Brewer Q & A (Issue 20)

94 Rating – Belching Beaver Brewing Co. – Hop Highway IPA

Responses from Belching Beaver head brewer Troy Smith.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Troy: Troy Smith, Belching Beaver's master brewer. 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc)?
Troy: My favorite aspect of this beer is the drinkability. There's no lingering bitterness, and it's a very well-balanced beer with amazing aromas. The hops that impart the flavors and aromas come from around the world (USA, New Zealand and Austria). 

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
Troy: Our Brewery is off Highway 78, which passes between the I5 and the 15. 10 breweries are located along this highway, one of which if the largest brewery in San Diego. We called this beer Hop Highway because this highway is home to tons of great, hoppy beers.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
Troy: Sadly not. It used to be my desert island beer, but now our Great Lei IPA has become that, since it's brewed with coconut and pineapple, the perfect combination for a deserted tropical island. 

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Troy: Highly drinkable beer with dank hops that goes down easy. 

Do you know a story -- or have a personal story -- that revolves around this beer? 
Troy: Hop Highway IPA was the definitive beer that made me realize the quality of craft beer in cans. I've come to know our beers intimately over the past three years, and trying this brew out of our first run of cans just blew my mind. It was crisp, dank, refreshing and extremely full-flavored. The fact that we rolled out in time for Memorial Day pool parties and BBQs was huge. I got to float and sip all day long in the sun with these cans, and I couldn't have been happier about that. 

93 Rating – Firestone Walker Brewing Co. – Pivo

Responses from Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?  
Matt: The basic recipe outline (malt, hops, yeast) is pretty basic stuff that any brewer can do. The most important piece is creating and capturing the spirit of the beer, which in this case is a floral and spicy dry hopped beer inspired by my travels in Germany, Czech Republic and, oddly enough, Italy. The true inspiration for this beer is a Pilsner beer produced by a beautiful little brewery in the Lake Como / Lombardy region of Italy – Birrificio Italiano's Tipopils. Our brewing team has worked hard to build and hone a pilsner brewing process, including a dry hopping step, which captures that spirit – this is very different from brewing the ales that we're most known for. I come up with the concepts and the Firestone Walker brewing team makes the real magic.
 
BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?  
Matt: We have worked hard to create a beer that is crisp, dry, clean and highly drinkable (how many times have you heard that before?), but the fun part is that we layer in the hops to create something that is aromatically interesting and enticing. The hops that we choose and the way we apply them make this beer an interesting drinking partner and an excellent all-purpose beer. I believe it is the perfect beer to start a beer-drinking session and a perfect way to end one as well.
 
BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
Matt: Pivo means beer in Czech and this is the birth place of the style. Garrett Oliver says in his book, The Brewmaster’s Table:  “Pilsner, the world’s most popular style of beer, was invented in Czech Bohemia, perfected in Germany and turned into flavorless mass-marketed fizz in America." Giving this beer the name Pivo was all about hitting the reset button for pilsners, returning this style to its roots, and presenting it to American beer lovers who may have lost hope in the pilsner style.
 
BC: Is this your “desert island beer?
Matt: Yes, it would work well in that situation.
 
BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?  
Matt: A beautiful journey back to the roots of pilsner brewing.
 
BC: Do you know a story -- or have a personal story -- that revolves around this beer?  
Matt: The story I like to tell is that this beer was not inspired by a German or Czech brewer but by a passionate and amazing Italian brewer named Agostino Arioli, who has had a major role in creating a craft beer revolution in Italy. His Tipopils is the beer that I was dreaming about when Pivo was created. His passion for the style, his love of hops and his amazing ability to put flavors together are all exemplified in Tipopils. I have had the opportunity to taste this beer with Agostino at the source, participate in his Pils Pride festival held each year in his home town and even brew a collaboration beer with him recently. It’s brewers like Agostino who inspire me to keep brewing and it’s people like Ago who are the real role models that this movement should be watching and learning from.