WHAT’S BREWING

P.2 A Bigger Breckenr idge

P.4 Notes of Deutschland

P.5 93 In Dog Years

P.7 A New Standard

P.8 Breck IPA

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015

Off Tap. is a bimonthly publication of ABC Fine Wine & Spirits. Copyright 2015 ABC Liquors, Inc. All rights reserved. Not all products are available in all stores. If the product you’re looking for isn’t available, ask us to order it for you! Meghan Guarino Editor Allie Smallwood Contributing Editor

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MEGHAN GUARINO

abcfws.com

Photo courtesy of Breckenridge Brewery.

Photo courtesy of Breckenridge Brewery.

In 1990, Breckenridge Brewery first opened

its doors in Breckenridge, Colorado, a small

ski town just outside of Colorado’s bustling capital.

With balanced beers and homemade food, it’s

no surprise Breckenridge quickly outgrew its first

location in just two years. In 1992, the brewery

widened its footprint and opened a second

and then a third location in 1996 in the heart of

downtown Denver, a location that would remain

the primary brew spot for nearly 25 years.

Now Breckenridge has packed up and moved

their Denver location nine miles south to Littleton,

a comparatively smaller community. On the brink

of closing the doors to their downtown location

and running fulltime in Littleton, we sat down with

Todd Thibault, Breckenridge Brewery’s director of

marketing and biggest fan since his first day with

the company in August of 1996.

Describe the culture of Breckenridge Brewery.

We’re definitely Colorado and by saying “Colorado”

I mean we’re people that enjoy being outdoors,

we love to play hard—I guess we work hard and

we play hard, let’s put it that way. It’s actually

indicative of the brewery we’re just now building,

with big outdoor spaces, a huge beer garden,

bocce ball courts… we’re right along the bike

path and a river here in Colorado.

What do you think contributes to Breckenridge’s

growth over the past few years?

I truly would have to pay homage to all of the

other craft brewers; I think collectively we’ve all

gotten together and promoted more flavorful,

more inventive beers. And at this point for us, it’s

longevity. We were the third craft brewery in the

state of Colorado, and now I believe we have right

around 290 craft breweries in the state. So just

kind of being around and being involved with our

community and truly having a lot of fun.

You said you were the third craft brewery in

the state—what was it like to have all the new

kids show up?

It was cool! Actually I love it. There’s a new

brewery that opens up every 2-3 weeks or so.

And it’s fun to go visit them and try their beers—

it actually makes me really proud because I know

Breckenridge paved the way for a lot of other

craft breweries not only in Colorado but even the

country. It’s just cool—it’s cool to see them open

and grow. They’re friends of ours.

That’s what I like about craft beer—the culture.

I always relate [craft beer] to music. If you think

about musicians—yeah, they have their band they

play in and they travel together and all that stuff,

but whenever there’s some kind of music festival

they’re always jumping up on stage and joining

in on the finale song and playing music together.

Craft beer and music are very, very similar.

How do you think moving the brewery from

Denver to Littleton will affect the brewery?

We’re able to build a much bigger facility and really

something that speaks to more of who we are as

a brewery on the 12 acres as opposed to just a

couple city blocks, so I think it allows us to express

ourselves a little bit more. Plus also build more of a

destination; before we were more of an operating

brewery with a very small tasting room—maybe

we could fit 30 people in there. That building was

mostly meant for distribution—and then we owned

some other restaurants throughout Denver and

Colorado, but we don’t brew at them.

This new facility, just the restaurant, which we’re

going to call The Farmhouse Restaurant at

Breckenridge Brewery, we’ll be able to seat inside

about 330 people and out in the beer garden if we

want to join that in, probably right around 250. So

I think it’ll help us a lot more because we’ll be able

to invite our friends and family in to be able to

drink beers with us in bigger numbers.

That’s exciting, because you guys were

at max capacity.

We sure were. The brewery which is on Kalama

Street—we refer to it as the Kalama Street

Brewery—that we’re moving out of—that brewery

probably maxes out at about 55,000 barrels, but

last year we pushed it to about 64,000 barrels.

Where the new facility is, we’re opening up with a

capacity of about 120,000 barrels with the ability

to easily take it to about half a million barrels. And

that’s a lot of beer.

What are you most excited for with the new

facility—there’s a ton of stuff happening there.

