We're getting ready to rock n' roll, quite literally. April was great, but it felt like the calm before the storm because we have so much in store for you this summer. We have a lot of new bands coming to the Old Schoolhouse and many bands that we've had before. Blackberry Bushes will kick it off this weekend, bringing their American/bluegrass sound to the brewery. I have never seen this band, I have heard them online and they sound great. One of our bartenders (Steve) has been sparking my interest in bluegrass so I'm pretty excited to catch this show, even though I'll be behind the bar. We'll end may with Eternal Fair featuring our friend Andrew Vait. They'll bring a super high energy rock/pop show, this band is up and coming in the Pacific Northwest and they're definitely a band to watch out for. I've seen Andrew play solo many times but him with a full band is awesome and I am really looking forward to this show. Our summer line up is booked and I am already booking into the fall. I highly recommend everyone check out Old Schoolhouse Brewery on www.reverbnation.com. It's a great place to see who is playing at Old Schoolhouse and hear their music. I look forward to seeing you at our shows with a beer in hand.
Cheers,
Stephanie
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Awards, awards, awards!!! Yippee!
Well, our little microbrewery is doing big things! Last weekend was a winning weekend for us - first, we took home a People's Choice Award from the Bellingham Brew Fest. This festival was held at the the Depot across from Boundary Bay last Saturday night. The weather held out for us and the crowd was fun. We served up our Ruud Awakening IPA and Uncle Big's Brown. Very fun event. You can expect us back again next year!
Then on Sunday, May 1st, we got word that Old Schoolhouse Brewery was honored at the Denver International Beer Competition held last weekend in Colorado. More than 18 professional beer judges conducted blind taste tests on beers received from around the world. More than 180 entries came from across the United States and six foreign countries.
The judges awarded medals in sixteen categories and bestowed Honorable Mentions in seven categories. We won two Honorable Mentions - one for the Ruud Awakening IPA and the other for Uncle Big's Brown ... the same two beers we were serving at the Bellingham Beer Festival!
So, we're pretty stoked about all this acclaim. We're such a little brewery (only 7 barrel system) tucked up in the middle of the North Cascade mountains ... but that's exactly what makes us special. We put our heart into every drop. Plus we have the cleanest water ever to make beer with. Plus our brewer is amazing. And our team is too. So, there you have it! OSB wins again !!!
Then on Sunday, May 1st, we got word that Old Schoolhouse Brewery was honored at the Denver International Beer Competition held last weekend in Colorado. More than 18 professional beer judges conducted blind taste tests on beers received from around the world. More than 180 entries came from across the United States and six foreign countries.
The judges awarded medals in sixteen categories and bestowed Honorable Mentions in seven categories. We won two Honorable Mentions - one for the Ruud Awakening IPA and the other for Uncle Big's Brown ... the same two beers we were serving at the Bellingham Beer Festival!
So, we're pretty stoked about all this acclaim. We're such a little brewery (only 7 barrel system) tucked up in the middle of the North Cascade mountains ... but that's exactly what makes us special. We put our heart into every drop. Plus we have the cleanest water ever to make beer with. Plus our brewer is amazing. And our team is too. So, there you have it! OSB wins again !!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Another awesome review from a beer-drinking fan!
Wow,
I just slugged down a bottle of your amber ale, and when I say slugged, I mean quaffed hastily, not because I was thirsty, but simply it was awesome and I could not help myself.
I had been eating a very garlicky meal and poured this fine beer expecting it to just slake my thirst. Wrong.
I am not sure that complex words can describe the simple pleasure of drinking this.
Well done!!!!
Best regards,
Jacob
I just slugged down a bottle of your amber ale, and when I say slugged, I mean quaffed hastily, not because I was thirsty, but simply it was awesome and I could not help myself.
I had been eating a very garlicky meal and poured this fine beer expecting it to just slake my thirst. Wrong.
I am not sure that complex words can describe the simple pleasure of drinking this.
Well done!!!!
Best regards,
Jacob
Thursday, April 14, 2011
April 2011 Brewers Blog
Welcome to my long awaited blog for April of 2011. The month of April is upon us and I couldn't be happier. I recently sent some samples of our beers to the lab and the results were quite interesting. The Ruud Awakening IPA clocked in at 8% Alcohol By Volume. I had it estimated around 7.5% ABV using my measuring equipment. I made some changes in recent months to my milling procedure and my mash efficiency went up, my yeast remained efficient(like usual) and in turn the ABV went up a little bit. I will have to make a minor adjustment to the amount of malted barley in the recipe in order to keep the Ruud Awakening where it should be(between 6.8% and 7.2%), otherwise it is a Double/Imperial IPA. Since I already have a 9.5+% Imperial IPA I will be getting the Ruud Awakening back where it needs to be. Don't worry, I will not reduce the hops.
Stephanie and I will be taking off saturday morning to begin our 2011 Brew tour. We are planning on hitting up the Firkin Fest @Rogues Green Dragon Bistro on saturday then probably heading over to the coast for a couple days. I will be bringing my steelhead rod along just in case they are running down there.
