You can read the article right here. To summarize, the argument is that the craft beer community’s love affair with the hop is pushing away potential converts to craft beer. The thinking goes that IPAs and hop-forward pale ales are dominating the craft beer market — and thus are more likely to be the first beer that a potential convert would try. What’s bound to happen? The huge jump in bitterness/aroma/flavor from whatever the drinker previously enjoyed will be too much to take and thus scare the person away — a craft beer convert lost.

So the question is, have brewers gone so crazy with the hop that it could be hurting craft beer industry growth?

I think this is a real phenomenon, and something I’ve been guilty of unintentionally perpetrating myself on occasion.

For example, one time I met up with some old high school pals for a weekend in Vegas. As we were driving from the airport to the hotel and talking about grabbing a couple drinks, all they could talk about was their hope that the bar had Bud Light Lime in stock. Obviously, I was working with a group in need of a lot help. My initial reaction: Let’s get these guys an IPA so they can find out what real craft beer is like. After all, what’s more crafty than an American IPA? With the best intentions, I was setting up a craft-conversion failure.

Fast forward to a couple years ago. My two brothers and a cousin are coming down to visit from Toronto. (Side note: Toronto has been a little slow coming along in the progressive craft beer movement — but they’re getting there!) I’m pumped to take these guys out and introduce them to some great Oklahoma craft beer. What beer do I choose? Marshall Atlas IPA. Now, I love Atlas. I think it has great balance, and at 58 IBUs, it falls almost right at the middle of the classic IPA IBU chart (40-70 IBUs). It’s by no means a palate-wrecker. But of course those guys weren’t going to like it. My best intentions were to introduce them to what I considered a great craft beer, but again, my results: craft-conversion failure.

The answer to this dilemma is simple, of course. Lean more heavily on conservatively or moderately hopped so-called “gateway” craft beers when trying to share the craft culture. Amber ales. Brown ales. Pilsners. Mild pale ales.

The problem in my opinion is that more and more, today’s craft beer makers are not making enough of these gateway beers.

Take Prairie Artisan Ales, for example. Prairie is arguably the hottest beer brand in Oklahoma right now. But can you use much from Prairie to try and ease someone into craft beer? Not likely. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that — brewmaster Chase Healey wants to pursue unique, diverse combinations of ingredients; that’s certainly his prerogative and his beers have been very well received by craft fans, so more power to him.

It’s not Healey’s job to single-handedly turn the average guy away from Bud Light.

Take Roughtail Brewing. Of their three initial beers, only one is technically called an IPA, but all three have the IBU profile to qualify for IPA standing. It’s not Roughtail’s job to single-handedly turn the average guy away from Bud Light.

This obviously is not an attack on Prairie or Roughtail. But do you see the pattern here? If nobody makes it their job to turn the average guy away from Bud Light, then it’s just not going to happen. We all know the numbers: craft beer has a 10 percent share of the beer market. That’s great, but it also means there is huge room for growth.

I just hope that as the boundaries of craft beer are pushed and as hop-heads need bigger and more bitter beers to satisfy their changing palates, that craft brewers remember the newbies. That’s not to say people shouldn’t make big, bold beers, or shy away from flavor-forward recipes. That is after all what the craft beer movement is all about.

It’s just that I think there’s a chance craft beer could become too extreme for its own good, at least when it comes to luring over those important converts.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Sound off in the comment section here, or on Facebook.

During the event, Anthem brewmaster Matt Anthony announced that he will be leaving the OKCity Brewing Cooperative to open his own brewery this year, to be located just south of downtown Oklahoma City.

Here’s a great little video Anthony made to announce the move:

Nice field! So how do we top that? By loading up with even more beer events for the rest of the week.

For starters, there are the remainder of nightly pint nights at TapWerks:

-Today: Rosemary Biere de Garde from Choc

-Wednesday:  Oaked imperial black rye ale from Roughtail

-Thursday: Strawberry-banana cream ale from COOP.

-Friday: Special beer menu/pint night featuring the Sam Adams Barrel Room Series — 13th Hour Stout, Stony Brook Red and New World Tripel.

And McNellie’s OKC is getting in on the action as well.

-Thursday: Boulevard 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat pint night

-Friday: Roughtail pint night featuring their one-off Vesuvius Double IPA.

In addition, McNellie’s is offering an OKC Craft Beer Flight all week for $6.

And Roughtail can also be found on Thursday night when Jojos in Yukon, 1615 S Mustang Road, Suite A, hosts a pint night.

Over on the other side of the state, R Bar & Grill will host a special beer dinner to celebrate Marshall Brewing’s fifth anniversary.

The event is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the bar, 3421 S Peoria Ave. The four-course meal is $55 and reservations must be made in advance by calling (918) 392-4811.

And of course, don’t forget Saturday’s big events: the Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival at TapWerks and the Marshall Fifth Anniversary Party at McNellie’s Tulsa.

Things get started with several pint nights today.

The weekly Monday pint night at McNellie’s OKC features Mustang Summer Lager. At McNellie’s Tulsa, Warsteiner Dunkel is the featured beer. And at McNellie’s Norman, it’s Green Flash pint night.

At TapWerks Ale House, a whole week of pint nights are on deck. The revelry begins tonight with an Anthem Brewing night featuring a farmhouse ale brewed with a hint of smoked malt, tart cherries and aged on Hungarian oak spirals. Also, Anthem brewmaster Matt Anthony is expected to make a big announcement — his own brewhouse, perhaps? — so you’ll want to be there in person to hear what’s going on.

And speaking of TapWerks, bar general manager Greg Powell announced that the American craft beer tap takeover is now underway and will run through the week. He’s got 106 American craft beers on tap, including upward of 30 from right here in Oklahoma.

And here’s a recap of the other TapWerks pint nights set for this week:

-Tuesday: Rosemary Biere de Garde from Choc

-Wednesday:  Oaked imperial black rye ale from Roughtail

-Thursday: Strawberry-banana cream ale from COOP.

-Friday: Special beer menu/pint night featuring the Sam Adams Barrel Room Series — 13th Hour Stout, Stony Brook Red and New World Tripel. Powell described this as perhaps one of the coolest pint nights TapWerks has done. Think of it as a good opportunity to warm up for Saturday.

And what’s Saturday? None other than the third annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival, of course. Tickets are still on sale, but Powell said there will be a cap this year, so if you want to score samples of more than 200 beers from roughly 50 breweries, act quick and snap up your tix.

But first, a quick reminder that American Craft Beer Week is next week. TapWerks Ale House has a full lineup for pint nights set, and of course the third annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival is set for May 18. You can get tickets right now by going to www.oklahomacraftbeerfestival.com.

Now, on to this week’s book. It’s “Beer Crafts: Making the Most of Your Cans, Bottle Caps, and Labels.”

This 142-page softcover is loaded with nifty ideas for beer-related crafts, ranging from something as simple as wind chimes made out of beer cans to something as elaborate as a full-length gown made of beer can tabs. Each project includes photos, diagrams and step-by-step instructions. All you need to do to win the book is like the Facebook post associated with this blog post. I’ll select the winner by random drawing around 5 p.m. today.

Good luck!

Daily Pints

-Any “Game of Thrones” fans out there who also like beer? You might want to check this out. There is limited availability in Tulsa and the OKC area right now, as far as I understand.

-American Craft Beer Week is being recognized by the U.S. Senate.

-After approval by the Alabama governor, homebrewing has now been legalized in all 50 states. Hard to believe it took until 2013 for this to happen.

-The Mule is hosting a firkin night tonight featuring a super-spiced saison with ginger, orange peel, peppercorns and other spices by COOP Ale Works.

This year’s summer seasonal mix pack from Sam Adams is one of those selections. This year’s pack includes six varieties: Boston Lager, Summer Ale, Belgian Session, Little White Rye, Porch Rocker and Blueberry Hill Lager.

You may ask yourself, “Should I buy the Sam Adams summer mix pack?” To help you answer that question, I went ahead and tried all these beers. I can tell you the answer is… no. Sort of.

I jotted down mini-review-notes for each beer — excluding Boston Lager and Summer Ale, which have been around forever and/or you’re probably already familiar with.

Here were my thoughts:

-Belgian Session: Maybe a little too sessionable. More of a gateway beer — just a hint of Belgian yeast flavor — than a complex craft beer.

-Blueberry Hill Lager: Very sweet beer. Definitely shows off the blueberry. Reminds me somewhat of a Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat. Probably good in small doses only.

-Porch Rocker: This Radler (beer-lemonade mix) is refreshing and sweet. Easy to drink, but the high sweetness level started to become a little off-putting by the end of the glass.

-Little White Rye: By far the class of this pack. A witbier with an interesting twist — the rye and a touch of sage give this a unique flavor. Wish they had this in a stand-alone six pack.

So, to sum up, if I didn’t have the Blueberry Hill, Belgian Session or Porch Rocker, my life would go on quite fine, I think. But I could do with a little more Little White Rye. Sam Adams has a winner with that beer, in my books.

