Hops

Wisconsin Hop Seminar

March 17, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

I was in Hillsboro, WI last month.. I was there to participate in the 10th Annual Wisconsin Hop Seminar. The seminar, which brings together craft brewers, hop growers, and university researchers was held at the Hillsboro Brewing Company. My role at the seminar was to give the keynote address on the impact of craft brewing on the American hop industry. Hops is a subject that I have written about in previous blog entries, which you can read here, here, and here.

Hillsboro is a ninety-minute drive north of Madison. I flew into Madison, where I spent the night, before driving with my colleague and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, Steve Deller, to Hillsboro. Hillsboro is a town of just over 1,400 people, located in west-central Wisconsin. It is known as the “Czech capital” of Wisconsin. While the earliest immigrants arriving in Hillsboro came from Germany, the Czechs started to arrive in the mid-1800s. Attracted by a landscape that reminded them of home, the Czechs brought with them their culture, food, and traditions. Today, the town’s Czech heritage is celebrated with the annual Cesky Den Festival.

Hillsboro Brewing Company is owned by the husband and wife team of Snapper and Kim Verbsky. Hillsboro is a relatively new brewery, only being established in 2014. In 2018, the brewery’s success (production went from ~350 barrels in 2017 to ~1,000 barrels in 2018) meant that it had to relocate to a larger facility and it is now housed in a 28,000 square foot building, that was formerly home to a Carnation Milk plant. This is where the hop seminar took place.

I must admit I was impressed with what Kim and Snapper were doing with their new brewing facility. It is a two-level building. The upper level is in the process of being renovated to house an event space. Wedding receptions will be a primary target market for this space. As I walked around the soon-to-be event space, I thought about the fact that there are only a little over 1,400 folks who live in town. This is clearly a space designed to attract out-of-towners. That thought also made me consider the brewery’s capacity to attract beer tourists.

The upper level of Hillsboro Brewery is being renovated and, when complete, will be rented out as event space.

Brewing occurs on the ground level of the brewery. Hillsboro produced approximately a thousand barrels of beer in 2018. It has the space to grow its brewing capacity, should the need arise. What particularly impressed me was that the owners clearly had respect for their building’s history. On display, there is a collage with old newspaper articles and photographs highlighting the building’s former life as a Carnation milk facility. I like it when brewery owners have an appreciation for and celebrate their building’s history. At Hillsboro, they also brew a beer that recognizes the building’s heritage. Contented Cow is a Milk Stout. In 1907, the founder of Carnation, E. A. Stuart introduced the phrase, “Carnation condensed milk, the milk from contented cows.” I sampled Contented Cow while at Hillsboro, and have to say that I really enjoyed it.

Collage highlighting the building’s history as a Carnation milk facility

A photograph of the building when it was a milk facility

There were approximately fifty in attendance at the seminar. The vast majority were hop farmers. There were a couple of brewers in attendance, including Dan Carey, co-owner and brewmaster of the legendary New Glarus Brewing Company. Dan was also one of the seminar’s speakers. My presentation focused on how the growth of craft brewing was impacting the hop industry. Among other things, craft breweries have created a demand for locally-grown hops.

The Program for the 10th Annual Wisconsin Hop Seminar

My presentation at the Wisconsin Hop Seminar

In preparing for my presentation I discovered quite a few things about the Wisconsin hop industry, including its history. During the second half of the eighteen-century, Wisconsin emerged as a major center of hop production. Production peaked in 1870, when the state produced approximately five million pounds of hops (Figure 1). The center of Wisconsin’s hop production was Sauk County, in the southwestern part of the state. I passed through Sauk County on the drive from Madison to Hillsboro. Hops first started to be grown in Sauk County in 1842. The rainfall and good drainage made Sauk County and ideal location for growing hops. Wisconsin’s reign as an important center of hop production did not last long, however. By 1880, annual production in the state had decreased to two million pounds. Production continued to fall and by the turn of the century very few hops were grown in the state (Figure 1).

