Spirits in the night

A few breweries around the country have begun to diversify their business by producing spirits such as whisky and vodka. Anchor Brewing, Dogfish Head and Flying Dog are some of the more well known names that have done so. Here in Arizona, Mogollon Brewing up in Flagstaff is the latest one to add a distillery. The basic ingredient that is needed to produce whiskies and vodkas is essentially unhopped beer so it is an easy for breweries to become a distiller since they already have most of the equipment already.

About the only thing a brewery needs to add to become a distiller is a still. Mogollon's still differs from the one most others use and this set them apart in the quality of the final product. Most stills around the world are called pot stills and they've been around for a couple of thousand years and haven't changed much. You have all seen examples in the movies of a hillbilly boiling it up and the liquid going around a loop and moonshine coming out at the end. Well that is what a pot still essentially looks like. The type of still Mogollon has is called a reflux still and was only invented about 100 years ago. With a pot still, in order to increase and purify the alcohol they have to go through the distillation process a number of times. With the reflux still they only need to do it once. The reflux still differs from a pot still in that it employs a column fitted with internal trays instead of the familiar loop we have all seen. In the column the distillate vapors from a boiler and rise up the column to the top where the vapors are condensed. The condensed liquid is then allowed to run back down through the rising vapors. As the condensed liquid cascades back down through the trays, it becomes enriched by the rising vapors in the column. As the descending liquid passes down the column a point is reached where the temperatures become hot enough that the liquid boils again. The Mogollon reflux still has 12 trays in it so essentially the liquid gets purified 12 times before it comes out at 190 proof liquid. To adjust the proof down to 60 or 80 or whatever number they want they simply add purified water to the 190 proof everclear.

Mogollon is only going to produce vodka right now and not whisky. Unlike whisky, vodka does not need to age so they will be able to get it into the market as soon as they get the label approval. Because our license is only for beer and wine you won't be able to get it at Papago. Now, I am not a vodka drinker, it's probably been 10 or 15 years since I have had a drink made with vodka but I have to tell you the vodka they are making was really good. They are planning on selling it in the mid 20's range and I think it will be a real bargain at that price. It will probably be just a couple of months before it is available in Phoenix.

I got to sample a few different proof's of vodka they are experimenting with this weekend up in Flagstaff along with a Prickly Pear vodka that I am sure will be a big seller for them. It had a great color and the taste was outstanding. I even got to sample the 190 proof everclear. I was surprised at how good it was. If you have ever tasted everclear before you know that it has some really harsh flavors. Mogollon's though, because it is so pure from their process didn't have any of the harsh flavors. It was amazing how pure and clean their vodkas were. The brewer, Rick opened up a bottle from another brewery and I have to tell you it did have a lot of the higher ethanol type aroma that Mogollon didn't.

Vodka I learned can be dangerous, not so much to me but to my friend Jeffrey Haines who owns the Brewers Connection in Tempe. Jeffy has had the nickname of Cactus Jeff for a few years after he fell into a cholla plant at the flightline beer festival. Now after this weekend he has a new name after visiting Mogollon, he was lucky this time that there weren't any chollas around but he is now known as Bushwahacker Jeff. You can probably figure out why.

Prost, Ron

Oud Beersel resurrection

Now on tap at Papago for a limited time is 'Oud Beersel Framboise'. This beer is unique for a number of reasons. The Oud Beersel Brewery in Beersel, Belgium went out of business a few of years ago due to some family squabbles despite a petition by beer aficionados to save it. The beer we have on tap was being stored at the nearby Boon Brewery when Oud Beersel went out of business. Fruit lambics typically take three years to make and usually are a blend of three year old and one year old lambic. The blending of the different vintages of lambics is more of an art than a science. Because they just let mother nature take its course an older lambic will become more sour over time. One of the most respected and traditional lambic brewers and blenders is Frank Boon. Frank Boon, not wanting to let the Oud Beersel beer go to waste that he had in his possession let the 'Oud Beersel' lambic age and last year brewed another lambic according to the original Oud Beersel recipe and then this year when the time was right blended them together, added the raspberries and voila, Oud Beersel Framboise was resurrected from the dead.

Unlike Lindemans Framboise, the Oud Beersel Framboise is not sweet but more sour like a traditional lambic used to be. It is a very refreshing summer thirst quencher. Lambic brewing is the oldest brewing method still in use in the western world. As I mentioned, Frank Boon, is one of the few brewers who still follow the old brewing traditions and recipes and do not like to make their fruit beer into a sweet 'soda pop'. In fact, on my last trip to Belgium one of the Belgium brewers categorized lambic breweries into two categories. The breweries like Boon, Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen and like the former Oud Beersel were referred to as "Traditional Breweries". The other category of breweries like Lindemans and Bellevue were referred to as 'Coca Cola' breweries for making sweet tasting lambics whose beers are preferred by more of the general populace. If you remember the previous 'Leah's Corner' article I sometimes mistakenly refer to beers like Lindemans as 'chick' beer so from now on I will remove the sexual connotation and refer to them as Coca Cola beers.