Daily Pints

-All kinds of new beers are arriving in Oklahoma or will arrive next month. With the assist from Freddy at the Jenks BierGarten and other liquor stores that post new releases, here’s what we have:

Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA

Prairie Bomb

Prairie Legend

Abita Lemon Wheat

Mustang Summer Lager

Sam Adams Boston Lager (cans)

Newcastle Bombshell

Anchor California Lager

Boulevard KC Pils

COOP Bourbon Barrel Rye Wine (Elija Craig Barrels)

Great Divide Special Oak Aged Yeti

McEwan’s Scotch Ale

Mustang Dragon’s Breath

Prairie Ales Mosaic

Prairie Ales Tulsa Rugby

Rodenbach Grand Cru Vintage

Santa Fe Chicken Killer Barley Wine

Mikkeller Crooked Moon Imperial IPA

Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada

Boulevard Smokestack Barrel Aged Terra Incognita

Boulevard Boss Tom’s Golden Bock

The brewery will celebrate five years in business with a party on May 18 at McNellie’s Tulsa. The beer list includes 30 beers and it is cra-zy.

-Year-round beers:

1. Sundown Wheat

2. Old Pavilion Pilsner

3. McNellie’s Pub Ale

4. Atlas IPA

-Seasonal beers:

5. Revival Red Ale

6. Arrowhead Pale Ale

-Limited-edition beers:

7. “5″ Anniversary Ale — whiskey barrel-aged imperial red ale.

8. Dunkel — Munich-style Dunkel

9. Klaus — Hefeweizen

10. El CuCuy

-Single-hopped pale ale:

11. Topaz

12. Stella

13. Galaxy

14. Mosiac

-Pilot Beers

15. Faux-liner Weiss

16. Cucumber Dill Saison

17. Brown Ale

18. Hor-Rye-Zon — rye pale ale

19. Belgo IPA

20. English Barleywine

21. TMG IPA

22. Imperial Wit Citrus — grapefruit, lime and orange zest

23. Stout

24. Peanut Butter Cup Big Jamoke

25. Butterfinger Big Jamoke

26. Stout w/Fernet and toasted oak

-Brewers Choice:

27. “Gin-up” — Ginger saison collaboration between McNellie’s Group and Eric Marshall

28. “Caliente” — Caliente single-hopped American pale ale by Garrick “The Meat Cleaver” Ritzky

29. “918-or” — Dopplebock by Tim “Chief” Brophy

30. “The Owens Shuffle” — English IPA by Taylor “Hardwood” Owens

Wow! The event will run from 2 to 8 p.m. and offer guests the ability to purchase pints for $4, 4 oz. tasters for $2, or the Brewers Choice Flight for $4. More information is available by clicking here.

The book, by former Los Angeles Times reporter William Knoedelseder, recounts in great detail the formation and infancy of Anheuser-Busch, the growth of the company into a mega-conglomerate, the many layers and scandals of the super-rich Busch family and the hostile takeover by InBev.

To sum up, this book should work for anyone interested in beer, beer history, American history, Prohibition, the history of St. Louis, the St. Louis Cardinals, business strategy or soap-opera-style scandal. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down.

I was actually surprised that I came away with a certain sense of respect for A-B, at least in the company’s earlier days. Although they were producing a recipe that today’s hardcore craft beer fans find unpalatable, the early leaders of the company were sticklers for the quality and production standards of their beer. Even as other brewers of the time sought to shorten and cheapen the brewing process by using synthetic additives and chemicals, A-B insisted they would not cut corners on their ingredients or lengthy aging process. They used that strategy and some savvy marketing and advertising to grow into a giant and amass a fortune.

That fortune also essentially destroyed the family. Based on interviews with friends, relatives and family members themselves, Knoedelseder paints a picture of entitlement and dysfunction that would make Lindsay Lohan blush. Almost all of the leading men in the Busch family were caught up in one way or another with womanizing, over-drinking, infidelity, suicide, gun play, accidental death or drug use. Most fascinating of all perhaps was the company’s last president, August Busch IV, who presided when InBev forged its hostile takeover. “The Fourth” was directly involved in incidents that left two young women dead and spent most of his last few years in charge of the company holed up in a secluded lake house, loaded down with drugs and nearly 1,000 guns and high-powered rifles, according to accounts.

Some other things I found interesting:

-The recipe for Bud Light — the same one in use now — was initially rejected because company leader August Busch III thought it was too bitter. Not a hop-head, I guess.

-A-B may have been able to stave off the takeover by InBev if it had been more aggressive in taking over other beer companies in the years leading up to its own buy-out.

-Company leaders often were too caught up in tradition and maintaining history to act quickly enough to react to industry changes.

-August IV had multiple run-ins with the law and failed multiple company-mandated drug tests, but all his transgressions were covered up by the company and its lawyers and PR firm.

-August IV took a chance on just about every desperate marketing ploy and gimmick product to try and keep the company on top near the end.

-The company successfully stayed afloat during Prohibition by diversifying and selling brewing products, like yeast, into the massive underground homebrewing scene.

-A-B tried to mimic that diversification in later years; one example was a string of Busch Gardens theme parks, including one in Houston that failed miserably.

-The company got into the baked goods and bottled water business in later years. Baked goods bombed, but bottled water was wildly successful.

-A-B scooped up the St. Louis Cardinals and was widely credited with saving the team, which was struggling on the field and on the verge of being moved to Milwaukee.

There are probably a dozen other facts and tidbits that stick out that I can’t even remember — the book really includes a wealth of interesting material. In summation, “Bitter Brew” is an engaging and informative read — I recommend it for any beer fan, but especially for those with an eye on the wider beer industry and its history.

In Part 1, I talked to Marshall Brewing Co.’s Wes Alexander. Part 2 featured Zach Prichard of Choc Beer Co.

Today we hear from Mustang Brewing Co. brewmaster Gary Shellman.

The Thirsty Beagle: How would you describe the tone of the Craft Brewers Conference this year?

Gary Shellman: I would use the terms focused, but somewhat tense. Congressional efforts were front and center — mostly tax relief initiatives for our industry, and there are diverse views on definitions of what constitutes a craft brewer nowadays.  How was it different or the same when comparing it to the tone of the conference over the past several years? In previous years, the tone has focused simply on the huge upswing of craft brewing growth, which is still ongoing today. There are opposing views on tax relief and craft brewer definition amongst different groups pursuing legislative change.

TTB: What were some specific points passed along from the leadership of the Brewers Association — or from other brewers — that made an impression on you?

Gary: We need tax relief to level the playing field with large-scaled brewers, since we pay a higher tax rate (disproportionate share) per barrel of beer produced. The focus remains on quality and gaining further market share from the large brewers, rather than re-dividing craft beer’s current share amongst more microbreweries that continue to enter the industry.

TTB: When you think about the direction the craft beer industry is going in Oklahoma right now, what do you feel? Is Oklahoma a good reflection of what’s happening on the national scene right now?

Gary: I think we’re headed in the right direction, with the addition of new breweries. In Oklahoma, we really look like the craft beer industry in the rest of the U.S. did about five years ago.  We are growing rapidly now, but that growth curve just recently accelerated in the past three to four years.

TTB: I’ve heard the argument that a lot of new brewers are getting into the game because it seems fun or cool, and that they’re more interested in making money than they are in making good beer — and that may diminish the quality of what’s out there on the market. Playing devil’s advocate here, I’ve also heard it said that that argument is being made by established brewers who don’t want new guys cutting into their sales, market, etc. Where do you stand? Bring it on as long as they’re dedicated to making good beer?

Gary: There is plenty of room for new breweries, and different styles of beer.  A serious point made at CBC is that if you’re not focused on high standards and quality, you ought to find a different industry for employment, because if you’re not serious about making quality craft beer, you won’t survive as a craft brewer.  This is not a get-rich-quick industry. Craft beer is cool, but the only way to succeed is to follow your passion and maintain high standards of cleanliness and sanitization, as well as following rigid procedures to ensure consistency and quality.  I’ve seen a few brewers bounce around the craft beer arena from one brewery to another because they lack established procedures, standards, and specific cleaning and sanitizing regimens that ensure success.  It won’t take very long before they either realign with an established brewery that has high standards, or find themselves in another line of work.

TTB: One point that’s not up for debate is that the craft beer industry is growing fast. People have said this could cause problems for brewers trying to secure grains, hops and equipment — all of which are becoming more scarce; or that it could cause liquor store owners and bar managers to drop old standards so they can stock the latest flavor of the month. Are these real problems everyone is dealing with, or will have to deal with?

Gary: Establishing contracts for ingredients (primarily hops) is a critical path to success.  Grain and yeast are readily available in the marketplace.  Without hop contracts, brewers have to purchase hops on the spot market, and there have been certain hops that remain unavailable without a contract in place, which can limit the types of beers any new brewer can produce.  Hop shortages take several years to eliminate, with the reduced acreage planted now, versus in recent years.

TTB: Lastly, what advice would you offer to new brewers or those wanting to get into the business?

Gary: Establish your standards now. Examine your business model carefully. Research your planned market, and pursue your craft brewing dreams passionately. If a batch of beer doesn’t finish correctly and meet your standards, don’t be afraid to dump the batch in the name of quality control — your customers will thank you for it.

McNellie’s Tulsa is playing host to the fifth anniversary party for Marshall Brewing Co., and will hold an outdoor fest featuring a wide array of Marshall offerings.

The party is set for 2 to 8 p.m. at 409 E First St. Admission will be free and pint and half-pint pours will be available for sale.