There really is. We own 10 other successful

restaurants around Colorado, and they’re great to

hang out in and celebrate our brand, but this one I

think will be a little more special because we’ll be

making the beer onsite—that of course is with the

exception of our original brewpub in Breck which

has its own feel—it’s like going home and visiting

mom and dad in their old house—it has a familiar

feel to it.

But with this new place, we’ve grown up to the

point where we have our own new place… it’s

ours, we built it from scratch, as opposed to trying

to retrofit a building to do something that it wasn’t

meant to do. But this one, from the ground up,

we built it to be what we want it to be.

What would you say defines

a Breckenridge beer?

Balance. I say balance and, to get a little bit hokey,

and I don’t know what it is and I can’t put a finger

on it, but I have to say a little bit of Colorado. So

balance and a little bit of Colorado in every bottle.

We’re quite proud to be from Colorado.

Is there anything coming down the pipeline

that you’re excited about?

With this new brewery we’re able to build an entire

room for barrel aging and that entire room, I want

to say, is 2,000 square feet and it’s temperature

controlled and humidity controlled. And humidity

is actually an important thing here in Colorado

because we tend to be fairly dry, so we’ll put

beer in whiskey barrels, or tequila barrels or wine

barrels and sometimes those barrels start to dry

out and the beer starts to leak out just because

of the lack of humidity. So that climate controlled

room is going to be great.

Are the brewers excited about that?

Yeah—we have one brewer, that’s all he does.

He does those experimental type of things and

dreams up different ideas.

Is there anything else that’s new with the

Littleton facility that you guys will be playing

with now that you have so much space?

You know we’ve created a space which eventually,

what we’ll do—we’ve already purchased the

fermenters from our good friends up north in Fort

Collins from Odell Brewing Company—is make

smaller batches of beer. Just some really crazy,

off-the-wall beers and do a lot of experimentation.

And we’ll be able to do those fun little one-offs of

just beer that the brewmasters have really spent

their time, again, just dreaming up something

crazy. We’ve done those beers in the past but

we had to hand bottle everything in those 750mL

bottles, so distribution for that barely got out of

Colorado. What’ll be nice is that we’ll be able to

do those small batches, run it through our really

cool, awesome, state-of-the-art bottling line and

we’ll be able to kick out more bottles and be able

to reach a few more people across the United

States—I’m looking forward to that. It’s almost not

fair sometimes, because sometimes we get these

cool beers that folks in Florida don’t get to see.

This way we’ll be able to share it.

Photo courtesy of Breckenridge Brewery.

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N O T E S O F

DEUTSCHLAND

From the brewery that triggered America’s

insistent desire for hoppy beers comes a German

offering fit for true Bavarians.

Sierra Nevada is teaming up with various German

breweries for a recurring Oktoberfest series. The

first offering partners this California brewery with

Brauhaus Rigele, a family-owned and operated

brewery in the Bavaria region, the mainstay of

Oktoberfest itself. Brauhaus Rigele has been in

business for more than 600 years, solidifying its

expertise in brewing both traditional and innovative

German beers.

It seems Sierra Nevada’s authentic approach to

this series of Oktoberfest brews answers the question

posed to Ken Grossman in the March 3, 2014

issue of Forbes: Once you’ve graduated from

insurgent to incumbent, how do you keep growing–

and keep the fan base happy? You stick to your

roots. But when your style’s roots are deeply

imbedded in Deutschland, that’s where you go.

This German-American collaboration comes in at

6% ABV, pours a deep gold color and shows complex

malt flavors and aromas, true to the traditional

German Steffi barley used in this quintessential

Märzen. Pair this Oktoberfest with the usual German

dishes, especially if those German dishes involve

bratwurst or better yet, pretzels and mustard.

This is where Sierra Nevada’s award-winning

mustards come in: dip soft, warm pretzels in any

of their golden mustards for a pairing that’s as

German as lederhosen and Tyrolean hats. These

mustards pair perfectly with the rich, complex

malt of the traditional German Steffi barley

in this year’s Oktoberfest.

And if you didn’t already know about these

scrumptious mustards before now, you’re in

for a treat. All three styles—Pale Ale, Stout

and Porter—are crafted using the “old world”

practices, where rotating stones grind and

smoothen until the perfect texture is spun and the

flavors harmonize. The Pale Ale & Honey Spice is

subtly tart with a soft sweetness shining through.