Drinking a traditional lambic requires an acquired taste. You will either love it or hate it. There just isn't any in between. Now, You probably can tell that I prefer a fruit lambic like the Oud Beersel to one like Lindemans, but it is because I have acquired a taste for sour beers. Many people who aren't so beer snobbish as myself or who don't have a taste for sour beers would like the Lindemans better. That doesn't mean that one style is 'right" and that one is 'wrong', they are just different. As a pure matter of economics in being able to make a product that is marketable and that sells the way the trend is going in Belgium it is possible that at some point in time in the future that the 'Traditional Breweries' may all disappear just as Oud Beersel did. Now you have the chance though to come in and try the two of them side by side if you wish and to decide for yourself which you like better, the old or the new.

Prost, Ron

Arizona's largest brewery

O.K. Any idea on what Arizona brewery at the height of their production produced more than 25 times the amount of beer that Four Peaks brewed last year? Nimbus? No. McFarlanes? No. Sonora? No. Rio Salado? No, Mogollon? No. Rock Bottom? No. No idea? Well how about a hint. This breweries first brewer once brewed for Pilsner Urquell in the Czech Republic and their second brewer was a graduate of Weihenstephan Brewing University in Munich. Still no idea? How about that in order to have ever had one of their beers you would have had to have been born during World War II or before. The largest brewing company ever in Arizona was Arizona Brewing Company. Maker of such fine lagers as Arizona Apache Beer, Sunbru, Elder Brau and their eventual flagship, A-1 beer.

The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 gave birth to scores of new breweries throughout the United States. Eight brewing companies would attempt to open in Arizona after prohibition. Only one, the Arizona Brewing Company, would be successful. The Arizona Brewing Company would produce over 250,000 barrels annually at the height of their production in the late 1940's and 50's. Four Peaks last year was the states largest brewer with 9950 barrels produced. 10000 barrels is the current maximum allowed in the state right now.
It is somewhat hard to believe now but before Phoenix became the huge metropolitan city that it is now they say that the water here was actually good for brewing. Today no brewer would ever think of trying to use the local water without treating it themselves, mostly through reverse osmosis. But supposedly the water here used to be good and was perfect brewing water for brewing Pilsner style lagers. Arizona Brewing Companies first beer was called Apache, and then right before World War II they made a poorly timed decision to come out with a new brew called Elder Brau. Well, That decision to make a German sounding beer right before World War II started and grain shortages during World War II almost put them out of business but they did manage to survive the war and came out with a replacement beer for Elder Brau called A-1 beer which is what they are most remembered for today.
So if this brewery was so successful whatever happened to them? Well. a number of things happened. First, as so many breweries around the world have done, they ran into the lawyers from the evil empire, AKA Budweiser, who went after them to change their labels because of the use of an eagle on it. Then another mega brewer, Coors, decided to go after the Arizona market with a marketing practice that would be illegal today but who were giving away kegs of beers in order to get draft accounts and that is what really killed the brewery. Eventually they sold themselves off to Carling from Canada in 1964 and were eventually dismantled. If you happen to go up to the Pinnacle Peak Patio you can see a fine collection of A-1 cans and memorabilia and while you are there you can drink some great Sonoran and Papago brews served on tap there.

Upcoming fests

There are a number of different types of beer festivals coming up in the next few months, single brewery anniversary parties like Avery Brewing in Boulder (Aug 7th) or Stone Brewing (Sept 10) in Escondido. Slightly larger festivals like Made in the Shade in Flagstaff (August 13th). And, then there are the large festivals like Oktoberfest in Munich (Sept 17-Oct 3) that attracts millions of people from around the world but that only feature one style of beer, and finally there is the largest festival in North America, the Great American Beer Festival (Sept 29-Oct 1) in Denver.