The preliminary beer list looks like this:

-Marshall 5 anniversary ale; an imperial red ale aged three months in whiskey barrels

-Sundown Wheat

-Old Pavilion Pilsner

-McNellies Pub Ale

-Atlas IPA

-Revival Red Ale

-Arrowhead Pale Ale

-Limited edition Munich-style Dunkel

-Limited edition Klaus Hefeweizen

-Staggered releases of different single-hopped Pale Ale

-Staggered release of special one-offs by Marshall brewers

-Four brewer’s-choice beers

The guy’s at Marshall are extremely excited about the event’s headlining beer, 5, which is only being produced in limited quantities. Original plans called for blending the barrel-aged beer with regular Revival Red, but the quality of the product was so good, Marshall decided to serve it up unblended.

If you can’t make OCBF that day (Marshall beers will still be served at OCBF by a volunteer crew), getting over to McNellie’s Tulsa for some Marshall 5 will be a pretty good alternative.

Daily Pints

-A special TTB good-luck shout out to Dead Armadillo, which brewed it’s first commercial-sized batch of Armadillo Amber on Sunday morning at Roughtail Brewing. Ferment away, good beer. And don’t forget that Dead Armadillo is nearing the home-stretch in its Kickstarter project. You can check that out by clicking here. In a related note, someone has made the $2,000 pledge required to earn the right to name the company’s armadillo mascot.

-Just a reminder that McNellie’s OKC is closed today and tomorrow for repairs and cleaning. They are scheduled to re-open on Wednesday.

-The pint night at McNellie’s Tulsa tonight is Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA.

-At McNellie’s Norman, tonight’s pint night is Pacifico.

TapWerks Ale House, the host of the annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival, today posted its new logo on social media. As you can see, it’s quite a departure/update from the old logo.

TapWerks General Manager Greg Powell said the bar sought the help of a local graphic design agency. Powell said the previous logo was “old and tired,” and they sought a modern update.

The logo represents a traditional English crest, with tap handles at top and what Powell describes as a blend between a bison and griffin at the bottom. The next step will be to have signage made for the Bricktown bar, 121 E Sheridan Ave.

I think the crest would look great on a T-shirt. What do you think? Thumbs up or down?

I’ve been tracking down information on the beer lineup for the week, and now am passing it along to you.

-On Monday, May 13, the firkin will be provided by Anthem Brewing. It will be a farmhouse ale brewed with a hint of smoked malt, tart cherries and aged on Hungarian oak spirals, brewmaster Matt Anthony said. Anthony also told me he has “something pretty exciting” that he will reveal that night.

-On  Tuesday, May 14, the firkin will feature Choc’s Rosemary Biere de Garde. Choc Beer President Zach Prichard described the beer as “one of (brewmaster) Michael (Lalli’s) favorites. This beer was part of Tulsa Craft Beer Week.  It was such a success that we want to share it with OKC.”

-On Wednesday, May 15, Roughtail Brewing will provide the firkin. It will be an oaked imperial black rye ale. Brewmaster Tony Tielli said the beer will be “an American-style rye ale, about 9% abv, firmly bitter with spicy rye undertones, complimented by a touch of roast, and opaque black. It will ferment on American oak soaked in rye whisky for an added rye touch.”

-The firkin on Thursday, May 16 is coming from COOP Ale Works. It will be a strawberry-banana cream ale, TapWerks General Manager Greg Powell said. The beer was brewed in a 10-gallon batch and started fermentation with 14 pounds of strawberries and 6 pounds of bananas.

-And as I reported earlier, the Friday, May 17, beer menu will feature a special Sam Adams Pint Night with a special food menu, and individual pours and flights from the Barrel Room Series — 13th Hour Stout, Stony Brook Red and New World Tripel.

Daily Pints

-Hope you’re not nostalgic about the name of COOP Ale Works’ German wheat beer. Going forward, COOP has changed the name of Zeppelin German Wheat to Elevator. COOP found out the original name may have ended up getting them in trouble in some copyright circles, and wanted to avoid the plight that Choc faced when it was sued by a Minnesota root beer maker over the 1919 brand. Elevator is a nod to the grain elevators that hold Oklahoma’s wheat harvests.

-Check out this recipe from Ales Kitchen being featured on Craftbeer.com!

-The weekly Thursday pint night at TapWerks tonight is a nod to Cinco de Mayo — Dos Equis.

-Plenty of new beers showing up on store shelves this week, or coming soon:

1. Choc Summer Blonde Ale

2. Green Flash Saison Diego

3. Mendocino Brewing Honey Amber Rose

4. Left Hand Good Juju

5. Tallgrass Ethos IPA

6. Theakston Old Peculiar

7. Anderson Valley Summer Solstice

8. Blue Moon Seasonal Sampler packs

In part two of our look at Oklahoma craft beer, Choc Brewing Co. President Zach Prichard shares his views.

The Thirsty Beagle: How would you describe the tone of the Craft Brewers Conference this year? How was it different or the same when comparing it to the tone of the conference over the past several years?

Zach Prichard: Professional.  Don’t get me wrong, the conference was a lot of fun and there was plenty of time for drinking beer. The past few years the industry has experienced tremendous growth in terms of number of breweries,  potential breweries and overall interest. It was evident at the CBC. The events were crowed and despite great effort by the Brewers Association staff, somewhat chaotic. The industry was literally growing faster than the BA could plan for. When anything experiences this kind of rapid growth some amount of chaos and disorganization is to be expected. If this CBC was any indication it appears the industry is growing past this. Large craft brewers are becoming more sophisticated, and mid-sized brewers are following suit.

TTB: What were some specific points passed along from the leadership of the Brewers Association — or from other brewers — that made an impression on you?

Zach: I cannot think of any specific points. A more general impression that I can take away from other successful brewers and the leadership of the BA is the feeling that we are all dealing with the same issues. Of course the scale may be different, but issues such as ingredients sourcing, distribution relationships, production scheduling, and team building that are a daily challenge for us are the same issues challenging the best and most successful breweries. Realizing this and that the challenges can be overcome is very motivating. In general Oklahoma has so much room for growth of artisan and craft beer. It is exciting to be a part of that.

TTB: When you think about the direction the craft beer industry is going in Oklahoma right now, what do you feel? Is Oklahoma a good reflection of what’s happening on the national scene right now?

Zach: I’m excited. Oklahoma is not a reflection of the overall industry as much as it is like looking into the past.  In much the same way the big “domestic” brewers and imports dominated every U.S. market 20 or 30 years ago, they still do in Oklahoma. We are still in the early, early stages in Oklahoma. Our products have been well received by many beer fans but there is still a lot of room for growth. That growth keeps me excited.

TTB: I’ve heard the argument that a lot of new brewers are getting into the game because it seems fun or cool, and that they’re more interested in making money than they are in making good beer — and that may diminish the quality of what’s out there on the market. Playing devil’s advocate here, I’ve also heard it said that that argument is being made by established brewers who don’t want new guys cutting into their sales, market, etc. Where do you stand? Bring it on as long as they’re dedicated to making good beer?

Zach: I haven’t heard that criticism very often. I don’t see a lot of people that are getting into this business solely to make money. Truthfully if that is your motivation you will not enter this business. It doesn’t take very long once you start crunching numbers to realize that when compared to the risk and start up cost this is not a particularly lucrative business. Regardless of people’s motivation the market will decide what brands prosper. That’s why we try to focus on crafting great beer and marketing it appropriately.

TTB: One point that’s not up for debate is that the craft beer industry is growing fast. People have said this could cause problems for brewers trying to secure grains, hops and equipment — all of which are becoming more scarce; or that it could cause liquor store owners and bar managers to drop old standards so they can stock the latest flavor of the month. Are these real problems everyone is dealing with, or will have to deal with?

Zach: These all concerns. We have been concerned about sourcing ingredients for years now. We haven’t had to deal with any disaster situations though. While the growth creates these problems it also helps to solve it. As the craft and artisan beer industry grows, suppliers can more confidently produce raw materials. Also new suppliers will enter the market. We saw this at CBC this year. There were over twice as many vendors at the trade show as last year. Generally speaking, people in this industry should not be afraid of change. After all the industry is really just one big change. A generation ago people laughed at the idea of craft beer. The industry is dynamic. That creates challenges but it also creates opportunity. As long as we are mindful of this we will be fine.

TTB: Lastly, what advice would you offer to new brewers or those wanting to get into the business?

Zach: Don’t.

Following this year’s conference, discussions sparked up on beer forums about the current state of craft beer in the country. The idea was floated that perhaps the industry is growing too fast for its own good. I’ve touched on the state of craft brewing in Oklahoma. From a consumer’s standpoint,things seem to be looking good here; we’ve got a bigger selection of craft beer than ever before, our brewers are pushing creative and flavor boundaries to places no one in these parts has seen, and we even had pro-beer legislation pass through the state Capitol this year.

But I thought it would be good to get the opinions of those closest to the scene — Oklahoma brewers who regularly attend the Craft Brewers Conference. What was the vibe at the CBC this year? Can craft continue to grow at such a feverish pace? Where do we go from here? I formulated a series of questions to address the issue. Part 1 features the responses from Marshall Brewing Co.’s Wes Alexander.

