JUNE/JULY 2015
WHAT’S BREWI NG P.2
Gree n Flash
P.4
Get You r Fix
P.6
Do You Belie ve in G O SE?
P.7
A Cou ple of Ci der M ak er s
P.8
Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy
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ME GH A N GUARINO
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Green Flash
Green Flash Brewing Company is similar to
This inability to categorize a craft beer and the ability
These beers are offered on tap in the brewery’s
other craft breweries in that they put creativity and
to inspire beer enthusiasts along the way is exactly
tasting room.
quality above all else. But what’s different about
the type of creativity Green Flash strives for.
Green Flash is that the creativity does not start
Silva also explained, “Sometimes I’m inspired by
and end with or revolve around their brewmaster.
other brewers and my own brewers and sometimes
This is a company that sources creativity from every
it’s just Mike Hinkley (founder of Green Flash) coming
employee, every experience and every program or
to me and saying, “ Hey I want to make a new IPA
campaign they produce. Don’t get me wrong—Chuck
but I want you to kind of go in this direction.” And
Silva is an amazing brewmaster with a keen palate
that’s exactly how their newly released and currently
and a creative mind. Just look at Le Freak. The
narrowly distributed Soul Style IPA came to be.
Belgian-American hybrid is arguably Green Flash’s most popular brew. “I mean, you could call it a Belgian IPA,” Silva said of the award-winning Le Freak, “but I wouldn’t necessarily limit it to that as a description. I think it’s a bit different still, than just a Belgian IPA. It’s kind of an imperial IPA meets Belgian tripel stylistically—it kind of meets in the middle. I think it has inspired brewers as well as drinkers.”
Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, California
“Inspiration comes from all different directions,” Silva said, including programs like Cellar 3, a series that allows for a lot of experimentation, the Treasure
But aside from focusing on their creative, collaborative company culture, Green Flash is pushing their literal limits and growing fast.
Chest beer, a one-off brew created to raise money
In 2014, the San Diego-based brewery announced
for breast cancer awareness, and their Genius
their plans to open another brewery… on the other
Lab, an internal program that “allows anyone in the
side of the country. Green Flash Brewing Company
company to make a beer. So you just partner with
will be making beer coast-to-coast when their
another person from either the office or the brewery
new Virginia Beach location opens next year. “We
or partner with a brewer and get your idea in and
were growing at a rate that will have us reaching
actually develop a recipe. It’s a unique opportunity.”
capacity within the next couple of years so we needed a plan—we’re done expanding here…
A rendering of the future Green Flash brewery in Virginia Beach
The taproom at Green Flash brewery
there’s no room to do further expansion, so the idea
the city they were very excited about us, they had
became clear to build another brewery,” Silva said.
a property in mind and then there was just no looking back.”
A big part of the reason for moving across the country was shipping. With 30-40% of their
Green Flash is hoping to open their East
beer sold on the East Coast, it made sense to
Coast expansion in 2016. The facility will brew
build a facility that could handle that part of their
the company’s core lines, though with such a
distribution. “Virginia Beach is a good location with
highly creative mindset and a new brewery in full
cultural similarities—beach town, a navy town as
operation, there is always the opportunity to
well and a good work force—and already some
do more. And we do hope there is more.
evolving and developing beer culture,” Silva said. “We’ve been selling beer in Virginia Beach for a number of years already and when we talked to
LE FREAK
HOP HEAD RED
ROAD WARRIOR
Spawned over barstool
A luscious beauty, Hop
*seasonal
pontifications between
Head Red Double IPA exudes
Road Warrior charges full
Publican and Brewmaster,
resinous hoppy qualities from
flavor forward. Columbus
this zesty Amarillo dry-hopped,
Amarillo, Warrior and Nugget
and Mosaic hops, rich crystal
bottle-conditioned marvel
to overtake the full-bodied
and spicy rye malts pave the
entices with fruity Belgian
depths of a caramel malt base.
way for Mosaic and Amarillo
yeast aromatics and a firm,
Captivating and seductive floral
dry hopping to boldly shine
dry finish.
aromas and alluring hop flavors
through the finish.
– Brewery Notes
are the result of dry hopping
– Brewery Notes
with mountains of Amarillo. – Brewery Notes
SILVA STOUT
HOP ODYSSEY CITRA SESSION
Our double stout ages in oak
hop pungency, Centennial for
*seasonal
bourbon barrels and artfully
pine notes, Citra for citrus zest
Our Citra Session IPA is
emerges as Silva Stout. This
and Cascade for floral aroma
brewed with high-quality Marris
midnight black ale features
are layered throughout the
Otter and Vienna malt but the
elegant notes of oak, vanilla,
brewing process. West Coast
flavor is dominated by the Citra
dark chocolate, coffee, roasted
IPA exemplifies the Green
hops introduced throughout the
barley and ripe cherry. Round
Flash spirit of adventure
boil and again in the dry hop
and delicately balanced in
and discovery.
for maximum aroma intensity.