You would have to be hard core to attend them all but if you are a beer lover you should try to attend at least one of them. I feel that at least once in every beer lovers life they should attend Oktoberfest in Munich. Given that the dollar isn't that favorable right now and if you haven't already been planning on going for awhile then maybe you should try and attend one of the other ones this year. After all, it is a great way to escape the heat. This year Papago will be going and serving our beer at Made in the Shade, the Stone Anniversary party and the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

At Made in the Shade I am guessing at the numbers but they'll probably be 15 to 20 breweries and about 80 beers to choose from. The advantage is that it is local, the disadvantage is that it can be crowded as the number of participating breweries has dropped off over the years but Flagstaff itself in August is a great escape. At Stone, they will have about 25 breweries and 75 or so beers, mostly from California but also from Colorado and even one from Mexico, yes, Tijuana Brewing Company will be there. This year they will have 2 separate sessions to break up the crowd. But the big one, and another one that every die hard beer person should go to at least once in their life is The Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

The Great American Beer Festival is the brewing industry's top public tasting and competition in the U.S. Beer aficionados from all over converge on Denver for the opportunity to sample more than 1,500 different beers from over 300 breweries. The fest has 3 public sessions and one 'connoisseur' session. One thing that makes the GABF unique is that it is a blend of every spectrum of American Brewing, from little ol places like Papago to the huge megabrewing empire known as Anheuser Busch that spill more beer in an hour than we make all year.

The public sessions at the GABF can be quite crowded, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, Thursday is the best public session to attend. The 'connoisseur' session Saturday afternoon is probably worth the extra money. It is at this session that they announce the medal winners where such well respected local beer judges such as Jim Roper and Melissa Phillips of Four Peaks have worked behind the scenes judging 100's of beers trying to determine which are the top beers in each category. Almost every beer that wins a medal sells out early Saturday night.

One of the best parts about being in Denver during the GABF is the opportunity to attend some of the many beer-related events that take place daily and nightly. A growing tradition at the annual gathering of America's beer industry in the Mile High City is the Real Beer Page "Stogies & Stout" smoker and tasting. Admission is free to breweries and their guests (so if you go look for Johnny, Leah or myself). Also, a frequent stop after the festival each night for those who didn't get enough at the fest is Denver's version of Papago, Falling Rock Tap House which has a great selection of draft beers and even though they don't have the quantity that Papago has, their bottled selection is also superb.
If you go to any of these fests and want to hook up with us or need help with hotel reservations let me know. We could also use some volunteer pourers for Stone's Anniversary party and for Made in the Shade (e-mail info@papagobrewing.com to volunteer). Tickets and further information on the fests can be obtained at:
www.azbeer.com www.averybrewing.com www.stonebrew.com and www.gabf.org The cheapest airfare we found to Denver is www.ata.com

Prost, Ron

Summer Solstice

Now that the temperature has reached 115 degrees, now that we've had our Christmas in July beers on and now that the Papago Open is over I think it is safe to say that the summer is officially here and half way over already. Along with summer comes a new line of seasonal beers, appropriately named summer beers.

Summer beers originally began in Europe with Belgium Saisons and Bavarian Mai-bocks centuries ago. The Belgian's being creative and not afraid of wild yeasts and micro flora that flourish in the summer months used the seasonal change to make their Saison. Saisons can have all sorts of different flavors in them but most tend to be somewhat fruity and may be a little sour. The German Bavarians on the other hand before refrigeration became available used to ban beer making in the hot summer months because they wanted a cleaner tasting beer. Mai-bocks were the last beer that they were allowed to brew in the summer except for wheat beers that could still ferment cleaner at a higher temperature. Mai-bocks are strong malt flavored beers with light hoppiness. I think we would all agree that German style Hefeweizens and Belgium Wit beers go down very well here in the hot summer months. There are too many of these good wheat beers to mention by name but I like the beers from Weihenstephan and Hacker Pschoor a lot. I personally find the Belgium Witterkke Rose beer that just came out to be a little too sweet for my taste buds but I have found that it is a good beer to mix with other beers such as the regular Witterkke Wit or Papago Orange Blossom to give them a nice Raspberry fruit taste.

Here in the good old U.S.A. craft brewers release summer beers from May to September. They are for the most part the exact opposite of the beers we featured with our Christmas in July, which were predominately big, malty, highly hopped, somewhat spicy and packed full of flavor and alcohol. Summer beers tend to be lighter, less hoppy, some are fruity and most have less alcohol. Many are wheat based, such as our own Orange Blossom Ale or Anchor's Summer Ale but are totally different than German Style Wheat beers. This year we are seeing some pilsners coming out of some craft brewers for a change. Full Sail just came out with their Session beer, Sierra Nevada has their Summerfest beer and Anderson Valley has released their Summer Solstice Cerveza Ale which are all light Pilsner style beers. These Pilsner style beers are what are also known as lawn mower beers because they do a great job of quenching the thirst if you are unfortunate enough to have to mow the yard here in the summer. They are also pretty refreshing around a great summertime BBQ or a dip in the pool so enjoy the heat, and the beers associated with it while you can.

Prost, Ron