Tag Archives: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Craft Beer, Craft Breweries, International, Philanthropy

Brew For Ukraine

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2020 captured the attention of the world. The pictures and videos emerging from Russian aggression are heartbreaking. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of just over 41 million people. In the first week of the conflict over a million Ukrainians ( mainly women, children, and the elderly) crossed international borders as the fled they horrors. By the end of April, 2022 that number had swelled to over 5.7 million. Most of these went to neighboring Poland. No one knows how many refugees this conflict will ultimately generate.

While looking on in horror, the international community has mobilized in efforts to provide assistance to both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain. These include the U.S. Government, relief agencies such as the American Red Cross, and churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In communities across the United States, individuals and groups are also doing their part to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees. In Portland. OR, The Slavic Community Center of the Northwest held a fundraiser, while Jackson Henning, a 12 year old boy opened a Lemonade Stand in his hometown of Westmont, PA. In addition to these and other fundraising efforts, many craft breweries across the United States have also stepped up and are doing their part to support Ukrainian refugees.

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI was the first American craft brewery to export their beer to Ukraine. Since 2016, Andy Jungwirth, Export Manager at Lakefront, has visited Ukraine on six occasions. During these visits he got to know the folks at Pravda Brewery pretty well. I wrote about Pravda Brewery in my last blog entry. Located in the city of Lviv, Pravda has shifted from brewing beer to producing Molotov Cocktails which are being used against the Russian invaders.

Such was the warmth of the relationship between Jungwirth and Pravda Brewery that Lakefront and Pravda collaborated on brewing a couple of beers, including an India Pale Lager, which they named Lviv-Milwaukee”. Given this close relationship between the two breweries, it is not surprising that news of the Russian invasion sparked a response from the American brewery. Walk into Lakefront today and purchase a 32 ounce crowler and you will find it wrapped in a specially designed blue label emblazoned with a caricature of Vladimir Putin with the words “Putin is a Dick” across his forehead. Funds raised from sale of these crowlers will be deposited with the National Bank of Ukraine, who will use them to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion. Lakefront hopes to raise at least $10,000 from the sale of its crowlers.

Specially wrapped “Putin is a Dick” crowlers from Lakefront Brewery. Source: LakefrontBrewery.com.

As noted above, Pravda Brewery has been very hands-on in its efforts to fight back against the Russian military. In addition to producing Molotov Cocktails, the brewery has made available the recipes for five of their beers. The beer recipes have been released as part of the “Brew for Ukraine Crisis Relief Project“. Participating in the project involves brewing at least one of the five beers and making a voluntary contribution to Pravda’s relief fund. Donations to the fund will be directed to the appropriate non-profits operating in Ukraine. The five beers, for which recipes have been made available are Putin Huylo (Dry Hopped Strong Ale), Syla (Belgian Tripel), Red Eyes (American Red Ale), and Frau Ribbentrtop (Belgian Witbier), and From San to Don (Ukrainian Imperial Stout). The beers are being branded as comprising the Victory Series. To date, breweries in Australasia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America are participating in the initiative and are brewing at least one of these beers.

Breweries from five continents are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)
Breweries across the United States are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)
Catawba Island Brewing Company in Port Clinton, OH is one of the American breweries participating in the Brew for Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.facebook.com/CatawbaIslandBrewingCo)

One aspect of the craft brewing industry that has always impressed me is its collaborative nature, and the willingness of breweries to rally around and step up to support a worthy cause. The Brewing for Ukraine initiative is an excellent example of this. But it is not the first. Other examples abound. in 2018, over 1,400 breweries in the United States participated in the Camp Fire initiative. Organized by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., this effort raised millions of dollars to support those impacted by northern California wildfires. Participating breweries were invited to brew Resilience Butte County Proud IPA. In 2020, Other Half Brewing rallied brewers around the world to raise money for the hospitality industry that had been impacted by COVID-19. They did so by creating a recipe for a beer called All Together IPA. The recipe, as is common in such projects was open source and so was available to all breweries who wanted to participate.

Of course, the Brewing for Ukraine initiative will not change the course of the war in Ukraine. But it will provide vital relief to some Ukrainians who have been impacted the Russian invasion. As individuals, who watch in disgust and horror at the pictures/videos emerging from Ukraine, we can feel helpless. However, there are myriad opportunities to donate some money to help both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain there. Next time you pop along to your local brewery, you might just find another way in which you can donate.