body, each sip envelops the
– Brewery Notes
Notes of lemon, orange and
palate with its impressively
grapefruit make this hop-laden
complex craft composition.
brew a perfectly potable
– Brewery Notes
summer session IPA. – Brewery Notes
|
grapefruit zest, Columbus for
Page 3
*limited release
Simcoe for tropical and
June/July 2015
WEST COAST IPA
GET YOUR FIX ME G H AN GUARINO
Fries are the sidekick to almost any summer meal, be it burgers by the beach or backyard barbecues. And while most focus on pairing their brews to the main meat, don’t forget those salty, greasy, golden sticks of goodness need some love too. Pair your summertime fries with beers that go down just as easily as this ketchup-coated side dish. RIVERTOWN DIVERGENT
OSKAR BLUES
Crisp, delicate, cutting
A hoppy nose with
edge, complex and tart,
balanced flavors of
pouring a bright citrine
pale malts and citrusy
with a nose of gently
floral hops from start
soured rind fruit.
to finish.
– Brewery Notes
– Brewery Notes
BERLINER WEISSE
DALE’S PALE ALE
LEFFE BLOND
FOUNDERS ALL DAY IPA
Smooth and subtle,
Brewed with an array
Leffe Blond is an
of malts, grains and
authentic blond
hops and balanced
abbey beer with
for optimal aromatics
a slight hint
and a clean finish.
of bitterness to it.
– Brewery Notes
– Brewery Notes
Do You Believe in GOSE? JA MES BEAVER, BEER CONSULTANT – LAK E BU EN A VISTA
Yeah, I knew I’d get your attention with
experiences and not be useless by the time
Ommegang’s Hennepin and Saison DuPont
that... Now that you have made it past the
night rolls around.
are good traditional examples of a farmhouse
bad pun, keep reading! You know the beer
ale that dabbles in the sour category, plus
style that gets everyone into craft beer then
The one that has grabbed my attention is
they’re relatively easy to find. Kriek Lambic by
they leave it behind for other styles like pale
the Highway 128 Session Series: Blood
Lindeman’s, a beer closely related to gueuze,
ales and IPAs? The style that seems to get
Orange Gose by Anderson Valley Brewing
is another alternative worth checking out.
a decent but lackluster rap on beer rating
Company. Contrary to the name, it is not
websites like Beer Advocate or RateBeer but
blood orange in color or overpowering in
If you want something light, not sweet and
it is always solid and popular at bars and in
flavor. It is representative of its roots with
something you can enjoy for hours this is your
stores? I’m talking about wheat beers—not
a light body and tangy style, but the blood
style. What can I say? What comes around,
just hefeweizens, but flavored wheats and
orange cools off the sourness (just a little)
gose around. (I really love puns.)
hoppy versions like Boulevard’s Hoppy
and is almost like an afterthought, which in
Wheat. However, I am not here to talk about
my humble opinion makes this the perfect
them in general. Instead, let’s talk gose!
hot-weather brew. Its Champagne-like quality also makes it perfect to mix with OJ (or just by
Gose, an old German style from Leipzig, is
itself) for those Sunday brunches when you
an unfiltered wheat beer made with 50-60%
want something that isn’t too strong.
malted wheat, which creates a cloudy yellow color and provides a refreshing crispness and
I will admit that gose is a difficult style of
twang. That “twang” is the key. I might classify
beer to find out there in the ale-heavy beer
it as a sour, my beer of choice whenever I can
world we live in, so I invite you to try its more
find it (it’s not the most popular of styles). It’s
common cousins: saison and lambic.
like being hit in the mouth by a Sour Patch Kid, liking it and inviting them back for another punch. It’s perfect for cheese or any tapas due to the fact that it’s the ultimate palate cleanser. It’s also low in ABV (sessionable)
June/July 2015
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Page 5
so you could enjoy it for your day-drinking
Q & A with a Couple of Cider Makers A LL IE S M ALLW OOD
Ben
John
You may know the following guys as the
carbonating, we’re kegging, we’re making a
Why do you enjoy the taste of this
hands behind Woodchuck Cider. Between the
new batch of cider, we’re doing fermentations
particular variation so much?
two of them they have some extraordinary
every single week, we’re experimenting with
Ben: Here in Vermont, we’re surrounded by
apple expertise. From a core series of mainstay
flavors, so I think having two different
a world class apple growing region, so the
ciders to their ever-changing Out on a Limb
backgrounds (John’s prior career was in
apples we get here are different than what
series (Oopsy Daisy is the current liquid), it’s
brewing) and levels of expertise makes us
you can get in Washington or Michigan or
pretty clear that Woodchuck Cidery knows
a strong team.
England. The terroir of the cider allows us to
their apples… and their consumer.
make a very specific batch of cider with local apples. It’s a really fun project because the
So, your apples; the pride and joy of your
flavors and chemistry of those local apples
job. Where do they come from?
really come through in the final product.