The Thirsty Beagle: How would you describe the tone of the Craft Brewers Conference this year? How was it different or the same when comparing it to the tone of the conference over the past several years? Also, what were some specific points passed along from the leadership of the Brewers Association — or from other brewers — that made an impression on you?

Wes Alexander: Craft beer for the first time has captured a double digit portion of the U.S. beer market in terms of dollar sales, at 10.2% for 2012. The gain represents an increase by 17% for 2012 over 2011. These statistics are certainly positive, but the statistic that sparked the most interest and debate was that there are currently in excess of 1,200 breweries in planning according to the Brewers Association. Brewers Association director, and presenter of the state of the industry, Paul Gatza, cautioned that the growth in our industry could be attracting entrepreneurs more interested in profitability than making quality craft beer. Further Kim Jordan, founder of New Belgium Brewing Co., cautioned “I am worried for all of us. We need to have a plan. We need to be intentional.”  Her concern echoes Gatza’s in that so many new breweries will be competing for ingredients and market share that growth could be inhibited for everyone. The BA figures for all craft breweries including brewpubs is 2,300. It has taken over 30 years for our industry to reach this point, and the tone of the Craft Brewers Conference was one cautioning breweries in planning to have a proper plan for execution of business and most importantly to focus on quality and consistency.

The tone of the last several years has been focused on legislative issues and concerns with distribution. These issues were shown in a positive light as growing pains. In my five years of attending the Craft Brewers Conference, I had not witnessed such concern over quality in our industry, an industry built and established on passion and quality. While the concerned tone was somewhat sobering, it is reassuring to receive the message from the BA as more preemptive. Further, the goal is to get quality craft beer to the consumers. We have a well-established industry standing ready to help well-intentioned breweries in planning.

TTB: When you think about the direction the craft beer industry is going in Oklahoma right now, what do you feel? Is Oklahoma a good reflection of what’s happening on the national scene right now?

Wes: Oklahoma, in terms of craft beer, more recently than more populous regions, has been a craft beer adopter. We owe a great deal of our success to the pioneers at Huebert Brewing Co., and Choc Beer Co., to both creating an environment for craft beer legislatively and in terms of market share. With the foundation created by these companies, others breweries have found success, and a craft beer culture is blossoming in Oklahoma. Most recently, the Oklahoma Craft Brewers Guild is being organized to offer a voice in terms of advocacy and education. The success and growth of currently operating breweries in Oklahoma has no doubt attracted newcomers. I feel, differently than the tone of CBC, that our market is young and ready for more breweries. Further, I know that here at Marshall Brewing, we are open to helping new/planning breweries. This has been a key to industry growth for craft beer. Passing along information on best practices for brewing, quality, marketing, and distribution is key to fostering continued growth in craft beer in Oklahoma. The future for Oklahoma is bright. However, we need to focus our industry on quality/consistency, come together on legislative issues, and attract new craft beer fans.

TTB: I’ve heard the argument that a lot of new brewers are getting into the game because it seems fun or cool, and that they’re more interested in making money than they are in making good beer — and that may diminish the quality of what’s out there on the market. Playing devil’s advocate here, I’ve also heard it said that that argument is being made by established brewers who don’t want new guys cutting into their sales, market, etc. Where do you stand? Bring it on as long as they’re dedicated to making good beer?

Wes: Honestly you may hear from a few that are worried about more  new breweries grabbing market share from existing craft breweries, but over the history of craft beer in the U.S. this has not been the feel of the industry. The consensus has long been the more the merrier. Just look at the market share that craft beer has. The potential for growth is staggering. In the opening address to the CBC, Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association, likened craft brewers to the militia during the American Revolution. In order to convert existing beer drinkers to craft beer drinkers,  it takes a grass-roots approach, and the more breweries we have sharing the message of craft the more likely we are to grow our market share.

In my opinion, growth is not necessarily about protecting and adding to current sales, as it is about attracting new craft beer fans. My personal word of caution is that wheat beer as a category is down in terms of sales across the country. We cannot expect our industry growth to come from our existing customer base to drink more of our beer; we need intentional focus on attracting new fans. Historically speaking wheat beers have bridged the gap between light lager drinkers and craft drinkers. Double IPAs and other exotic styles rarely attract a new drinker.

At Marshall we have a nearly five-year foundation built amongst craft beer drinkers in Oklahoma. We see the potential for growth and innovation. We welcome new breweries, offer our help, and wish them success. Craft beer has always been about selection. New breweries offer a growing consumer base more and varied choices, strengthening our industry and hopefully attracting additional consumers.

TTB: One point that’s not up for debate is that the craft beer industry is growing fast. People have said this could cause problems for brewers trying to secure grains, hops and equipment — all of which are becoming more scarce; or that it could cause liquor store owners and bar managers to drop old standards so they can stock the latest flavor of the month. Are these real problems everyone is dealing with, or will have to deal with?

Wes: There is no doubt that current craft beer growth is placing a strain on raw materials, equipment, distribution, and retail space. With 1,200 breweries in planning, resources will become even more scarce. However, capitalism will sort these issues. Not so much as in only the strong will survive, but more in a sense of the best practices and planning will build a healthy and robust industry. While certainly the homebrewer can turn pro and open their own brewery successfully, more and more  we are seeing breweries open with professionally trained and experienced brewers. I would suggest that a balance must exist between being an entrepreneur and innovator and a professional. We need both to successfully grow. While we do not need to re-invent the wheel in terms of best practices,  we need homebrewing fanatics with their  win-against-all-odds approach such as Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head Brewery, to innovate techniques such as continuous hopping.

With regard to the retail segment, there is no doubt that much of the growth in craft beer is being fueled by local and hyper-regional breweries. It is very exciting to see that our country is supporting a local business model over a more traditional national sales and marketing model. This supports converting new beer drinkers through grass-roots efforts. The consumer will ultimately vote with their dollars as to the brands they prefer at the retail level. Retail is constantly evolving and that will continue. Current trends support local. Colorado is an excellent example in terms of craft beer.

TTB: Lastly, what advice would you offer to new brewers or those wanting to get into the business?

Wes: The message to new breweries is this: Visit with existing breweries about best practices, strategies for success, lessons learned. We all want growth in craft beer and many hands make light work. My caution would be to be sure that your intentions are genuine and that quality is the top priority.  Much of the concern voiced at CBC is based upon the fear that our industry only has so many chances to attract a new drinker and it takes quality beer and passion for the craft to do the job.

Coming Wednesday: Part 2 featuring Choc Beer Co. President Zach Prichard.

Here’s a press released issued from Marshall:

TULSA — Tulsa-based Marshall Brewing Co. is reintroducing Tulsa Driller All-Star Wheat at ONEOK Field. All-Star Wheat will become available beginning on April 26 and will be offered for the remainder of the season at select locations within ONEOK Field.

All-Star Wheat is a German-style Hefeweizen, perfectly suited to watching baseball on warm afternoons and evenings in Oklahoma. Aromas of banana and clove are created by using the traditional German ale yeast during fermentation. The yeast is left in the beer to both provide flavor and the typical cloudiness of a German-style wheat beer.

All Star Wheat features a medium body and a light sweetness to create a refreshing beer with exceptional sessionability.

Marshall’s All-Star Wheat will be available on draft at the following locations inside ONEOK Field:

-Craft Beer Cart located behind home plate

-Margaritaville Cart located along third-base concourse

-Liquor Cart located along first-base concourse

I haven’t been to a Redhawks game in ages — anyone know what the craft beer scene looks like at Bricktown Ballpark?

Daily Pints

-Plenty going on at McNellie’s OKC in the next week. To start things off, the weekly Monday pint night features Tecate tonight. Coming up on Saturday is the McNellie’s Pub Run, featuring the Guinness Challenge. You can get more information or sign up for the race right here. And lastly, McNellie’s OKC has announced they will be closed May 6-7 to make repairs. They said they expect to re-open May 8.

-The Monday pint night at McNellie’s Tulsa tonight is Ayinger Brau-Weisse.

-And the pint night at McNellie’s Norman today is PBR. Yes, I said PBR.

-New beers on their way to Okahoma: From Boulevard, Love Child No. 3 and Coffee Ale; from Sante Fe, Chicken Killer Barley Wine Ale; from Ommegang, Fleur de Houblon; and from Widmer Bros., Hopside Down IPL. Put me down for a couple bottles of Coffee Ale — 9.3 percent ale brewed in collaboration with The Roasterie air-roasted coffee — sounds amazing!

Today’s offering is “Brew Like a Pro” by Dave Miller.

This 265-page softcover walks you through the homebrew process, with an emphasis on moving to all-grain brewing.

You can win this book simply by liking the Facebook post associated with this blog post. Everyone who likes the post will be entered in a random drawing, and the winner will be selected around  5 p.m. today.

Good luck!

Then along came Widmer Bros. and their promotional push for the new Alchemy Ale:

Yes, that would be the beer, a pint glass and four vials containing hops, yeast, grains and water.

Pretty fancy indeed, and it got me thinking, “Boy, this looks like a great effort to distract from what the real issue is here — the beer.” But of course, I’m not easily distracted. Except by sports on TV. And delicious chicken wings. And Words With Friends. Where was I? Oh yes, the beer.

Let’s get to my review of Widmer Bros. Alchemy Ale.

This is an American pale ale that checks in at 5.8 percent ABV and 40 IBUs.