Craft Breweries, History, Michigan

From Paper to Beer: The Mill At Vicksburg

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“Sooner or later, everything old is new again” wrote Stephen King, in his novel The Colorado Kid in 2005. He might have well said it as he gazed upon the restoration of the Mill at Vicksburg in 2021.

Lee Paper Mill, circa 1915

Mill at Vicksburg 2020

From a leading producer of fine paper in the early 20th century, originally built by Lee Paper Company, eventually being abandoned at the beginning of the 21st century this massive building will soon be home to a world class destination for craft beer lovers. It’s taken many years of hard work, vision, community relationships, and cooperation from a vast number of stakeholders to restore a 420,000 square foot building and transform it into a multi-faceted facility, set to open in 2025. In addition to housing a brewery, the Mill will house a boutique hotel, conference/event space, and a museum housing beer memorabilia.  The Mill is located in the village of Vicksburg (population 2,906) which is located in Kalamazoo County, MI, and sits nicely equidistant between Chicago, IL and Detroit, MI – it is about 150 miles from both.

It all started with a phone call. Chris Moore, the visionary and now owner for the Mill at Vicksburg, received from his mother Sue back in 2014. The Mill had been part of the fabric of Vicksburg for nearly a century and after paper making had left the region, it had fallen into disrepair and talk of its demolition was becoming common. The Mill had been such an important part of Chris’s life, both his father and grandfather made careers there, along with some stints for him as a young man. It was the economic engine of the community and the thought of losing this giant seemed tragic, akin to losing a part of the community identity.

Chris Moore – the visionary behind the Mill at Vicksburg

After many meetings at the local, state, and federal level Chris managed to save the Mill while also preserving its integrity indefinitely, getting it added to the Federal Historic Registry. He also began forming what the future would hold for the Mill and how it could be an economic engine once again. Beer would be a big part of the Mill’s future.

Chris has a long-held passion for beer and brewing. It began in the 80s, influenced in part by the early efforts of Larry Bell in his first foray with Kalamazoo Brewing in the mid 1980s (eventually becoming the nationally renowned Bell’s Brewery and then working at Widmer Brothers Brewing in 1989, another early pioneer in America’s brewing renaissance.

In 2016 Chris and co-founder Brian Stan opened Old Stove Brewing Co. in Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA. Old Stove has since expanded to the MarketFront of Pike Place. Their brews have won awards and the connection between the legendary gastronomic offerings of Pike Place and their beer will continue at the Mill. The importance of pairing food and beer adds to a rich layer of offerings that are being developed for the project in Vicksburg. In opening Old Stove Brewing , Chris said he felt like he was ‘standing on the shoulder of giants’ referencing all the hard work, including the tough legislative efforts pioneers like Kurt Widmer made, paving the way for thousands of breweries. It didn’t stop there. Many of these early trailblazers even had to build their own brewery equipment to see their vision through. These early influences helped shape the opportunity Chris saw to leverage his passion for beer, brewing, and history while turning the Mill into something very special once again.

Old Stove Brewing Co., Seattle, WA

Chris’s deep fascination with the beer industry also includes unique and rare brewery memorabilia which he began collecting many years ago. With so much history behind the Mill at Vicksburg it was only logical that these artifacts of American brewing history would be preserved and celebrated; ideally, while enjoying a delicious brew. Leaning on reputable collectors and historians, the breweriana collection has grown substantially and will have its own museum in Vicksburg called the Cone Top Brewery Museum. The Mill is working closely with the National Association of Breweriana Advertising to collaborate on the museum.

The Mill at Vicksburg has a growing breweriana collection

Something as monumental as revitalizing the Mill cannot be done in a vacuum, and the Village of Vicksburg is a big part of what will make the Mill successful. Chris has wryly stated that ‘all roads lead to Vicksburg’, leaning on the broad infrastructure of transportation that allowed the vast papermaking industry in SW Michigan to thrive for nearly a century. Road and rail are abundant, but massive economic inputs of a project this size are significant. Vicksburg is a very charming and historic town, but like many downtowns across the Midwest, efforts need to be made to preserve and celebrate the architecture, commerce, and vibrancy to support future growth. Chris has assembled a team to help him support the Village’s efforts to not only preserve the history and vitality but also help prepare it for a significant economic lift the Mill will once again bring.