John: We get apples from all over; we buy about 50% of the available cider fruit
What inspired Gumption?
in Vermont, but because our brands are
John: Really, it sums up our company.
distributed nationally and internationally,
Having the gumption to make hard cider
we buy apples and juice from all across the
What’s your favorite cider to brew
[in a time when it wasn’t really a category]…
country, all across Europe and even some
and why?
is where it came from, and it gave us an
places in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ben: I’m pretty new to the team, (I’ve been
opportunity to showcase these cider apple
here for 6 weeks) and my favorite cider so
qualities. We have the opportunity to source
Besides being filled with apples instead
far is the Local Nectar. It’s made with Vermont
some apples that a lot of people don’t have,
of hops or grapes, how is a cidery
apples and we get to work with local orchards
so it’s a chance to step outside and lead the
different than a brewery or winery?
and support our neighbors. The added benefit
way. It goes back to the company’s roots.
Ben: A lot of the cider making process is like
for me is that it’s my favorite tasting cider.
Ben: You can make a delicious cider with
winemaking, where you’re really interested
John: I have a tendency to like drier ciders,
American style apples, and the same with
in fruit and fruit quality/chemistry, and taking
so I’ve had a little more fun playing around
European style apples, but there really isn’t
juice and pressing it, fermenting it, aging it
with some juice that we’ve acquired from
an example in the U.S. of someone combining
and bringing it to market. But a lot of cider
Europe and with some different apple
the two and making a unique hybrid. We’ve
making is also like beer making. We’re
varieties, like the bittersweets and sharps,
definitely hit a home run with this liquid and
and I think there’s an added layer of
we’re getting an awesome response from it.
complexity there that I’m really interested in.
Woodchuck Cidery, Vermont
With IPAs really taking off in the past three
What’s your favorite food recipe to make
years, how do you plan to combine that
using cider?
beloved bitter flavor profile into ciders for
Ben: If there’s any dish you would make with
the IPA drinker?
an apple, use hard cider as well. Any pork
John: I’ve actually already developed a liquid
dish is a great candidate. It’s great for glazing
that will be going into bottles this fall. But we
meats, when you reduce it in a pan and
already do our Hopsation Cider, which is more
concentrate the flavors, it’s a really nice
like a pale in terms of bitterness units, but we
reduction in that way. One of my favorite
definitely kicked up the hops flavor in this new
recipes during the fall is you take five or six
liquid and we’re excited to roll that one out
apples, cut them up and braise them in a pan
this fall.
with butter, sage and a little bit of hard cider, and it’s a really tasty side dish.
Out on a Limb series, tell me about that. Seems like the most fun to brew.
While we don’t have many apple orchards
Ben: Yea, with over 25 styles, at some
in Florida, it’s ok because we carry that
point you can’t go into a store and have 25
same tart goodness from Vermont-based
placements just for us, so we really [wanted
Woodchuck Cidery at your local ABC. Here
a place for all of our new ideas]. So we keep
are some facts to take away from behind-
the packaging, keep the price and just change
the-scenes conversations with the cider
the liquid on the inside [according to all
makers: a cider apple is the same as an
of our new ideas].
eating apple, Woodchuck Cidery consists of 150 kick-butt employees, and Local
Where do these ideas come from?
Nectar has expanded beyond Vermont
John: I pray a lot. The voices in my head…
into Michigan.
no, just kidding, I read Beverage Trend Magazine and I’m always trying different things when I travel to different places, or it might be a conversation I have with a friend or a coworker, so these ideas really come from everywhere.
Emptying barrels at Woodchuck Cidery
8989 South Orange Ave. Orlando, Florida 32824
Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy Savory shandy and zesty clams R I CK SWARTZ, B EER CONSULTANT – VER O B E AC H @ ABC BEER RICK
Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy is a
2 lb clams, cleaned
the chopped parsley to the pot and
refreshing summer brew that hits you
1 T chopped parsley
stir to combine. Transfer clams with
up front with a fresh grapefruit aroma.
1 lb angel hair pasta
a slotted spoon to separate bowl.
Not as tart as the lemony Summer
2 T butter,
Spoon some of the cooking liquid
Shandy, this grapefruit version is clean
½ cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
over the clams.
1 tsp grapefruit zest
While the clams are cooking, bring
¼ cup grated parmesan
a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
and crisp with notes of grapefruit citrus and breadiness with a nice pillowy head and creamy mouthfeel. Since I’m one who loves to cook with beer, I had to come up with something interesting for this shandy: Grapefruit Shandy Clams with angel hair pasta.
DIRECTIONS Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, sauté shallots and garlic. Stir until it just begins to color, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the angel hair and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and return to the pot with the butter. Add ½ cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest and the remainder of the chopped parsley.
INGREDIENTS
Add the Grapefruit Shandy and bring
1 T olive oil
to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and
Serve angel hair in bowls and top with
1 shallot, thinly sliced
add the clams to the pot. Cover and
clams and grated parmesan cheese.
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
cook until the shells open, about 4-6
Garnish with grapefruit wedges.
24 oz Grapefruit Summer Shandy (2 bottles)
minutes. Add butter and half