The beer had a golden-orange color and excellent clarity. It had a moderate head that faded quickly. It had a prominent hop aroma.

I noticed a very tangy hop bite up front that mellowed and smoothed out as I progressed through the beer. A hop spiciness lingered slightly on the back of the tongue after sipping.

I felt the beer was hop-forward, but definitely leaned more toward the late- or dry-hopped side of the equation. I didn’t find it to have significant bitterness. I think this allowed it to strike a decent balance between the hop and malt.

The most interesting thing about the beer to me is the character of the hops. Widmer says the beer is hopped with a proprietary blend of Pacific Northwest hops they call the Alchemy blend.  I found the hop flavor to be predominantly spicy; it was a change from the largely floral hops that seem to be more popular right now.

I also found that the beer was hopped enough to let the hops clearly show through and assert themselves, but not so much that you weren’t sure if the beer was a pale ale or an IPA. This is definitely a pale ale.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable, creative beer. I was pleasantly surprised by its restraint — anymore it seems commercial pale ales almost always push the boundary of becoming an IPA. I would drink it again.

Daily Pints

-The pint night at TapWerks tonight is Piraat Belgian IPA.

-Coming soon to local liquor stores: Sam Adams Porch Rocker — a lager blended with lemonade in the tradition of the Bavarian Radler.

-Angry Orchard coming out with some new ciders.

The Tulsa-based Dead Armadillo team has poured at various festivals and beer tasting events, but lacks its own commercial brewing facility and, therefore, the capacity to produce enough beer for mass distribution.

That is about to change. Thanks to a brewing agreement with the recently opened Roughtail Brewing Co., Dead Armadillo’s first run of commercial kegs are scheduled to be released for statewide distribution at the start of June.

And as they build momentum toward opening their own brewery, Dead Armadillo is seeking your help. They’ve started a Kickstarter project that they titled “Help Raise the Dead Armadillo Brewery.” They’ve set a goal to raise $10,000 by May 16. As of today, they had received pledges totaling more than $1,800 from more than 30 potential donors.

I recently interviewed Dead Armadillo’s Tony Peck to learn about what’s in store.

The Thirsty Beagle: You guys have been in the brewing game a while now — I know you’ve poured at tastings and festivals over the past year or so — but how exciting is it to be so close to having your kegs distributed around the state?

Tony Peck: We are ecstatic. While we still have some hard work ahead with the acquisition of equipment and a building, the opportunity to distribute our Amber Ale throughout Oklahoma marks an important milestone for us. We have worked hard over the past couple years to get here and now we will be actual contributors to Oklahoma’s craft beer culture.

TTB: How did you come to the arrangement to work with Roughtail? Explain how that deal is beneficial for you guys.

TP: We met Tony and Blaine at an Oklahoma Brewer’s Guild meeting last year and got along well. We had been contemplating contract brewing to get started, but there was no space available in Oklahoma. Then, when we heard about their starting date, we contacted them with the hope that we could work something out. Our deal helps us because it puts our product on the market while we finalize our own details. We believe it helps Roughtail because it will provide them a little extra operating capital. The best part, however, is it develops a new collaborative relationship in the industry here.

TTB: Will we see the Amber first? What’s next in the chute?

TP: The Armadillo Amber will be our first beer. We are contemplating a Smashed Armadillo next, which is an ale brewed with a single malt and a single hop. Our Black IPA, IPA, and Porter have all been well-received, but we will probably wait until we have our own facility before introducing them to the market. We still plan to bring them to events, though.

TTB: Let’s talk about the Kickstarter; you’ve set a goal of $10,000 — what do you plan to do with the money if you reach the goal?

TP: The funds for our Kickstarter project are going to be directed toward our canning line. We hope to be canning our beer for package stores as soon as possible. We love cans.

TTB: For a pledge of $2,000 or more, you’re giving away the chance to name the brewery’s armadillo mascot. Nervous at all someone will make the pledge and give it some kind of crazy name?

TP: Yes, a little nervous. I suppose if the name was horribly offensive, then we may have to negotiate something. But it would be a nice problem.

Tony said Dead Armadillo plans a launch party June 6 at the Fox and Hound in Tulsa. I’ll keep you updated as more details become available.

Daily Pints

-To say an insane amount of beer has flooded — or is set to flood — into the state recently would be underselling it. Here, culled from some of the top liquor stores in the state, are some of the beers you can expect to see in stores soon (if not already):

1. Crown Valley Barrel Aged Big Bison

2. Prairie Pirate Noir

3. Laughing Dog Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA

4. Achel Trappist Blonde

5. Achel Trappist Extra

6. Full Sail LTD Vienna Lager

7. Sierra Nevada 2013 Hoptimum

8. Choc Rye OPA

And here’s a list I grabbed from the BierGarten FB page showing what we can expect in May:

1. Battered Boar Dante’s Porter (hot pepper beer)
2. Blue Moon Sampler 12-Packs
3. Bridgeport Bear Hug Cherry Chocolate
4. Full Sail Pub Series ESB
5. Green Flash Saison Diego
6. Left Hand Twin Sisters DIPA
7. Ommegang Iron Throne Blonde
8. Prairie Apricot Funk
9. Prairie Blueberry Funk
10. Prairie Bomb
11. Prairie Café
12. Prairie Puncheon
13. Prairie Wine Barrel Noir
14. Prairie Zach (Pro-Am beer for GABF)
15. Privateer Sampler Pack
16. Roughtail 12th Round Strong Ale (Keg)
17. Roughtail IPA (Keg)
19. Roughtail Red Republic Ale (Keg)
19. Boulevard Smokestack Lovechild #3

In addition, BierGarten just announced that Great Divide’s 19th Anniversary Ale will be in Oklahoma soon. This is an ale brewed with birch syrup and aged on birch chips.

Yesterday, I blogged about the first set of confirmed beers for the May 18 fest. Lo and behold, festival organizer Greg Powell sent me an updated list, and it looks awesome. Before we dive into the new list, however, let’s take a look at some pint nights TapWerks has planned leading up to OCFB to celebrate American Craft Beer Week:

-Monday, May 13: Anthem Brewing Pint Night with firkin

-Tuesday, May 14:  Choc Pint Night with firkin

-Wednesday, May 15: Roughtail Pint Night with firkin

-Thursday, May 16: COOP Pint Night with firkin

-Friday, May 17: Sam Adams Pint Night featuring a special food menu, and individual pours and flights from the Barrel Room Series — 13th Hour Stout, Stony Brook Red and New World Tripel

Pretty nice lineup, right there. And in addition to TapWerks, McNellie’s OKC is getting in on the action as well.

On Friday, May 17, McNellie’s is hosting a firkin night featuring an exclusive preview of Roughtail Double IPA. McNellie’s will also feature a special Oklahoma craft beer flight for $6 from May 13-19.

So how about the new OCBF list? Here it is:

Sam Adams: New World Tripel, Stony Brook Red, 13^th Hour Stout, Grumpy Monk, Boston Lager, Double Agent IPL, New Albion, Porch Rocker, plus a couple surprises

Shiner: Premium, Ruby Redbird

Bridgeport: Smooth Ryed, Summer Squeeze

Flying Dog: Snake Dog IPA, Underdog Atlantic

Mustang: Doppelhopper IPA, Route 66, Washita Wheat, Golden Ale, Summer Lager, plus a couple surprises

Sierra Nevada: Torpedo, Ruthless Rye, Pale Ale, Summerfest

Abita: Lemon Wheat, Strawberry Harvest

Santa Fe: Freestyle Pils, Happy Camper

Full Sail: Amber, Session, Session Black, ESB

Ommegang: Adoration, Seduction, Aphrodite, Hennepin, plus a surprise

Angry Orchard: Ginger, Dry, Crisp Apple

Ace: Pear, Joker

Woodchuck: Amber, Raspberry

Rogue: XS McRogue Scotch Ale, XS Barleywine, XS Imperial Stout, John John Hazelnut, John John Juniper,

Pyramid: Snowcap, Curveball

Boulevard: Wheat, 80 Acre, Double Wide IPA, Boss Tom’s, Tank 7, Coffee Ale, Rye on Rye, 2011 Imperial Stout, 6^th Glass, Dark Truth Stout, plus some surprises

Leinenkugel: Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout, Big Eddy Wee Heavy, Big Eddy Baltic Porter, Big Eddy Imperial IPA, Sunset Wheat, Berry Weiss, Honey Weiss, Summer Shandy, Lemon Shandy, Orange Shandy, Berry Shandy

Caldera: IPA, Pale Ale, Amber, plus a surprise

Jolly Pumpkin: Luciernaga, ES Bam, La Roja

Laughing Dog: Dogfather Bourbon Barrel, Alpha Dog, Sneaky Pete

Big Sky: Brushtail Saison, Cowboy Coffee, Scape Goat, IPA, Moose drool, Trout Slayer, plus a few surprises

Crispin: Original, Honey Crisp, The Saint

Redd’s: Apple Ale

COOP: F5, Native Amber, Elevator, Horny Toad, Gransport, DNR, TROIAS ’12, TRBW ’12, plus a couple surprises

Green Flash: Saison Diego, West Coast IPA, Rayon Vert, Hop Head Red, Double Stout, Imperial IPA, Plus a surprise