Enjoy the spring..Cheers-
Blaze The Brewer
Stephanie and I will be taking off saturday morning to begin our 2011 Brew tour. We are planning on hitting up the Firkin Fest @Rogues Green Dragon Bistro on saturday then probably heading over to the coast for a couple days. I will be bringing my steelhead rod along just in case they are running down there.
Enjoy the spring..Cheers-
Blaze The Brewer
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
March Madness
Typically, in March Old Schoolhouse Brewery is closed for three weeks. March is infamously known as one of the slowest months of the year here in the Methow Valley. This year we opted not to close, business has been good but this year our pub has grown into quite the local gathering place. We look forward to seeing our regular customers and new customers every weekend, and in March so many businesses in the valley do close, so where would everyone go...here of course. Well, it was worth it. Friday nights continue to be busy with lots of locals coming in to support our pub and their musician friends. We booked a lot of local acts this month, RT Jr. Band, Rivertown Ramblers, Ben Gilmore and we had our friends Ravinwolf from Ellensburg come and play two nights. I am really looking forward to April lots of things are starting to bloom. We've started to clean our outdoor patio and have begun to hire new employees. Music is looking good for April too, we have a lot of local musicians sprinkled into our line-up. We have newcomer Ben Bruce here on the 8th, he is well known for producing Summer Meltdown music festival in Darrington. Olivia De La Cruz is back from Mexico and will be here on the 22nd, and Vicci Marinez is here on the 30th, if you have to miss a show this month, don't miss these three. You can hear all of these artists if you log on and become a fan of ours on www.reverbnation.com.
See ya in April!
-Stephanie
See ya in April!
-Stephanie
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Craft Brewer's Conference in SF
Here's a big update on our trip to the National Craft Brewer's Conference (CBC) and our epiphany on the plans for Old Schoolhouse Brewery's future.
Last month, Laura and I road-tripped down to SF to enjoy the northern California coast and reconnect with lots of friends along the way. Our other goal was to attend the CBC with its many seminars about the business of making craft beer and to leave there with a solid plan for our future.
Weather-wise, timing was not good. Monsoon rains and winds ravaged the coast and SF most of the time, except in the small town of Mendocino where we stayed three nights in a nice (but haunted) B&B. Several of our friends met us there, stayed in town, and hiked with us. It was great to connect with the close friendships that have gone un-nurtured during the past three years since buying the pub. We also stopped along the way at many established breweries and gawked in awe at their enormous, efficient brew houses. We are so small and hand-crafted compared to these big, automated places. I pulled up my big-boy pants, drank their beers, left them a few of our own, and wondered if any of our beers would actually make it into the mouths of the actual brewer's of these big breweries.
In SF, Laura and I attended at least 15 seminars, some technical and some business-related and took lots of notes. I must say, my energy was off in SF. The city was crazy with people and noise. One night at midnight while reading info from the conference in our 7th floor hotel room in Union Square, I head a loud whack and screaming. I jumped to look out my balcony door to see a woman lying motionless in the road as the car that hit her sped away. With the heavy rains, I couldn't get outside for my usual daily runs which added to my dis-ease with the city.
Up until our trip, I had my mind set that the only cure for the growth issue with our pub was to build a new production brewery about a mile from the pub. At the conference, I never did met any of the 3900 attendees from 1600 breweries across the US that were similar to Old Schoolhouse Brewery. Everyone we talked with had a brewery or brewpub in a largely populated area. Winthrop is so small (about 600-800 people year-round) yet so busy with tourism in the summer, our dilemma is we either don't have enough beer or we have too much (depending on the season).
For many good reasons, I was having to let go of my belief that only a new brewery could solve our dilemma. In SF, I could feel my grip slipping away from my strong-held position to build a production brewery, yet I didn't have an answer to put in its place. Nothing made sense which left me in a pool of frustration. In downtown SF, I felt alone and isolated. After 4 days and nights of listening and trying to hold on to ourselves amidst all the chaos, we left SF.
As we crossed the Bay Bridge, we could both feel a calmness settle back into us. Before we got to Sacramento to meet some close friends, our epiphany landed in our lap. No new production brewery, at least at this time. Instead we will add on to our existing building and add two 15-barrel fermenters that will more than double our current beer capacity. We'll also acquire a space from which we can store, bottle, and ship our beer while also ensuring we have plenty of beer for our ever-growing pub.
When Laura and I listen to the Universe and get clear with what we hear, it seems like everything starts fitting together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. On the way home, we stopped and met with our banker, explained our new plan, and she loved it. When I talked to the builder that was setting up to build our proposed new brewery, he was cool with our revised plan and will be building a new building and leasing us the space we need to store, bottle, and ship our beer.