As chronicled elsewhere in this blog, the resurgence of brewing across America started with homebrewing. Homebrewing and craft brewing are intertwined in countless ways across the country. Larry Bell started as a homebrewer before opening his own homebrew equipment shop. On the other side of the country, the legendary Ken Grossman started Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., after finding his passion in homebrewing. The Mill will have features that celebrate homebrewing history and its future, the final scope of which will be finalized in the coming years. Homebrewers are perhaps the greatest advocates for craft brewing and a vital part of its identity. The Mill wants to recognize the grassroots history, entrepreneurialism and passion that has built, not only a national industry but a global one.

History will be part of the fabric that weaves through the ecosystem of the Mill, including of course, brewing. Over the last three decades innovative American craft brewers have created new styles and processes, while continuing to search for resources to create even more distinct brews. Going back over a century, rural brewers across the country and abroad had to utilize resources that were available locally, from grains to yeast. Chris has long felt the need to support American farming, sponsoring Cascadia Grains since 2016 and the Great Lakes Hop and Barley Conference since 2017. Vitality and diversity are critical for healthy agriculture and in turn, brewing. Further, it supports brewing innovation, a pillar of craft brewing enterprise. Brewing at the Mill will embrace brewing history, its rural roots, innovation and support the local farming community.

There is much, much more to share and celebrate about the future of the Mill at Vicksburg, particularly on the brewing side. With the Mill slated to open in a few years, stay tuned for more details about how the Mill will be a compelling destination for all those that love history, music, and of course, delicious brews.

Guest Blogger

This blog entry was written by guest blogger, Brian Bastien.

Brian Bastien

A passionate advocate of the craft beer industry, Brian’s brewery career began as a homebrewer before completing a BA at University of Western Ontario, in Economics. His 20-plus years of experience leading teams and building markets across North America includes senior roles with Moosehead, Carlsberg, and most recently as a VP with Newlands Systems, a custom brewery equipment manufacturer. While studying an International MBA at the University of Wales, he wrote a dissertation on strategic brewery brand growth across global markets. Brian is leading the brewery and distillery strategy, planning and design for The Mill’s multi-brewery facility, a vital economic driver for the redevelopment. The beverage operations will concurrently accomplish the goals of tenant attraction, job creation, and destination tourism for The Mill. Active in community roles, Brian has over ten years of leadership experience serving local non-profits, most recently serving as president and chair for the Women in Need Society in Calgary, Canada. In 2018 he finished brewery studies in Chicago at the World Brewing Academy and completed distillery studies at Siebel in 2019.

Craft Beer, Events

Flagship February

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February has come and gone, and with it the inaugural Flagship February. Conceived by Canadian beer writer, Stephen Beaumont, the idea was simple enough – spend the month of February rediscovering and drinking the beers upon which breweries made their reputation – their so-called flagship beers. I must admit that I did not make any conscious effort to drink flagship beers throughout the month – maybe I will next year – but I did enjoy a few such brews during the twenty-eight days of February.

But before getting to the February flagships that I consumed, let’s think about what defines a flagship beer. In other words, what qualifies a beer as a flagship beer? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines flagship as “the finest, largest, or most important one of a group of things”. So for a brewery, its flagship beer would be the one that the brewer considers to be his or her finest, or it could be the brewery’s best selling beer. To investigate this further I did an internet search and came across this page on the Beeradvocate.com website; where a number of brewers were asked to articulate their understanding of the term “flagship beer”. You can read the answers at the link above, but let me share a sample of them below.

According to Peter Egelston of Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, NH, a brewery’s flagship beer “doesn’t necessarily have to be the biggest seller, but rather is the beer that best defines those qualities that a brewer wishes to be associated with. It is the one that embodies the culture and aspirations of a brewery, as opposed to being a brand that merely pays the bills”. For some breweries, however, paying the bills is key to identifying a flagship beer. For Jim Killeen of the now out-of-business Nutfield Brewing Company of Derry, NH their flagship beer was Nutfield Old Man Ale, for no other reason than it was the brewery’s best seller, accounting for two-thirds of its sales.