Great Divide: Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Hercules, Collette, Nomad, Heyday, Claymore, Hoss

Anchor: Liberty, Steam, Porter, Summer Ale, Breckles Brown

Sea Dog: Blueberry, Apricot

Anderson Valley: Summer Solstice, Hop Ottin, Oatmeal Stout, ESB, Boont Amber

Point: Belgian White, Special Lager, Nude Beach

Shipyard: Monkey Fist IPA, Summer Ale

Sierra Blanca: Nut Brown, Imperial Stout

McKenzie Cider: Original, Black Cherry

Choc: Summer Ale, Choc Beer, Signature Dubbel, plus a surprise

Marshall: Limited Edition Dunkel, Klaus Hefeweizen, Revival Red, Atlas IPA, Old Pavilion Pilsner, Pub Ale

Anthem: White Flame, Golden one, Bourbon Barrel Golden One, Atrun Belgian Stout, plus a surprise

Roughtail: IPA, 12^th Round, Red Republic, plus a couple surprises (I’ve confirmed these will be a collaboration Irish Red Ale (with Red Earth Brewers) and a collaboration Hibiscus Wit (with Angry Scotsman Brewing))

Left Hand: Ambidextrous Step 2, Ambidextrous Step 3, Java Lava, Weak Sauce Porter, Milk Stout Nitro, Stranger Pale Ale, Sawtooth, Twin Sisters, Juju Ginger

Tallgrass: Ethos, Pub Ale, Velvet Rooster, Oasis, Halcyon, Buffalo Sweat

Black Mesa: Blonde, ESB

Bricktown Brewery: TBD

Belle Isle Brewery: TBD

Coach’s Brewhouse: TBD

Huebert: TBD

Battered Boar: TBD

Lost Coast: TBD

North Coast: TBD

Lakefront: TBD

Wow! If you’d like to get in on this action, tickets are on sale now at www.oklahomacraftbeerfestival.com. There are two sessions (1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.) and tickets are $35 per session. Each session will feature live music and food for sale from Earl’s Rib Palace and Big Truck Tacos.

The measure will go into effect Nov. 1.

The move has to be considered the most progressive change in the state’s alcohol laws in many years. In 2011, Gov. Brad Henry signed a bill to legalize homebrewing in the state, but since the practice was widespread anyway, that move had to be looked at as primarily symbolic in nature.

Today’s legislation will bring concrete change and was welcomed by the bill’s primary backers, Tulsa’s Marshall Brewing Co.

“We could not be more pleased with the support we had from Oklahoma through the legislative process and finally in conclusion the governor signing HB 1341,” Marshall’s Wes Alexander said. “We feel this bill will help Oklahoma’s breweries grow craft culture through education and advocacy to all of Oklahoma, and spread commerce in the region.”

For those who haven’t read about HB 1341, the bill will allow breweries to serve samples not to exceed 12 oz. per person, per day. The samples would be free and would only be available from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Brewers would have to pay an Oklahoma excise tax on sampled beer.

Several of the state’s brewers have said they are looking to forward to opening up tours at their sites.

The annual festival — now in its third year — will be staged in the parking lot beside TapWerks. Tickets are $35 for either of two sessions, and they are on sale now.

The event marks the end of American Craft Beer Week, and it will end it with a bang, as organizers are promising the biggest festival to date. More than 200 beers are expected from nearly 50 brewers/breweries.

Here is a list of the first confirmed beers:

-Big Sky: Ivan the Terrible, Bier de Noel, Sneaky Pete, Brushtail, Cowboy Coffee, IPA, Scapegoat, Troutslayer, Moose Drool

-Boulvard: Lovechild #3, Rye on Rye, 2011 Imperial Stout, 6th Glass, Dark Truth, Long Strange Tripel, Terra Incognita, 2012 Saison Brett, Tank 7, Coffee Ale, Boss Tom’s, Double Wide, 80 Acre, Wheat

-Caldera: Amber, IPA, Pale

-Crispin: Honey, Saints, Original

-Jolly Pumpkin: Luciernaga, Noel de Calabaza, ES Bam

-Leinenkugel: Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout, Big Eddy Wee Heavy, Big Eddy IPA, Big Eddy Baltic Porter, Summer Shandy, Lemonberry Shandy, Orange Shandy, Berry Weisse, Sunset Wheat

-Laughing Dog: Dogfather Bourbon Barrel, Alpha Dog

And here’s a message from festival organizer and TapWerks general manager Greg Powell:

Plans are underway and the first list of beers is already on my desk! This year will have the largest amount of beers and breweries available for sample yet. We will break the 200 count for total beers representing over 45 breweries! Thanks to some new Oklahoma breweries like Black Mesa, Roughtail and Prairie Artisan Ales, we will also have our largest count of Oklahoma-made beers. Some of the craft breweries that are new to our state are promising some big things as well, including Green Flash, Goose Island and Jolly Pumpkin.

I will keep you updated as new beers are added to the list and other details, like food vendors and bands, are made available.

Daily Pints

-Expected in local liquor stores soon (if not already): Prairie Artisan Ales Pirate Noir; Green Flash Imperial IPA; Green Flash Trippel.

-The weekly Monday pint night at McNellie’s OKC tonight features Dos Equis. Speaking of Dos Equis, have you seen the latest “Most Interesting Man…” commercial? Hilarious.

-The weekly Monday pint night at McNellie’s Tulsa today is Tripel Karmeliet.

-And at McNellie’s Norman, it’s Sam Adams Apline Spring.

Think about that for a minute. Let it wash over you. A tap takeover, featuring all Oklahoma-made craft beer.

I’m not trying to be overly dramatic here, but I feel like this is the perfect time to get dramatic. This takes me back to the early days of The Thirsty Beagle blog.

There I was, an aspiring beer fan and blogger, scouring the Internet for random beer stories about guys drinking 47 Bud Lights and then punching police officers in the face. I’m serious, check my blog’s archives, the relevance threshold for what I would post was pretty low. It just had to have a hint of  a connection to beer.

This was in September 2008. I would have loved to have posted more Oklahoma-specific beer news, if there was a lot more out there. I would have posted about firkin nights, if anyone knew what a firkin was.

In November of that year, I started the Beer Championship Series bracket competition. There was an Oklahoma region featuring 16 Oklahoma beers. They came from Choc, Marshall, Bricktown Brewery and Belle Isle Brewery. That was it.

Where was COOP? Where was Mustang? At that time, those breweries were in the planning stages. Where was Huebert? I was too naive and inexperienced to really even know Huebert existed. And when you think about it, Marshall hadn’t been around much before that either — they’re set to celebrate their fifth anniversary this spring. They only beat my blog to the punch by a couple months. I can remember going into liquor stores a few years ago that didn’t know Marshall existed as a brewery.

The other day, I was contemplating all of this, and I started thinking about the Beer Championship Series bracket for 2013. It’s not beyond imagination that by November of this year, I could fill an entire 64-beer bracket with only Oklahoma beer. (Heck, I could fill half the bracket with all the beer Prairie Artisan Ales is putting out!)

Think about it: In September 2008 we had Choc, Marshall, Huebert, Belle Isle Brewery, Bricktown Brewery, and I believe Royal Bavaria. (My apologies if I’m leaving someone off.)

Fast forward not even five years later: You add COOP, Mustang, Battered Boar, Redbud (sort of), Dead Armadillo, Anthem, Black Mesa, Prairie and Roughtail! (Plus a couple other brewers/breweries I know are in the planning stages; and again, my apologies if I’m leaving someone off — I’m pulling all this off the top of my head.)

And that’s not even digging into the amazing variety of beers we have and the creative boundaries our brewers have pushed through.

This is big, people. This is a long way to come in less than five years.

It reminds me of a saying that I’ve heard Marshall’s Wes Alexander say a few times: Anymore, people don’t ask what a firkin is — they ask what’s in the firkin.

It’s a perfect summation, really, of how far the Oklahoma craft beer scene has come.

Forgive me if I get a little misty-eyed here, but I feel proud that I’ve been able to come along for the ride, even if I’m only playing a small role in documenting where Oklahoma craft beer has been and where it’s going.

I’m excited to keep doing that — and to see where the next few years take us.

Daily Pints

-So, about that tap takeover tonight. I’m hearing the beers will be Marshall Dunkel, Atlas and Revival Red; Choc Spring Pils, Belgian OPA and 1919; Prairie Gold, Funky Galaxy and Somewhere; COOP TROAIS, F5 and Elevator (formerly Zeppelin); Black Mesa ESB and Blond; and a couple regional offerings to round things out.

-And more Tulsa Craft Beer Week news: The grand finale outdoor festival on Saturday is officially sold out. If you missed out, there’s always next year — organizers are saying the 2014 fest will be even bigger.

-Over here in Oklahoma City, there’s a special firkin night at TapWerks tonight featuring a raspberry saison from COOP. The firkin will be tapped at 6.

Let’s dive in:

-For starters, the beer has a pleasing orange-copper hue and good clarity, though I found it to have minimal head and fast dissipation of the foam.

-The aroma was slightly sweet and I got just the faintest hint of buttery, almost-burnt popcorn.

-It had an average mouthfeel with adequate carbonation.

-A light, sweet grapefruit taste is evident up-front; I expected the grapefruit juice would impart a certain bitterness, but I didn’t get that. I didn’t detect any predominant hop character, either in bitterness or taste/aroma. The beer finishes with a light malt presence.