The Universe is embracing our new path. Laura and I and the OSB team are excited to be moving forward in a way that will allow us each to enjoy our friendships more and live in this incredible peaceful valley that is home to our spirits. If we wanted to be millionaires, we would sell everything, move to the big city, build a huge brewery, and sell millions of barrels of beer. That is not us. Our main goal is simple: Work hard and celebrate our lives with family, friends, and like-minded souls who share this sacred space and time that we are gifted with.
Any comments or ideas about our plans are welcome!
- Casey, 4/2/11
PS: After drinking dozens of beers on our journey, I am more convinced than ever that Blaze's beer can hold its own with the best in this country.
Last month, Laura and I road-tripped down to SF to enjoy the northern California coast and reconnect with lots of friends along the way. Our other goal was to attend the CBC with its many seminars about the business of making craft beer and to leave there with a solid plan for our future.
Weather-wise, timing was not good. Monsoon rains and winds ravaged the coast and SF most of the time, except in the small town of Mendocino where we stayed three nights in a nice (but haunted) B&B. Several of our friends met us there, stayed in town, and hiked with us. It was great to connect with the close friendships that have gone un-nurtured during the past three years since buying the pub. We also stopped along the way at many established breweries and gawked in awe at their enormous, efficient brew houses. We are so small and hand-crafted compared to these big, automated places. I pulled up my big-boy pants, drank their beers, left them a few of our own, and wondered if any of our beers would actually make it into the mouths of the actual brewer's of these big breweries.
In SF, Laura and I attended at least 15 seminars, some technical and some business-related and took lots of notes. I must say, my energy was off in SF. The city was crazy with people and noise. One night at midnight while reading info from the conference in our 7th floor hotel room in Union Square, I head a loud whack and screaming. I jumped to look out my balcony door to see a woman lying motionless in the road as the car that hit her sped away. With the heavy rains, I couldn't get outside for my usual daily runs which added to my dis-ease with the city.
Up until our trip, I had my mind set that the only cure for the growth issue with our pub was to build a new production brewery about a mile from the pub. At the conference, I never did met any of the 3900 attendees from 1600 breweries across the US that were similar to Old Schoolhouse Brewery. Everyone we talked with had a brewery or brewpub in a largely populated area. Winthrop is so small (about 600-800 people year-round) yet so busy with tourism in the summer, our dilemma is we either don't have enough beer or we have too much (depending on the season).
For many good reasons, I was having to let go of my belief that only a new brewery could solve our dilemma. In SF, I could feel my grip slipping away from my strong-held position to build a production brewery, yet I didn't have an answer to put in its place. Nothing made sense which left me in a pool of frustration. In downtown SF, I felt alone and isolated. After 4 days and nights of listening and trying to hold on to ourselves amidst all the chaos, we left SF.
As we crossed the Bay Bridge, we could both feel a calmness settle back into us. Before we got to Sacramento to meet some close friends, our epiphany landed in our lap. No new production brewery, at least at this time. Instead we will add on to our existing building and add two 15-barrel fermenters that will more than double our current beer capacity. We'll also acquire a space from which we can store, bottle, and ship our beer while also ensuring we have plenty of beer for our ever-growing pub.
When Laura and I listen to the Universe and get clear with what we hear, it seems like everything starts fitting together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. On the way home, we stopped and met with our banker, explained our new plan, and she loved it. When I talked to the builder that was setting up to build our proposed new brewery, he was cool with our revised plan and will be building a new building and leasing us the space we need to store, bottle, and ship our beer.
The Universe is embracing our new path. Laura and I and the OSB team are excited to be moving forward in a way that will allow us each to enjoy our friendships more and live in this incredible peaceful valley that is home to our spirits. If we wanted to be millionaires, we would sell everything, move to the big city, build a huge brewery, and sell millions of barrels of beer. That is not us. Our main goal is simple: Work hard and celebrate our lives with family, friends, and like-minded souls who share this sacred space and time that we are gifted with.
Any comments or ideas about our plans are welcome!
- Casey, 4/2/11
PS: After drinking dozens of beers on our journey, I am more convinced than ever that Blaze's beer can hold its own with the best in this country.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Brewers Blog March 2011
Temperatures are on the rise and it looks like spring may be on the way. The brew is going quite well, the 2011 Barleywine is taking form and a new batch of Imperial Stout is coming along nicely. A new batch of Ruud Awakening is a-brewin and I am looking forward to trying some of the new Falconers Flight Hop Blend, which is a special blend of choice IPA hops(simcoe, amarillo, citra, sorachi ace, and more). Been out on the river steelheading with my younger brother Evan, with the warmer temps we have been doing quite well. I am very excited to hit up some of my favorite breweries during the upcoming brewery circuit me and steph are doing in April. Last year we had a blast and drank tons of quality beer. Our top beers last year came from Rogue, Deschutes, Ninkasi, and Pelican. We will definetely be hitting all these breweries again and hoping to find some good ones we missed on our last trip. Had a couple of stand out brews this month, Deschutes Jubel 2010 and Full Sail Black Gold. Cheers-
Blaze the Brewer
Blaze the Brewer
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