Rohrbach Brewing Company, established in 1991, officially opened their doors in 1992 at the German House in Rochester’s South Wedge neighborhood. John laughs as he tells me that the toughest part of starting the brewery was getting his brewers license. But he didn’t have trouble getting approval… it was actually finding the application. “There were so few breweries in NY at that time, no one at the State Liquor Authority could find an application!”

The brewery expanded in 1995, when they opened their brewpub on Buffalo Road, serving great food alongside their award-winning line-up of craft beer. That location, still going strong, was joined by their new production brewery and tasting room in 2008. Located at 97 Railroad Street in Rochester’s historic public market district, the brewery is bustling every Saturday with market shoppers stopping in for tastings, tours, and growler fills. Being near the market is reminiscent of the European markets John remembers from his time in Germany. ”Over there, every town has it’s own brewery.” he explains, “The move to Railroad Street has been great. People come to the market to get fresh, local, quality produce… and now they can get fresh local beer too! The kids that come in enjoy our new root beer and orange cream sodas. The farmers take our spent grain back to feed their livestock. We love being a part of the community here.”

When asked about the evolution of craft beer in Rochester and across the country, Urlaub reflects, “It’s been an incredible revolution. In the beginning, we did all we could just to get people to try a flavorful beer!” Over the years, he’s seen a shift from “micro” to “craft” brewing. “It’s not just about being small, you have to make good beer. These days, it’s all about what’s in the bottle.” John says, “But we’ve always had a great crowd in Rochester. People here have always embraced good beer.”

So what’s next for Rohrbach Brewing Company? Newly planted hops at their Buffalo Road brewpub are part of a plan to start sourcing more locally grown ingredients. The 60 rhizomes, planted in early May, will be used in a wet hopped beer, where fresh hops are added during the brewing process. John says he’s also started looking into getting an on-premise license for the Railroad Street location and will be expanding to add a kitchen. But don’t expect the same fare you find at the brewpub! “We’re going to do it a little different over here.” he says, “I think people will be really surprised with what we come up with.”

The post John Urlaub, Rohrbach Brewing Company first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

Located at 79 North 11th Street in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Brewery has been at the center of a cultural and gastronomical renaissance, taking place in Brooklyn over the last 20 years. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon, greeted by Steve Hindy, president and co-founder. The tasting room is simple, a large warehouse with concrete floors. We grabbed a beer and sat at picnic tables while Steve told us the story of how he, a foreign correspondent, and his neighbor Tom Potter, a banker at the time, came to start the brewery 25 years ago. To hear stories of Steve’s time in Beirut, and of his other experiences as a journalist, I am inspired. Enchanted by his sense of adventure and nostalgia, like falling in love.

The night continued with a short walk to the Shanty, home of New York Distilling Company. There, we were given a tour and a brief history of the distillery by Tom Potter, who happens to have co-founded the Brooklyn Brewery along with Steve Hindy! Tom left the brewery in 2004 to pursue other interests… like traveling the world with his wife and paddling America’s rivers in his kayak. During his travels, he noticed a number of small distilleries popping up all over the Northwest, reminding him of the way the brewing industry had been 25 years earlier. In 2011, he started the New York Distilling Company, along with his son, Bill, and Allen Katz, one of the nation’s leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. After the tour we had the chance to try some of the Shanty’s specialty cocktails… I tried the Up In Smoke (Mezcal, lime, Velvet Falernum, Parfait Amour, Doc’s Cider Reduction, Bittermen’s Mole Bitters, and Prosecco, up), which was SO GOOD! Definitely one of the most uniquely delicious cocktails I have ever had.

