Episode 33 - OK+ Series: Austin Clar of Sublime Imports

The beer scene in Oklahoma continuously grows every month it seems. We have several brokers and wholesalers bringing in new clients constantly. Over the past couple years we've seen Founders, Green Flash, Lagunitas, Evil Twin and now Lazy Magnolia out of Mississippi joins the portfolio of American craft products.

I've taken a look at the local culture of craft beer and with this new OK plus series I want to focus on brands that want to grow and flourish in Oklahoma.

I first learned of Sublime Imports from Michael Kiser's Good Beer Hunting podcast where his guest Austin Clar spoke of their imports available from Spain and Israel. As I listened further trying to soak up Michael's interview techniques and fulfill my beer geek needs I learned Sublime has a tie to Oklahoma. They joked briefly about how one does not simply come to Oklahoma and bypass major metropolitan cities that could support your brands. But Sublime has a natural tie to Oklahoma as Austins partner Michael has roots here. They are bringing in unique offerings that you'd most likely never look for on the shelf. One is brewed with rosemary honey, another with Mediterranean sea water. Yet as wild as some American craft beers have become lately what makes these beers from Spain so different and less appealing. We'll find out soon how Austin and Michael came to the OK market and what challenges they face with our archaic laws.

Episode 24 - The Beers of Summer (Sponsored by BierGarten Wine & Spirits)

Well, that crazy time of year is slowly creeping upon us. Mayfest and Blue Dome Arts fest have roared through downtown along with the Hansons Hop Jam. May has been wet and wild as far as weather and festivals go and we look toward the hot, steamy summers we are known for in Oklahoma. A veritable Okie Death Valley if you will. Because after all this rain you'll need to mow your lawns at an accelerated rate (ugh) and need some refreshing beers to cool down with. (Paired with water, naturally.) 

So a group of close drinking comrades recently gathered to do the hard work of quaffing craft beers from around the country to help take the edge off the summer heat.







Everything reviewed (except growlers, but maybe one day in the future) can be found at BierGarten 

Beers and Overall Scores (Based on 6 reviewers)

1. Choc Spring IPA - 4.5
2. Elk Valley Pale Ale - 4
3. Anthem Arjuna - 4
4. Elk Valley Midnight Ryed - 4
5. Austin Eastciders Dry Cider - 4
6. Full Sail Session IPA - 3.5
7. Sierra Nevada Nooner Pils - 3
8. Prairie Artisan Ales Tulsa Rugby Ale (3.2%) - 3
9. Bridgeport Long Ball Golden Ale - 2.5
10. Marshall Brewing Lil' Belg (3.2%) - 2
11. Leinenkugel Canoe Paddler - 2
12. Sierra Nevada SummerFest - 1.5

Choc's seasonal Spring IPA was the overall favorite, if you couldn't tell from the episode how much everyone was gushing over it.

Episode 17 - Tulsa Brewing: Past and Present

Its January 31 and Marshall Brewing is yet again full of tourists wanting to see those copper kettles and how they turn out such quality German style craft beer. Ever since the law allowing 12 oz tasters passed, craft breweries in Oklahoma have finally been able to market their product from the source.

Marshall Brewing has always been a family affair and with newest member Dustin and Jim, a family friend, the brewery has become a destination to come and relax, sample something you may never have tried before and brush up on your Tulsa beer history.

I sat down with Jim and received a history lesson about Tulsa craft beer and Cherry St. Brewing Co.

With new laws coming up for vote that could well put Oklahoma craft beer into a more modern era, I got Eric Marshall's take on refrigeration and selling their own beer on site.

Music provided by: NoahT , Twitter: @noahtmusic

Brewing "Non-Standard Beers": An Inside Look at Brush Creek Brewing

People go through rites of passage in all walks of life with family and friends. Home brewing is no exception to the matter as we saw in the last blog where three guys were merely brought together by the passion and love of craft beer. The same can be said about Matt and Javier, the duo that makes up Brush Creek Brewing in Stillwater, OK.