The Porter & Spicy Brown is good for anything

that requires Dijon flavor, while the Stout & Stone-

ground is coarse in texture and full on body

and flavor.

All three mustards are available year round in

select ABC locations, while Sierra Nevada’s

premiere Oktoberfest collaboration hits shelves

this fall. Prost!

ALLIE SMALLWOOD

This year Dogfish Head turned 20, but they’ve

been drinking and crafting for a while now. Even

though they’ve grown quite a bit since their very

humble beginnings 20 years ago, they’ve kept the

sight of their mission on lock: to “brew off-centered

ales for off-centered people.” Not only have they

pioneered and habitualized many unique brewing

techniques, designed equipment themselves and

experimented with curious ingredients and inter-

esting inspirations, but they’ve always put creativity

before profit. “We’ve never let the tail of money

wag the dog of inspiration,” says Justin Williams,

Dogfish Head’s off-centered storyteller.

Founder Sam Calagione got his start as a home-

brewer and when Dogfish Head opened 20 years

ago, they brewed with a makeshift homebrew

system. “At that time, we were the smallest com-

mercial brewery in America, and our belief was

(and still is) that beer can have as much flavor,

complexity, diversity and food-compatibility as

the world’s finest wines. We’ve never wavered

from this belief, and thanks to passionate beer

fans and homebrewers who have discovered

Dogfish and help spread the word, we’ve grown

up a bit since then. But we’ve never had to bend

toward the status quo. Instead, the status quo has

slowly moved in the direction we’ve been going

the whole time. Now there are thousands of small,

independent breweries who have set their own

course, and we’re proud to be part of this beer

renaissance,” Sam explains.

Higher Math is their September release to celebrate

the big 2-0. Sam’s inaugural homebrew batch

was a golden ale fermented with cherries, a style

they’re returning to for the anniversary, but with a

twist. “Our Brewmaster Tim had the idea of also

adding cocoa nibs. It’ll clock in at a bold 20%

ABV (to celebrate our 20 years). We’re getting

up there in age, hence the name Higher Math,”

Justin jokes.

In addition to their anniversary ale release, Dogfish

Head has a lot to look forward to in the wake of

their 20-year milestone, including a relaunch of

their spirits program this fall and a revamp of their

brewpub, Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, the

original brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

They’ve also purchased the building next door to

open a second restaurant—but why eat at their

restaurant when you could stay at their hotel?

In the beginning, the Dogfish 360 Experience

was, for many years, an immersive “field trip” for

the biggest Dogfish Head fans. The deal was a

meal at their brewpub, a tour of the brewery and

a one night stay in the “Brewmaster’s Suite”—

a complete view of all aspects of the brewery,

with the first ever guest being international beer

writer, Michael Jackson! Nowadays, about 1,000

people stay in the mid-century inspired inn each

week during summer months and thousands

more dine in the restaurant. Check out the hotel

for yourself at DogfishInn.com.

The next 20 years are anticipated to be

doggedly off-centered. Sam says, “I can’t

believe that we’ve been fortunate enough to

do this for 20 years and grow this company in

the off-centered direction that we set out to do.

Thank you to everybody who’s bought our beer

in the last 20 years, and I ask that you keep

buying it so we can have another celebration

20 years from now!”

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93 in dog yearsALLIE SMALLWOOD

“But we’ve never had to bend toward

the status quo. Instead, the status

quo has slowly moved in the direction

we’ve been going the whole time.

– Sam Calagione

July pushed Florida beer drinkers into new tap

territory with the legalization of 64-ounce growler

bottles, glass jugs that are filled with fresh draft

beer, sealed and sold to take home to enjoy.

Considered the most common size by most of the

rest of the country, Florida craft beer lovers can

finally celebrate their new standard. So what does

this mean for beer drinkers around the state?

This Goldilocks growler—not too little, not too much,

but just enough—brings clarity to a seemingly

confusing and illogical Florida law against craft

beer: in the very recent past, 32 ounces were okay,

128 ounces were just fine, but 64-ounce jugs were

banned, literally illegal. The amendment allowing

64-ounce growlers is a sign of support for a bur-

geoning industry in a state that is simply soaked in

highly sought-after and award-winning craft beer.

