Hop Talk

So, I’ve been a member of F.O.A.M. for the last year and a bit. I’m still not brewing as much as I would like*, but they’re a good bunch of guys (and gals) who love to talk about beer and brewing, and would never deign to make fun of anyone still using extracts.

Anyway, last night was our (postponed) February meeting, which for the last few years has been held at the Wild Goose Brewery. E.T. behind the bar was cheerfully passing out samples of several labels from Wild Goose and Flying Dog, as well as a tap for Backfin Pale Ale. Bob the head brewer came ’round to let us know that their Belgian Trippel (made with Westmalle yeast) and Biere de Garde would be coming out within the next four to six weeks.

I got to sample the last of Test Batch #69. They were very coy about whether this might become a commercial product or not. I thought it was interesting. The Gonzo Imperial Porter and Double Dog Double Ale were popular (and delicious) but I limited myself to one sample of each. (At ABVs over 9 and 10 percent respectively, it’s for the best.) I didn’t get to sample everything they have on tap. Good thing, too, or I wouldn’t have gotten home until the wee hours of this morning.

I also got to wander around the brewery a bit. One of the brewers—just moved out from Colorado—was showing some other folks around, so I tagged along and learned a few interesting things.

Afterwards, fellow F.O.A.M.er Rick and I stopped in at Barley and Hops. They had their new Barrel Aged Jim Stout on the hand pump (Oatmeal Stout aged in Jim Beam barrels), which was quite good. I also had a couple of glasses of the Schifferstadt Stout, a nice dry stout that was just smooth and creamy. It was excellent, and just what I want when I think “stout”.

A good meeting.

* Heck I’m not writing here as often I would like. I’ve been darn busy.

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Well, speaking of Flying Dog, it seems that they’re pulling up stakes and going to start brewing 100% of their beers just up the road from me.

Here’s the word from president and CEO Eric Warner:

As you may have heard, Flying Dog Brewery recently announced that we are embarking on the next step in our illustrious, 17 year history of crafting remarkable beer by concentrating all of our brewing and production to the brewery in Frederick, MD, where 70% of Flying Dog Beer is already being brewed. This move will take place in January and we are working to ensure that our entire production team will be able to make this move over to Maryland. Accounting, sales, marketing and other administrative functions will remain largely unaffected by this change and our HQ will remain in Denver.

We decided to make this proactive move as it has become increasingly important to be extremely nimble in today’s business environment. Only those who can quickly adapt in the hyper-Darwinian economy will survive and in today’s craft brewing landscape. We are facing unprecedented cost pressures due in large part to the tremendous hop and malt cost increases. Concentrating our brewing operations to one facility will help us become more efficient while maintaining our exceptionally high brewing standards. This is a smart, proactive move for our growing company and will allow us to most efficiently use our resources.

The Frederick facility is a state-of-the-art brewery that has already been producing great beer for Flying Dog and we look forward to ramping up production and growing our business even more than the +20% trends we are experiencing in 2007. The bottling line in Frederick has lower oxygen uptake at filling than the one in Denver, which translates to better flavor stability and longer shelf life. It also kicks out bottles at twice the pace of the line in Denver. The brewhouse in Maryland is also capable of brewing a wider range of recipes than the one in Denver. Finally, the brewery in MD plans on substantial capital expenditures and plant upgrades (close to a million bucks in 2008 alone) to continue to brew better beer in an efficient and environmentally friendly way.

I have been to the Frederick brewery and it is very nice. This sounds like a great move for them.

See also:

Press release on Beer Advocate
Article on Rocky Mountain News
Reactions in the blogosphere

(via Musings Over a Pint, among others)

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Flying Dog has become one of my favorite breweries. All the more so that it is now brewed just 15 miles up the road in Frederick, Maryland as well as in Denver.

The homebrewing class I’ve been in has seemed to focus on “big” beers, so I wanted to balance that with something a little lighter. Besides, the wife picked this up for me. Good choice on her part.

Here’s what they say:

Old Scratch Amber Lager is a malty, mellow beer that is fermented at medium temperatures to develop both ale and lager characteristics. “Gold Scratch” raises the standard in the amber lager category.
ABV: 5.5%
Plato: 13.5
IBU’s: 19.5
Specialty Malts: 120L Crystal Malt, Malted White Wheat, Munich Malt
Hops: German Perle, Hallertau
Process: Fermented at medium temperatures to develop both ale and lager characteristics

A nice, deep amber color with a small, off-white head. Aroma is light, with just the slightest grassy hop essence.

Nice, medium body. Very light on the hops (to me, at least) but not heavy at all.

I first encountered this beer some ten years ago, when a friend picked it up because “Old Scratch” is an old nickname for the Devil. I think I’d had it once or twice since then, but now with Flying Dog owning Wild Goose, I get pretty much the whole “pack” at my local retailers.

Recommended. It might be a bit heavy to be a “lawnmower beer”, but is quite refreshing nevertheless. Considering how many awards it has one, I’m obviously not alone in liking this beer.

Here’s what the beer blogosphere has to say about “Old Scratch”

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Celebrator Doppelbock was released this week.

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, Flying Dog, with their Open Source Beer Project, posted the recipe for this Doppel for homebrewers to try it out and to solicit suggestions for tweaks.

Well, it’s out now. Anybody go to the release party last Friday?

Since Flying Dog owns Wild Goose in Frederick, we get a lot of Flying Dog products here. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.

Related:

• Open Source Beer Project - Flying Dog Brewery
• Open Source Beer Project - Now it has a name

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