas Scottish Sverige 330 32.9
11319-03 Sigtuna Winter IPA Organic Sverige 330 19.9
11320-01 Oppigårds Winter Ale Sverige 500 26.9
11321-03 Slottskällan Winter Eko Sverige 330 22.8
11322-03 S:t Eriks M.Dahlgren Julporter Sverige 330 20.9
11325-01 Electric Nurse Underbar Jul Sverige 500 27.4
11329-01 Falcon Julöl Sverige 500  16.8
11329-03 Falcon Julöl Sverige 330 12
11331-01 St Peters Winter Ale Storbritannien 500 26.9
11332-03 Hibernation Ale USA 355 29.9
11335-01 Holy Cow Cranberry Milk Stout Storbritannien 500 29.4
11336-03 Sigtuna Midvinterblot Sverige 330 22.9
11338-01 Mariestads Julebrygd Sverige 500 17.8
11338-12 Mariestads Julebrygd Sverige 500 17.9
11342-03 Ölvisholt Julabjör Island 330 27.9
11343-03 Mikkeller Via Til Fra Danmark 330 29.7
11346-03 Mohawk Blizzard Imperial Porter Sverige 330 29.5
11350-12 Spendrups Julbrygd Sverige 500 15.9
11351-03 Evil Twin Christmas Eve at a NYC Hotel Room  USA 355 29.9
11352-03 OHaras Christmas Velvet Storbritannien 330 21.9
11354-03 Mikkeller Santa’s Little Helper Danmark 330 29.7
11355-01 Falcons Julmumma Sverige 500 17.8
11356-12 Pripps Blå Jul Sverige 500 15.9
11357-01 Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale Storbritannien 500 28.9
11358-01 Fuller´s Old Winter Ale England 500 22.9
11363-03 Samuel Adams Winter Lager USA 355 17.5
11364-01 N´Ice Chouffe Belgien 750 56.9
11365-01 Jacobsen Gold Naked Ch Ale Danmark 750 59
11369-03 S:t Eriks Julale Eko Sverige 330 18.9
11371-01 Grebbestad Julöl Sverige 500 21.8
11372-12 Sofiero Julöl Sverige burk 500 13.9
11373-01 Eriksberg Julöl Sverige 500 ml 17.3
11374-03 Dugges Christmas Idjit! Sverige 330 32.6
11376-01 Liefmans Glühkriek Belgien 750 57
11377-01 Nisse Julöl Sverige 500 28.8
11380-01 Three Hearts Julöl Sverige 500 15.9
11381-01 Mysingen Midvinterbrygd 13 Sverige 500 31.4
11382-01 Jämtlands Julöl Sverige 500 27.7
11384-01 Bellerose de Nöel Frankrike 750 54.9
11385-01 Dugges Juldricka Sverige 500 24.8
11386-03 Dugges Jullager Sverige 330 19.8
11390-03 Napa Smith Bonfire USA 355 24.8
11391-01 BB Pistonhead Christmas Carol  Sverige 500 16.8
11395-01 Electric Nurse Christm Ale Sverige 500 27.5
1958-02 Mikkeller Drinkin The Snow Belgien 330 16.9