In recent years hop farming has returned to Wisconsin. Most of the demand for Wisconsin hops come from Wisconsin craft breweries. There are over one hundred and sixty craft breweries in the state, and a growing number of them are using Wisconsin grown hops as an ingredient in some of their beers. As noted by Erika Janik in an article in Edible Milwaukee, “interest in local ingredients for local craft beer is driving a resurgence in the cultivation of hops and barley for brewing in Wisconsin.” According to the Hop Growers of America, in 2018 there were 297 acres of hops harvested in Wisconsin. This placed Wisconsin sixth in the country, behind Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Michigan, and New York. There are a lot of challenges associated with growing hops outside of the Pacific Northwest. There are the initial start-up costs, which can run ~$10,000 per acre. In addition, there are harvesting and post-harvesting processing costs; the latter include the costs of drying, pelletizing, storage etc. For small hop farms, as most start-ups are, achieving critical economies of scale is close to impossible. This make it difficult to compete on price with growers from the Pacific Northwest, particularly when it comes to the more common varieties of hops. Hop farmers in states such as Wisconsin have to figure out which hops will give them a competitive edge. In the long-term this might mean developing hop strains that are unique to the region, or by leveraging the concept of terroir; the idea that local Wisconsin hops provide unique flavors and aromas that are influenced by local soil and climate. Wisconsin hop growers may also be able to capitalize on the geographic proximity they enjoy viz-viz Wisconsin breweries – this proximity allows breweries to receive whole-cone hops that are delivered within hours of being harvested. Upon arrival at the brewery, these so-called ‘wet hops’ can be incorporated immediately into the brewing process. Wet-hop beers allow you to experience the true hop flavor the hop and have been described as “mellow, delicate, and freshly vibrant”. By definition, wet-hop beers are only available during the harvest season, which generally falls in August and September.

The hop farmers that I met and chatted with in Hillsboro were an impressive group. It is clear that they are passionate about hops. All are new to the industry, but are keen to learn, and are determined to become successful hop farmers.

Flagship February

March 12, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

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.

Beer Tourism, Breweries, History

A Pilgrimage to Anchor Brewing

March 1, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

I was in Napa, CA recently. To get to Napa, we (me, my wife, youngest daughter, and son-in-law) flew into San Francisco, CA, rented a car, and drove north. On our return trip home we decided to spend a day in San Francisco before catching our flight the next morning. When we knew that we were going to spend some time in San Francisco, I had one destination in mind – Anchor Brewing.

Any craft beer drinker worth his or her salt knows of Anchor Brewing. It’s status among American craft breweries is legendary and iconic. For those of you unfamiliar with its story and historic significance, here is the CliffNotes version.

In 1871, Gottlieb Brekle, a German immigrant purchased an old beer and billiards saloon on San Francisco’s Pacific Street. He transformed it into a brewery. It was not called Anchor back then. The Anchor name did not materialize until 1896 when, another German brewer, Ernst F. Baruth and his son-in-law, Otto Schinkel, Jr., purchased the brewery and called it Anchor. In the years that followed, Anchor Brewing faced and overcame a number of challenges. In 1906 the brewery was destroyed by a devastating fire; the fire being the result of the great San Francisco earthquake. A new Anchor Brewery was built, on Market Street. In 1920, Prohibition arrived. Unlike many breweries across the country, Anchor opted not to produce alternative products (e.g., ice cream or soft drinks) during Prohibition. The brewery sat idle. In 1934, Anchor Brewery suffered another fire. Once again, a replacement brewery was constructed; this one being only a few blocks from Anchor’s present-day location. In 1959, Anchor Brewery was shut for a brief period by its then owners, Joe Allen and Joe Krause. In 1960, the brewery was as purchased and reopened by Lawrence Steese. But these proved challenging times for a small brewery like Anchor. Mass produced lighter lagers were growing in popularity, and Anchor struggled to retain accounts and maintain sales. By 1965, Steese was ready to close down Anchor Brewing. Enter stage left, Fritz Maytag.