-My overall impression: This beer would fit in the easy-drinking category — it won’t strip your palate with hops or weigh you down with heavy malts.  It’s sweet, but not too sweet. I would have loved just a dash of hop aggression — especially with some cascade or centennial hops that would have accentuated the grapefruit juice nicely. You would do well to have a couple of these on ice for a hot summer’s day, but at the same time, I could see wearing a little thin on the grapefruit if it was the only beer you had on hand for a whole weekend.

Daily Pints

-As of this morning, there were only 30 tickets left for the grand finale Tulsa Craft Beer Week beer tasting festival on Saturday. You can scoop up tickets, and a schedule of events, at www.tulsacraftbeerweek.com.

-Showing up in state liquor stores soon: Prairie Okie Imperial Brown Ale aged in oak whiskey barrels; Prairie Noir Imperial Stout; Prairie Bomb Russian Imperial Stout brewed with coffee.

-For all my Canadian fans out there — you know who you are — Goose Island just announced expansion into Canada. You Canadians have grown up so much since I left!

-Marcus Smart!

If Gov. Mary Fallin signs the bill into law, state brewers would be able to offer samples of beer to visitors, not to exceed 12 oz. per person, per day. Brewers said such a move would put them on more equal ground with the state’s wine-makers, who already are allowed to offer samples, and that it would boost tourism in the state.

The governor’s office has a practice of not commenting on bills prior to the governor reviewing them, but the bill’s House author, Rep. Glen Mulready, R-Tulsa, told bill supporters with Marshall Brewing Co. that Fallin is expected to sign off on the legislation.

According to the language of the bill, the legislation would go into effect Nov. 1, 2013.

Marshall’s Wes Alexander called today’s news “exciting” and said his brewery may look to add one or more employees to help coordinate and conduct tours and sampling.

“Thank you friends for contacting your legislature on behalf of this bill and its merits for the growing Oklahoma craft beer industry,” Alexander wrote on Facebook.

Roughtail’s Wort Transformation is scheduled for the afternoon of May 19.

The premise of the event is simple: Roughtail will brew up a big batch of pale ale wort and send 40 homebrewers home with 5 gallons each. Then the homebrewers will hop/spice/ferment the wort however they see fit, before everyone reconvenes in July to see what they ended up with.

If you’re interested, it’s best you act quickly by visiting this link. Only a couple spots were left as I was typing this post.

Daily Pints

-Day two of Tulsa Craft Beer Week is tonight, featuring a COOP beer dinner at Hey Mambo, a Great Divide Tap Takeover at R-Bar, and a Marshall firkin crawl with Mcnellie’s, Fassler Hall and Dust Bowl. More details can be had at www.tulsacraftbeerweek.com.

-While all the attention is on Tulsa this week, we’ve also got news in Oklahoma City. Tickets are now officially on sale for the third annual Oklahoma Craft Beer Festival, set for May 18 at TapWerks. The event coincides with the culmination of American Craft Beer Week. You can scoop up tickets at www.oklahomacraftbeerfestival.com. Organizers are expecting more than 200 beers from roughly 50 different brewers.

-New to state liquor stores this week are a couple offerings from Great Divide: Heyday Wit and Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti.

Today’s offering is “The Beer Drinker’s Guide to Munich.”

This 240-page paperback gives you descriptions of the prominent beers and bars in Munich, plus a handy map with metro/train stops so you can commute between beer-drinking destinations. Perfect for that upcoming trip to Munich!

All you have to do to win the book is like the Facebook post associated with this blog post. The winner will be randomly drawn at roughly 5 p.m. today.

Good luck!

Daily Pints

-Shout out to the crew at Mustang Brewing — had a chance to try the new DoppelHopper IPA and they did a fine job with this one. It strikes a terrific balance between the hop and malt. The beer is on tap at several spots around town, but they’re officially launching DoppelHopper with a special pint night at TapWerks tonight.

-If you’ve got the time and coin, you could do worse than heading to New York in June for SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience. This year, Choc has been selected in the annual lottery to pour at SAVOR, along with all of the country’s top craft brewers. The event is quickly becoming one of the premier beer/food events in the world, and a limited number of public tickets will go on sale next week — at 11 a.m. CST on Wednesday, April 17. Tickets will be sold via Ticketmaster.

-McNellie’s OKC announced on FB that they just tapped kegs of La Fin Du Monde and Goose Island IPA.

-Speaking of McNellie’s OKC, the April 23 Oklahoma Beer University event that I blogged about earlier will include Marshall, Coop, Mustang, Anthem, Black Mesa, Rough Tail and Choc — and they’re trying to get Prairie Artisan Ales on board as well. Contact jenny.price@mcnellies.com for more information or to reserve a seat for $25.

The answer? Never, apparently. So it’s best we dive in with some bullet points today.

-Today is the last day for Prairie’s wildly successful Kickstarter funding drive. With just a couple hours to go, the drive had blown past the initial $10,000 goal, with more than $22,500 pledged by a total of 245 backers.

Prairie brewmaster Chase Healey said he is pretty pumped about the result:

“It’s pretty awesome what people can do when you just ask,” Healey said. “The money will help out big time.”

Healey said he will keep Prairie fans up to speed on what the $22K+ is spent on.

-True to his word, Healey posted an update: He’s purchased two 10-barrel, open-top fermenters (a barrel is equivalent to 31 gallons).

-In case you didn’t notice from the image at top right, Prairie recently updated its company logo. The old logo looked like this.

-Prairie announced three new beers will be coming to market soon. Here are the descriptions straight from the Prairie FB page:

1. Pirate Noir: 11% imperial stout aged in very old rum barrels. This has been bottled and could land as soon as next weekend. Only 120 cases of 750ml bottles.

2. Prairie Bomb: 14% imperial stout aged on vanilla, coffee, chocolate and peppers. Not yet bottled, 12 oz. release.

3. Prairie Okie: 13% imperial brown ale aged in bourbon barrels. This has been bottled and could land as soon as next weekend. Only 150 cases of 750ml bottles for OK. 120 cases will ship to outside markets.

-Video star.

Daily Pints

-Goose Island IPA pint night is tonight at TapWerks.

-A Mustang DoppelHopper IPA pint night is set for tomorrow at TapWerks.

-The next release from Green Flash — Patlate Wrecker — has arrived in state. Inquire at your local liquor store.

-The Mule is tapping a COOP firkin Friday night during Live on the Plaza. The beer will be a hoppy American wheat.

-First off, the beer list for the grand finale outdoor festival on April 20 has been announced.

Here it is:

Choc:
1. OPA
2. Choc Beer
3. Spring Pilsner
4. (Special Release)

Marshall:
1. Dunkel (Special Release)
2. Atlas IPA
3. Revival Red
4. Old Pavilion Pilsner

Prairie:
1. Noir
2. Somewhere
3. ‘Merica
4. Gold
6. Funky Galaxy
7. (Special Release)

COOP:
1. DNR
2. Horny Toad
3. Native Amber
4. (Special Release)

Mustang:
1. DoppelHopper IPA
2. Route 66

Boulevard:
1. Wheat
2. 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat
3. Tank 7
4. Double Wide
5. (Special Release)

Green Flash:
1. West Coast IPA
2. Hop Head Red
3. (Special Release)

Great Divide:
1. Heyday Wit
2. Collette
3. (Special Release)

Big Sky:
1. Special Release
2. Special Release

Leinenkugel:
1. Big Eddy (TBD)
2. (Special Release)

FOAM:
TBD

And speaking of the grand finale, ticket sales are going so briskly that organizers said they are considering capping attendance. So, if you really want to go, best to act quick and snap up tickets at www.tulsacraftbeerweek.com. There will be no day-of sales either way.

-TCBW pint glasses — which will be handed out to ticket-holders at the grand finale — are also available for sale at the event website.

-McNellie’s will have a COOP firkin on Monday featuring an Imperial IPA with 15 different hops.

-McNellie’s will have a Choc firkin on Wednesday featuring Rosemary Biere de Garde.

-The R-Bar Great Divide Tap Takeover on Tuesday will feature: Yeti, Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Heyday Wit, Orabelle Tripel, Denver Pale Ale, Titan IPA, Hercules, Colette and Nomad.

-Tuesday’s Marshall Firkin Crawl will feature stops at three bars: 5 p.m. at McNellies featuring Beat Juice Pub Ale; 6 p.m. at Dust Bowl featuring Belgian Pale with Sauvignon Blanc Oak; and 7 p.m. at Fassler Hall featuring American Dry Hopped Klaus.

Organizers are updating the website pretty much every day as events and menus are finalized, so check back often to finalize your plans.

And on an overall note, this is shaping up as an absolutely crazy week. I know this much — us folks over here in Oklahoma City have our work cut out for us during American Craft Beer Week in May if we want to match what Tulsa’s bringing to the table.

At the least that’s what Beer Sprocket organizer and Old Germany proprietor  Mike Turek is hoping for. Today Turek shared with me the beer and restaurant list for the fest, which is set for 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Choctaw Creek Park, and now I can pass it along to you.

As a reminder, you can buy tickets at www.oldgermany.com. Tickets are $50, with proceeds going to benefit charitable efforts by the Rotary Club of East Oklahoma County. There are no day-of sales, so act by end-of-day Friday if you want to go.

