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A concise brewery bio
When I see or hear about Breweries from small, small towns, I smile. It shows me that the craft beer movement can thrive anywhere.
So it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Winthrop, Washington and the Old Schoolhouse Brewery.
They have 7 beers in their main tap list as well as their reserve series. The ones that jump out at me are the Backcountry Coffee Stout made with beans from a local roaster. (Always a good sign) and their award winning Hooligan Stout.
This is a brand spanking new brewery in Pendleton, Oregon. So new that their website isn’t up and running yet. Eastern Oregon and Washington should probably create a chaffeured brewery crawl because it is a hot scene.
They have so far brewed a British IPA, porter, hefeweizen, amber, and most recently a NW style IPA.
Check out the owners YouTube video HERE
From South Africa to the American south and the cleverly named Straight to Ale.
This is the scoop from their website, “Straight To Ale is Alabama’s newest craft brewery. Located in the historic Lincoln Mills, we are working hard to provide our hometown of Huntsville, Alabama with top quality, full flavored beer in styles ranging from English brown ales to American Imperial IPA’s and everything in between. You can find our beer on draft at many local restaurants and bars. If we’re not already on tap at your favorite hang-out, please ask them why not!”
The Beers
This offering caught my eye…
Wernher von Brown Ale
“Perhaps good beer is rocket science. Named after the preeminent astronautics engineer, this luscious brown ale is sweet and malty up front with hints of toast and chocolate in the finish. East Kent Goldings provide a slight bitterness to this English-style ale. ABV of 5.0%”
As threatened in yesterday’s post, here are some thoughts and a video from Steve Grossman’s visit to the Library Alehouse.
–Sierra Nevada started in Woodland Hills with a homebrewing neighbor who left his creations unguarded in the back yard.
-It was a homebrew shop in Chico first, then a brewery.
– Their flagship pale ale was the 2nd beer brewed.
-They did 723 thousand barrels last year.
-Sierra Nevada is staying in the family.
-They are dedicated to the sustainability issue.
Now on to a bit of video where Steve talks about Southern Hemisphere’s origins….
Here is the history, straight from the source…
“We started building Yakima Craft Brewing Co. in December of 2007. We sold our first beer in June of 2008. Even though we are a young brewery, there is a lot of history here.
As beer fans, you probably know that the Yakima Valley is responsible for producing around 75% of the hop crop grown in the U.S.A. As the major producer of hop, you would think that this area is closely tied to the craft beer industry. And you’d be right. Most of the major US hop growers and processors are here, as well as hop industry organizations.
More than this, many would argue that the craft beer industry wouldn’t be as it is today without one particular figure; Bert Grant. Bert isn’t the only figure in craft beer, but many would argue that he was the one with most initial impact, founding Bert Grant’s Real Ales in 1982 in the Opera House here in Yakima.
Bert Grant, Grant’s Real Ales and Yakima Brewing & Malting are no longer with us. However, we are fortunate enough to use Bert’s original boil kettle for our brewing.
This is an all-copper kettle, which gives us better ability to caramelize sugars, adds some nutrients for the yeast, and much more. We are proud to be able to continue this legacy through our beer.
If there was a museum for brewing equipment, this kettle would be in it. But, we’re pretty sure that Bert would rather we use it to make beer.
We are a very small brewery, just 3 1/2 barrels (BBL)- tiny by commercial standards. We don’t filter or pasteurize our beer, as we see beer as a food best enjoyed fresh and local.
We’ll continue to brew and bring good beer to beer fans everywhere, from right here in Yakima, where we live and work.”
I wanted to talk about this brewery during my World Cup posts but, alas, Scotland is not participating this year so I will have to sneak it in here. Williams Brothers has been available for awhile with their historic beers like Fraoch Heather ale and Kelpie the seaweed beer amongst others but now they are sending over some from their regular line.
![williams bros[1]. bottle cap](https://beersearchparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/williams-bros1.-bottle-cap.png "williams bros[1]. bottle cap")
Williams Brothers Scottish Joker IPA
Joker premium pale is created from a complex blend of malt and hops with the sole purpose of bringing a smile to your face. Joker has a fresh citrusy aroma and bittersweet, full flavour.
Williams Brother Scottish Midnight Sun Dark Porter Ale
Midnight Sun is a black Porter style beer, created from a blend of malted barley, oats, roast barley and chocolate malt,balanced with a generous handful of hops and a wee bit of fresh root ginger.
Williams Brother Scottish Heavy Eighty Shilling Beer
80/- A traditional Scottish ale brewed with an emphasis on the malt charachteristics. Lightly hopped, as is true to this style of beer, with fruity malt aromas and a toffeeish mouthfeel.
Williams Brother Session Golden Ale
This premium beer is brewed and bottled by the Williams Bros in Alloa, Scotland. Every care has been taken to ensure that it reaches you in perfect condition. Our award winning ales are produced without the use of artificial preservatives: this may result in a fine settlement or slight haze, which are quite natural, Serve chilled, pour carefully and enjoy.
Back to New Mexico for the Marble Brewery.
Here are my two suggestions…
Simcoe Pale Ale
This single hop pale ale is a great spring beer, with big citrus hop aroma and flavor, little malt character and a nice crisp and refreshing finish. 5.4% ABV
TIPA
Yes, it?s what you think it is. Loads of hops, rich pale malt, long bitter-sweet finish. 11% ABV. $6.00 a pint. No 22s. $20 growlers.
Have you heard of Mystery Brewing?
Well you could be hearing about them if you join up to help a business get off the ground. After reading the link above. Go to the link below and donate. I’ve done it because MORE beer being made is a good thing.
Oklahoma is not just Sooner Country. It is also becoming Craft Beer Country! Marshall Brewing has an impressive beer list. with McNellie’s leading my list.
McNELLIE’S PUB ALE
Inspired by the house ales found in the pubs of Great Britain and Ireland, McNellie’s Pub Ale is a traditional ale brewed in the style of a Best Bitter. Various maltings of two-row barley are joined with American Glacier hops to give this beer its color, complexity, and a bit of a New World twist. The Old World character present in this ale is largely influenced by its yeast, which originates in the port city of Hull, East Yorkshire, England. McNellie’s Pub Ale pairs excellent with fish & chips (of course), Roast Beef, Steak, Pork, Grilled Chicken, and Barbeque. ABV – 5.0%
Another brewery in the City by the Bay. Social Kitchen & Brewery now joins the ranks.
Social Kolsch and and Alt bier are on the menu which is good to see.
The force behind this enterprise has been involved in SF Beer Week so good hands are guiding the wheel.