Fritz Maytag is the great-grandson of Fred Maytag, founder of the Maytag Corporation. Fritz was a big fan of the beer brewed at Anchor Brewery. So when he heard that it was going to close, he decided to do something about it; he purchased a fifty-one percent share in the brewery. With that single act, and the subsequent success of Anchor Brewery, Maytag has become known to many as the “Godfather” of craft beer. Maytag revitalized the brewery. Both its portfolio and sales of beer expanded. Such was Anchor’s success that by the late-1970s, they were looking for a new production facility. In 1979, the moved into their current home on Mariposa Street. The building, had started life as a coffee roasters in 1937. In 2010 Maytag retired, selling the brewery to Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio. In 2017, Anchor Brewing was sold to the Japanese brewing giant Sapporo. The purchase price was a reported eighty-five million dollars.

Maytag’s influence on craft brewing extended well beyond what he achieved at Anchor. Maytag assisted other prospective craft brewers and was thus instrumental in assisting the broader growth of the fledgling craft brewing industry. In a 2015 paper, published in the Journal of Wine Economics, Kenneth G. Elzinga, Carol Horton Tremblay, and Victor J. Tremblay, observe that “many early entrants clustered near Anchor Brewing to learn the art of craft brewing from Maytag . . . several of the pioneers in craft brewing were in geographic proximity to Maytag’s operation, visited his facility, and learned (and received encouragement) from him.”

Anchor offers guided tours of its brewery, so we signed up for one. The cost was $25 per person. We arrived at the brewery several hours before our tour time. This gave us time to have lunch. We found a couple of lunch options within walking distance of the brewery, and decided upon Dos Piñas Taqueria. As I was standing in line waiting to order our food, I noticed a poster on the wall that stated, “We support Anchor Steam Workers”. Six days prior to our tour of the brewery, the members of a worker’s organizing committee had delivered a letter to the Anchor management requesting that they formally recognize an employees’ union.

Poster supporting Anchor Brewery workers at Dos Piñas Taqueria

Following lunch we headed over to Anchor Public Taps, the taproom across the street from the main production brewery. In addition to being a taproom, Anchor Public Taps is a pilot brewery, where a number of small batch beers are produced. These are available exclusively for sale in the taproom. I opted for Dank Denali, a session IPA.

Anchor Public Taps is across the street from the main Anchor Brewery.

Anchor Public Taps includes a pilot brewery, whose beers are exclusively available at the taproom

After Anchor Public Taps, it was time for our tour of the main production brewery. After entering the brewery we were greeted at the brewery’s bar by what would be our friendly and highly informative tour guide, Pedro. Pedro provided us with a history of Anchor Brewery and a sample of the brewery’s signature product, Anchor Steam. First brewed in 1896, Anchor Steam is widely recognized today as an iconic American beer. After an overview of Anchor’s history, Pedro offered us another beer (I opted for their Anchor Porter) and, with brew in hand, we started our tour of the brewery. The tour was, in many ways, a typical brewery tour. We learned about the brewing process and saw where the magic happened. Buy this was not a typical brewery. This was an iconic brewery, and the building for me constituted something of a sacred space. It was not the original space occupied by Anchor. Nor was it the original space purchased by Fritz Maytag. But it was a space that Anchor now occupied. It was a space that represented and symbolized a revolutuon; a revolution in which ordinary beer drinkers stood up and declared, with a certain conviction, that ‘we can do better’. And it was a conviction upon which many acted, witness the seven thousand plus breweries that dot the American landscape today.

TheBeerProfessor

Monthly Archives: March 2019

Wisconsin Hop Seminar

Flagship February

A Pilgrimage to Anchor Brewing

Musings on Beer