From there, we headed to The Brooklyn Kitchen, for a 5-course beer pairing dinner, by none other than Garrett Oliver. Yup, THE Garrett Oliver, head brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery and the man who, literally, wrote the book about pairing beer with food. The food was fantastic! We started with a Goat Cheese & Green Apple Omelette, paired with the Brooklyner Weisse, a Bavarian-Style wheat beer. Garrett, the whole time talking while he cooked, gave us some tips on cooking the perfect omelette. (By the way, you’ve been over-beating your eggs… simply fold them together with your other ingredients for a delicious, fluffy omelette!) The next course was an Indian-Spiced Crab Cake, paired with the East India Pale Ale, Brooklyn’s English-style IPA. Next, a Pasta Carbonara, with the Local 2, a Belgian-inspired Dark Abbey Ale with notes of dark fruit and a hint of spice. I was absolutely blown away by the next course, a Boneless Quail stuffed with Foie Gras and Black Truffle Mousse, paired with a Kriek from the Ghost Bottle Series – a beer that starts similar to the Local 2, then aged on cherries and bottle conditioned with a blend of Champagne yeast and Brett. Whoa. Dessert was a Vanilla Ice Cream Float made with Brooklyn Black Ops, another one from the Ghost Bottle series.

After dinner, we made a few more stops to see the sites of Brooklyn and make sure all the city’s tap lines were in proper working order (If ya know what I mean…). We met at the brewery bright and early the next morning, warmly greeted by an array of NY bagels and coffee. Carla Villa, coordinator of Brooklyn’s Beer School program, gave us a short history of brewing and the opportunity to sample some fresh wort from the morning’s batch. From there, we met Tom Price, brewer & lab manager, who took us on a brewery tour.

For me, it’s always interesting to visit new breweries and see the variations from place to place… but, once you’ve visited enough of them, the “this is how beer is made” spiel can become a little mundane. Luckily, the tour at Brooklyn Brewery included a stop in the “warm room”, where their “Big Bottles”, like their Belgian inspired Local 1, are stored for bottle conditioning. In general, Belgian yeast requires higher temperatures to condition efficiently — around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The warm room holds the temperature constant throughout the conditioning period, which help to impart certain flavor attributes and mouthfeel, as well as helps to stabilize the beer; giving it a long shelf life.  We also got to check out the barrel aging room where they store some beers in whisky barrels before bottling. Brooklyn Black Ops is conditioned here, in Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels for four months before being released and consumed by very lucky people.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience… I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend and my sincerest thanks go out to everyone at the brewery for extending such hospitality to us all. If you find yourself in Brooklyn, definitely stop by the brewery and check it out… and get to The Shanty for some cocktails too!

The post Brooklyn Beer School first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

The tour begins with a history lesson as our guide points out a display case full of old bottles and cans representing the numerous products and brands produced at the brewery over the years. From the first 1888 Lager made by The West End Brewing Company, founded by F.X. Matt the same year, to the current line-up including Saranac Beer & Soft Drinks, Utica Club, and a number of other specialty products for smaller breweries. Recently ranked the 12th largest* brewery in the United States, and 6th* out of the top 50 US Craft Breweries, the Matt Brewing Company has a lot to be proud of.

As we enter the brew house, we are greeted by two enormous copper brew kettles stretching up from the floor below. Each holding more than 500 barrels of bubbling wort, they are nothing short of beautiful. I am intrigued by the huge mash filter. Having been on a number of brewery tours and never seen one, it was interesting to learn about this piece of brewing equipment. As we toured the brewery, through twisting stairwells and winding hallways, I was amazed at how much of the old brewing technology remains in use. Mid-century control panels filled with dials and switches, needles drawing graphs on paper discs to track temperature control… Amid the same modern machinery and hi-tech gadgets seen in many breweries today, these vintage elements of the past highlight just how long the Matt Brewing Company has been around.

One thing that I was somewhat surprised to see for a facility of this size and age, was just how many steps the brewery is taking to reduce the amount of natural resources used to make beer. In addition to recycling their grains, as many breweries do, by selling it to local farmers as cattle feed, the Matt Brewing Company has been recycling CO₂ for years. They actually recover the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation and reuse it to carbonate their line of Saranac soft drinks! Though, perhaps the most impressive eco-friendly improvement is the newly installed anaerobic digester system that collects all of the breweries waste and turns it into methane gas, which is then used as a source of power for the plant. This alone allows them to reduce their use of electricity by 30-40%.

Once we’ve seen it all, the brew house, the aging cellars, the bottling and canning lines, we head up to the 1888 Tavern where we have the opportunity to sample the line-up of Saranac beers and soft drinks. The crisp mouthfeel and citrus hop kick of the White IPA is a refreshing and welcome treat as I reflect on all I’ve learned throughout the extensive tour. We even had the good fortune of meeting Matt Brewing CEO, Nick Matt, who stopped by and enjoyed a few samples with us.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend touring the Saranac Brewery. Check their website for seasonal hours and tour details.