Just look at Cigar City in Tampa, Funky Buddha in

Ft. Lauderdale, Gainesville’s Swamp Head Brewery

and even the newly operating, first-of-its-kind Brew

Hub in Lakeland. Cigar City and Funky Buddha

have put Florida on the map and paved the way

for smaller craft breweries to make their way in this

big bad world of beer, even welcoming people from

all over the country as they travel to Florida to see

these breweries as the main event of their Sunshine

State stay. Brew Hub’s mission is to aid talented

brewers who are just starting out until they’re ready

to operate on their own, effectively “graduating”

from the Brew Hub’s all-encompassing help to get

the brewers’ liquid into the salivating mouths of

beer nuts across the state. Not only that, but with

so much demand from even established brewer-

ies for Brew Hub’s services, this facility is bringing

more craft beer to Florida—they’re brewing beer in

Lakeland, Florida, for breweries who are at capacity

not only in Florida, but across the nation.

And while many local breweries and craft beer

proponents have grown the Florida craft beer

industry to where it is today, there is something so

sweet about the 64-ounce victory that took effect on

July 1, 2015. It invigorates the craft community with

more support from a somewhat unlikely source,

making the future of Florida craft beer even more

exciting and tantalizing than it already was.

And truly, we’re committed to the craft cause:

64-ounce growlers are available now at all ABC

Brew Stop locations. You can finally and officially fill

your half-gallon jug with freshly tapped beer at ABC’s

growler stations across the state. With up to 12

options of delicious craft beer, your 64-ounce glass

bottle can be filled with something new every time.

From the hyper local brews of Barley Mow, 3 Palms

and Cycle Brewing found in Tampa-area Brew Stops

to seasonal sensations like Southern Tier’s Pumking

found on tap at most ABC growler stations across

the state during pumpkin season, the taps at every

Brew Stop regularly rotate, offering a wide range of

local, rare, national, seasonal and year-round beers.

Our state-of-the-art growler stations are PEGAS

fillers, top-of-the-line systems that minimize the

head of the beer when filling your bottle—that

means less mess for us and more beer for you.

But before we start filling your growler, we give the

bottle a thorough rinse and lock it into the station.

Upon placing the bottle inside, a tight seal is

created between the mouth of the growler and

the filling station, and the bottle is purged of any

beer-tainting oxygen sitting in the bottle. Once

the air is out, the lever is switched over to fill your

growler with a carbon dioxide/nitrogen blend.

Then it’s time to fill your growler with whatever

golden ale or toasty stout you choose.

The tap hose is rinsed through with water and

flushed with the same carbon dioxide/nitrogen

blend. Consistency is key. The air is then evacuated,

creating a negative pressure and drawing the

beer from the keg, through the hose and into your

patiently waiting bottle.

And this is where the PEGAS system shines.

The tight seal between the neck of your growler

and the filling station allows the beer to run

smoothly into the bottle. It is filled from the bottom

up, running down the sides of the growler instead of

straight down the middle. This gets you more beer

without any extra head. More beer is better beer.

Once sealed, your beer is guaranteed fresh for

14 days.

Visit abcfws.com/BrewStop to find an ABC store

with a Brew Stop near you and start celebrating

Florida’s draft, craft, 64-ounce, beer victory

with a growler of deliciously refreshing, deeply

complex, happily hoppy or otherwise tantalizingly

delectable craft beer.

A NEW StandardMEGHAN GUARINO

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8989 South Orange Ave.Orlando, Florida 32824

Made with Mosaic and Cascade hops,

this new IPA from Colorado’s Breckenridge

Brewery has a full flavor and floral aromas.

Breck IPA pours a deep golden color

and showcases the best qualities of the

ingredients used to brew this medium-

bodied beer: Tropical fruit aromas greet

your nose, while your palate is pleased

with notes of citrus, pine and malt.

A bittersweet finish rounds out the Breck

IPA experience, but not before inviting you

back for another sip with its effortlessly

smooth carbonation. With 66 IBUs, 6.3%

ABV and a full yet mellow body, Breck IPA

is everything a Breckenridge beer should

be: satisfying, perfectly balanced and

the epitome of Colorado beer. Enjoy this

brewery’s newest edition to their lineup

with barbecued meats, sausages, Cajun

dishes and Mexican cuisine.

Breck IPA

Read about Breckenridge Brewery’s

new digs on pages 2-3!