For some breweries, year-round availability is a key characteristic of a flagship beer. For example, David Wollner of Willimantic Brewing Co. in Williamantic, CT noted that Certified Gold is their “flagship because we always try to have it on tap. All of our other beers rotate throughout the year.” Finally, some breweries have more than one flagship beer. This is the case for Victory Brewing Company of Downington, PA. Brewer Bill Covaleski notes that Victory has four flagship brands, all of which are available throughout the year.

So the definition of ‘flagship beer’ varies from brewery to brewery. As I reflect on the beers that I enjoyed during the month of February, some were clearly flagships, with at least two of them being what I would term ‘iconic flagship’ beers. These are Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Anchor Steam, from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Anchor Brewing Company respectively. Every craft beer drinker in the United States is surely familiar with these beers. Indeed, in an article about flagship beers in the Post Bulletin (a Rochester, MN newspaper), Josh Noel suggests that Sierra Nevada is “light-years ahead of its time and arguably the most important American beer of the past 50 years.”

Two other flagship beers, not available nationally, that I had in February are Trumer Pils from Trumer Brewery in Berkeley, CA and Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, WI. The Trumer Brewery in Berkeley was established in 2004 as a sister brewery to the Trumer Brauerei in Salzburg, Austria. Trumer Pils is the only beer brewed at the brewery – so it has to be its flagship, right? It is one of my all-time favorite pilsners. Despite not distributing their beers outside of Wisconsin, New Glarus Brewing Company are the sixteenth largest craft brewery in the United States. Spotted Cow is New Glarus’s best known and best selling beer. When I flew home from Madison, WI last month, I didn’t check a bag. This meant, of course, I could not bring any beer home with me. Fear not, for there they were, at one of the gift shops in the Dane County Airport – twelve packs of Spotted Cow.

The four beers mentioned above are undoubtedly flagship beers. Others that I had that may be considered flagship beers include Mallet Session IPA from Trade Brewing in Napa, CA. The beer is brewed year-round. Also on that list is Leaping Lemur Cream Ale, which Hillsboro Brewing Company of Hillsboro, WI identify on their website as one of three flagship beers. Likewise, South Shore Brewing Company of Washburn, WI list their WPA:Wisconsin Pale Ale as one of five flagship beers.

WPA:Wisconsin Pale Ale from South Shore Brewing Company

Finally, while having dinner at Celadon in Napa, CA last month, I noticed, on the menu, Arctic Pale Ale from Einstok Beer Company in Akureyri, Iceland. I’d never had any Icelandic beer before, so I ordered it. I am glad I did. As I researched it later, I learned that Arctic Pale Ale is part of Einstok’s “core portfolio” of beers.

Arctic Pale Ale, one of Einstock Beer Co’s flagship beers

Of the eight flagship beers I enjoyed during Flagship February, seven were consumed in the state in which they were brewed (the exception being Einstok’s Arctic Pale Ale). Two were actually consumed at the brewery where they were brewed – Anchor Steam at Anchor Brewery and Leaping Lemur Cream Ale at Hillsboro Brewing Co.

As February drew to a close, a story about a new brew from Smartmouth Brewing Company in Norfolk, VA started to appear on my newsfeed. The beer is called Saturday Morning and is an IPA brewed with toasted marshmallows and cereal marshmallows. It was inspired by Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. Now I have no objection to brewers utilizing unsusal and non-traditional ingredients in their recipes. In fact, I think that beers brewed with such ingredients make the world of craft beer more interesting, and they certainly create buzz and get people talking. For breweries producing such a beer, it can generate some media coverage and get a brewery’s name out there. I, for example, had never heard of Smartmouth Brewing before they hit the news over the last few weeks – but I now know who they are. But I doubt such beers will ever attain Flagship status.

As I reflect on the concept behind Flagship February, I have to say that I think it’s a good idea. While I drink my fair share of flagship beers throughout the year, it was good to have an entire month focused on beers which, in my opinion, play a critical role in the world of craft beer.

Craft Beer, International

Prof Beer

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A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from John Paul Breslin. John Paul is a reporter with the Sunday Post, a Scottish newspaper. John Paul had come across my beer blog, saw that I was originally from Scotland, and was interested in writing an article about my research Continue reading Prof Beer →