The post Visiting Saranac Brewery first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

Since launching in April 2009, 24,000 Kickstarter projects have been successfully funded, and over 2 million people have pledged more than $250 million to show support for a wide variety of creative projects. Here’s a handful of beer-related campaigns looking for funding.

Vault Brewing Company

Brothers John and James Cain are the founders of Vault Brewing Company, a concept-driven brewpub launching in Yardley, PA.  They plan to serve up craft beer, wood fired, gourmet pizza, & Jazz in a regal bank atmosphere.  The beer will be brewed in house, on a 10 BBL system, visible behind the bar.  Three nights a week, the brew-pub will feature live music, from local and big name jazz musicians.

For more info check out:

www.vaultbrewing.com

www.facebook.com/vaultbrewing

Firefly Brewing Company

Rich Loomis, Bill Collins, and Dana Bourque run Brew & Wine Hobby, a homebrew shop in East Hartford, CT. Now they hope to combine their collective talents and shared passion for craft beer to open The Firefly Brewing Company Taproom and Lounge, in the heart of Bristol, CT. Starting with a 7 BBL system, the guys are hoping to inspire others to further their own creative journeys and to propel fellow beer-lovers down the road to happiness. Their slogan, “Get Lit” is a “testament to spreading [their] inspiration, because it takes more than one firefly to enlighten the world.”

The trio has also decided to make Firefly Brewing a “Pay it Forward” endeavor. For every dollar donated to help launch Firefly Brewing, they will donate a dollar to help launch other small businesses or Kickstarter projects in the future.

For more info check out:

www.fireflybrewing.com

www.facebook.com/FireflyBrewing

Indiana City Brewing Company

According to the brewery’s website, “Indiana City is the literal definition of ‘Indianapolis’ and it’s a statement of pride in Indy’s vibrant arts scene and rich heritage.” Indiana City Brewing Company plans to produce three year round beers: Yacht Rock, Shadow boxer, and Beyond the Pale, along with limited seasonal brews. They hope to be filling growlers at their taproom, which will be located at 24 Shelby Street near downtown Indianapolis, and offer their brews on tap at select bars and restaurants across the local area.  Indiana City also plans to serve as an outlet for local artists to display their work, perform, collaborate and expand local creative expression.

This project also has an investor that is matching the funds raised when their goal is met, so money donated through the kickstarter campaign will be doubled!

For more info check out:

www.indianacitybeer.com

www.facebook.com/IndianaCityBeer

Blacklist Brewing: Beer + Art Project 2013

Passion. Craft. Artistry. Community. That’s what brewing is all about according to the guys at Blacklist Brewing. Their new project, Blacklist Brewing: Beer + Art Project 2013 is, essentially, a beer-art-of-the-month-club. To help ensure craft beer stays crafty, Blacklist is teaming up with MN and WI artists; creating narratives and artworks that will give you something to talk about.  In their first year they’ll be collaborating with musicians, painters, designers, chefs and other artistic talents to bring members a unique experience each month.

(Note: Membership items are for pick up in MN only.)

For more info check out:

www.blacklistbrewing.com

www.facebook.com/BlacklistBrewing

Craftie™ Beer App

Kevin Brindley and Brian Hamlett, of Charlotte, NC, are working hard to fund their project: Craftie™ Beer App, a robust database of the country’s finest breweries and the great craft beers that they produce.  Craftie™ will aim to personalize your craft beer drinking experience like never before, featuring extensive brewery and brewmaster profiles, and tons of information about the crafty brews themselves.  The app will come preloaded with unique profiles, stories, photos, information and specific beer details from craft breweries and brewpubs from all 50 states, and will be updated on the reg to ensure that all the information is accurate and up-to-date.

For more info check out:

www.craftiebeerapp.com

www.facebook.com/CraftieBeerApp

So what do you think?  Have you donated to a Kickstarter campaign in the past?  Which of the above projects would you most like to see get funded and brought to life?

The post Kickstarting Craft Beer: 5 Campaigns for Beer first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.