Beers:

1. Battered Boar 405 Lager

2. Battered Boar Briarpatch Pale Ale

3. Battered Boar Coconut Cream Stout

4. Battered Boar Chocolate Cherry Porter

5. Battered Boar Dante’s Chili Porter

6. Battered Boar Blue Face Scotch Ale

7. Kapsreiter

8. Greiskirscher

9. Mactarnahan’s Goose Bump

10. Pyramid Snow Cap

11. Rogue’s Mom’s Hefeweisen

12. Rogue Chatoe

13. Hornsby’s Amber Cider

14. Hornsby’s Crisp Apple Cider

15. Mustang Golden Ale

16. Mustang DoppleHopper IPA

17. Staropramen

18. Hofbrau Maibock

19 . Shiner Farmhouse

20. Angry Orchard Crisp Apple

21. Mustang Washita Wheat

22. Mustang Route 66

23. Sam Adams New Albion

24. Guinness Black Lager

25. Ace Joker Cider

26. Woodchuck Amber Cans

27. Boulevard Wheat

28. Boulevard 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat

29. Boulevard Tank 7

30. Boulevard Double Wide IPA

31. Big Sky Brush Tail

32. Big Sky Moose Drool

33. Caldera IPA

34. Big Sky IPA

35. Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

36. Leinenkugel’s Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

37. Laughing Dog Sneaky Pete IPA

38. Unibroue La Fin du Monde

39. Crispin Original Cider

40. Crispin Honey Crisp Cider

41. Redstone Mead Nectar of the Hops

42. Redstone Mead Sunshine Nectar

43. Redstone Mead Black Raspberry Nectar

44. New Planet Raspberry (Gluten Free)

45. New Planet Pale Ale (Gluten Free)

46. Left Hand 400 lb. Monkey

47. Left Hand Fade to Black

48. Left Hand Warrior IPA

49. Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA

50. Tallgrass Pub Ale

51. Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat

52. Augustiner Maximator

53. Augustiner Edelstoff

54. Sam Smith Organic Chocolate

55. Sam Smith Organic Cider

56. Traquir Jacobite

57. Pinkus Alt Beer

58. Golden Pheasant

59. Ayinger Jahrhundert

60. Estrella Damn

61. Weihenstephan Kristall

62. Weihenstephan Original

63. Choc Spring Pilsner

64. Great Divide Colette

65. Anchor Steam

66. Anchor Summer

67. Anderson Valley Hop Ottin

68. Choc Beer

69. Choc OPA

70. Coopers Sparkling

71. Great Divide Nomad

72. Green Flash Hop Head Red

73. Murphy’s Red

74. Murphy’s Stout

75. Rio Grande Chile Cerveza

76. San Miguel Light

77. San Miguel Dark

78. Sea Dog Blueberry

79. Stevens Point Nude Beach Cans

80. Stevens Point Belgian White

81. Goose Island IPA

82. Goose Island Honkers Ale

83. Goose Island 312

84. Redhook ESB

85. Widmer Rotator IPA

86. Widmer Drifter Pale Ale

87. Widmer Columbia Common

88. Omission Pale Ale

89. Beck’s Sapphire

90. Franziskaner Hefe

91. Spaten Optimator

92. Spaten Premium Lager

93. COOP F5 IPA

94. COOP Zeppelin Wheat

95. COOP Horny Toad Cerveza

96. COOP Gran Sport Porter

97. COOP Native Amber

98. COOP DNR

99. Roughtail Red Republic Ale

100. Roughtail 12th Round Strong Ale

101. Roughtail IPA

Restaurants:

-Old Germany

-Old Chicago

-Poblano Grill

-Gabriella’s Italian

-Charlie’s Sport Bar and Grill

-TapWerk’s Ale House and Cafe

-McNellie’s Public House

-C&C Cupcake

Looks like a great lineup, and a great way to dive into the spring/summer beer season!

In fact, trace back to July of last year, and you would have seen that Redbud’s brewmaster, Chase Healey, had moved into the new OKCity Brewing Co-op, was ramping up plans for new recipes, aging several hundred gallons of beer in barrels and pouring beer under the Redbud flag at the annual Wild Brew beer tasting event.

Skip ahead just one month though, and Redbud was on the rocks. Healey announced he was leaving his post as brewmaster in August, and leaving the state. The owner of the OKCity Brewing Co-op said a new brewmaster would be hired and production would continue.

By November, no brewmaster had been hired. Then came a curveball nobody saw coming — OKCity and the Redbud brand were scooped up in a purchase agreement by Mustang Brewing Co.

Purchasing the co-op made sense for Mustang — which was looking to brew its kegged beer in-state. The Redbud move left several questions unanswered, however.

At the time of the purchase announcement — Nov. 13 — Mustang said Redbud would remain a viable brand and that distribution would continue. It was not made clear who would brew the beer, or if Redbud’s recipes would be used. What was clear was that new Redbud was not showing up in stores in the subsequent months.

Fast forward now to this summer, and we may see that trend reversed.

Mustang President Tim Schoelen said this week that he and brewmaster Gary Shellman will sit down in the next two months to formulate a series of recipes to be brewed under the Redbud banner.

Schoelen said Mustang views Redbud as a clean slate, or an open-exploration label. It will give the Mustang team a chance to break free from some of the session-style constraints of its main beers.

Specifically, he said Mustang will use Redbud to explore artisan beer styles. The plan calls for brewing small batches for limited, local distribution and creating recipes that are unique to the market and not duplicative of other Mustang beers.

Schoelen said there are no plans at the moment to revive any Redbud recipes — that would include the Cuvee series of beers — but the idea has not been ruled out entirely.

On a pretty interesting side note, when Healey left Redbud and operations were stalled, he also left behind those hundreds of gallons of barrel-aged beers I mentioned above. Redbud’s website includes this list of beers described as being in barrels at the time:

1. Golden Ale Reserve in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrel with Neutral Brettanomyces.
2. Folkbeir in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrel with Neutral Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus.
3. Buried Alive Dark Saison in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrel with Neutral Brettanomyces.
4. Very Redbud Christmas in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrel with Neutral Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus.
5. Royal Black Ale in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrel with Neutral Brettanomyces.

Schoelen said those beers are still there today, although the changeover in companies did not include any bookkeeping or paperwork to say which beer is in which barrel. So we have a barrel-aged mystery on our hands, if you will.

I contacted Healey to see if he could provide any clarity. He respectfully declined to discuss operations at his former employer.

Schoelen admitted they are not sure what they’ll do with the barrels — although I’m sure beer fans out in the state have a few ideas (taste test!) for what to do with them.

Let’s kick things off with the news that the Brewers Association this morning released its annual list of the nation’s top 50 craft breweries and brewing companies. There’s not any direct local flavor on these lists — although we can get a good number of the breweries in state — but I always find the list interesting to see just how big some of the breweries we are supporting are.

It’s also interesting to note how many of the craft beer brands we see in liquor stores are fully or partially owned by the megabrewers. For example, did you know that AB-InBev has full ownership of Bass, Beck’s, Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch, Goose Island, Landshark, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Shock Top and Wild Blue brands; and partial ownership of Coastal, Craft Brew Alliance, Fordham, Kona, Old Dominion, Omission, Red Hook and Widmer brands? Did you know Shiner and Bridgeport have been owned for nearly 20 years by the same company — the Gambrinus Co.? After the lists, I included the Brewers Association blurb that disclaims who is owned by what for your reading pleasure.

Here are the top 50 craft breweries, based on 2012 sales volume:

And here is the list of the top 50 overall U.S. brewing companies:

(*Top 50 U.S. Overall Brewing Companies notes: (a) includes Bass, Beck’s, Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch, Goose Island, Landshark, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Shock Top and Wild Blue brands. Does not include partially owned Coastal, Craft Brew Alliance, Fordham, Kona, Old Dominion, Omission, Red Hook and Widmer brands; (b) includes A.C. Golden, Batch 19, Blue Moon, Colorado Native, Coors Keystone, Killian’s, Leinenkugel’s, Miller and Tenth & Blake brands; (c) includes Pabst, Schlitz and 28 other brand families; (d) includes Alchemy & Science and Sam Adams brands; (e) includes Dundee, Genesee, Labatt Lime, Magic Hat and Pyramid brands; (f) includes Kona, Omission, Red Hook and Widmer Brothers brands; (g) includes BridgePort, Shiner and Trumer brands; (h) includes Mountain Crest and 10 other brand families; (i) includes Flying Bison, Saranac and Utica Club brands; (j) private label brands, primarily for grocery store chains; (k) includes Casco Bay, Sea Dog and Shipyard brands; (l) includes Grain Belt and Schell’s brands; (m) includes Long Trail, Otter Creek, The Shed and Wolaver’s brands; (n) includes Iron City and 17 other brand families; (o) includes Butte Creek, Kingfisher, Mendocino and Olde Saratoga brands; (p) includes Cold Spring and John Henry brands; (q) includes A1A, Big River, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants, Rock Bottom Restaurants, Ragtime and Seven Bridges brewpubs; (r) includes James Page, Point and Whole Hog brands.)

More to come on the blog later today on Tulsa Craft Beer Week and future plans for Redbud Brewing Co.