They share a similar background in home brewing separately but over time connected over a passion to create quality craft beer. Matt was working in the restaurant industry for 6 years with a home brew hobby on the side and met his partner Javier, a home brewer for 10 years, when Javier's brother opened the College Bar in Stillwater. The affection for craft beer made the relationship click and that was the goal for the College Bar that opened in 2010 to be a craft beer destination in Stillwater.

"We started with 5 taps at 3.2% beer for the first month waiting for our liquor license, but once we got it we put on Great Divide and Left Hand Milk Stout to start drawing an interest", said Matt. From there they continued to grow to 24 taps total and more local beers were added like COOP F5 and Roughtail 12th Round. Their customer base mainly consists of college students and what better time to "mold young beer minds" as Matt says, to the world of local craft beer. That passion also made them the only bar in Oklahoma, that I know of anyway, with a Randall from Dogfish Head brewing. The Arrowhead from Marshall was certainly an experience when run through with Cascade and Citra hops and Porter peaches.

Matt also mentioned a desire to install cask ale taps which immediately made me want to purchase a Big Orange Bus pass to afford the commute back and forth to Stillwater. So you can see the passion and drive they have for just selling beer, you can only imagine what their talent of almost 20 years of home brewing could deliver.

"We figured, if we're doing this almost every week, why not build a brand out of it and get to where we are self-sustaining", Javier stated. I couldn't agree more as you see more people these days transforming hobbies into careers and bringing the brewing industry numbers back to pre-prohibition days in America. The hardest part wasn't finding a space or developing recipes but naming the brewery was a difficult task. "It's weird but it took us over a month because once that name is out there it's permanent", said Javier. Eventually they came up with Brush Creek since the creek runs behind the property where they brew. Thankfully they reassured me they don't pull water from the creek to use in their beers. They found a name that was local and represents a nano-brewery in Oklahoma which also reflects on their logo with the outline of the state and a hope cone.

Speaking of beer and hops...

Brush Creeks first beer was an amber ale but soon evolved towards a pale and wheat beer. However, as Matt says, these are "out of category" beers according to BJCP standards. They use American hops but feel they cater to both the hop heads and casual craft beer drinker that doesn't wreck your palette. The first beer I tried from them was a Black IPA a couple months back that Matt collaborated on where they just threw in random/leftover grains like rye. It simply blew me away with the body and flavor all wrapped into a nice beer. They've had their 8% wheat, yeah e-i-g-h-t, at charity events cautiously warning patrons this is not your standard wheat beer. Another beer they teased me with was a honey brown brewed with Target and Golding hops with local honey. Matt has experimented with numerous ingredients like chili peppers from a friends garden.

They are not scared to go beyond the standard flagship ales, using ingredients that are local, affordable and available year round. I was most fortunate to sample their session IPA that day. A floral wonderment at 4.3% with a rocky mountain head and beautiful golden color. Spiced with Simcoe and Amarillo I immediately fell in love. It went along perfectly with their philosophy of brewing local beer for local people who are outdoors men like themselves. "We will be doing kegs around Stillwater at first and eventually cans", they said. Down the road we'll also see special bottle releases of an Imperial IPA they developed along with some heavier beers. Currently they brew 1.5 bbls on an electronic system similar to Brew Magic's set up.

What's most encouraging is they display a cautionary attitude with their venture of making local craft beer on a local level. People have approached them with money to help with their endeavors but truly they want to be hands on with every aspect from the building to the brewing. They are family men first with full time jobs and love to brew on the side. I applaud them with their entrepreneurial spirit and can't wait to drive over to Stillwater and brew with them soon which will take place in their new 30x30 aluminum barn they are currently building.

Home Brew Update!

Thanks to the efforts of D'Wain and Ethan we've successfully bottled our first ever Beer Is OK home brew. All credit really goes to Ethan for formulating the recipe and instilling his wealth of brewing knowledge to achieve this inaugural brew. Coincidentally, the sweet potato porter reflects our logo with the colors orange and brown. We'll hopefully have a tasting. Stay tuned for more details!

Prost!