PROFILES IN BREWING By Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing" David Pierce - Bluegrass Brewing Company - Louisville, Kentucky David Pierce was only ten years old when he brewed his first beer. Well, actually he watched his father brew a batch of homebrew on the kitchen stove. That was 1980. Years later, he rekindled Dad's interest in homebrewing as a father-son project. And now David brews professionally. Hobby morphed to livelihood in 1992 when David applied for the brewer's position at The Silo, an as-yet-unopened Louisville, Kentucky brewpub. He joined the fledgling company in the early stages, designing and later installing the DME-manufactured brewhouse. The brewery opened in November 1993. Eileen Martin (profiled in the September edition of the Buzz) served as David's assistant. Just before the short-lived Silo brewpub folded, David moved to another company, Bluegrass Brewing Company. The popular Louisville brewpub became one of the highest volume brewpubs in the South, producing 2,500 barrels in 2000 by keeping seven to nine beers on tap all the time. Looking to expand distribution beyond their own walls, the BBC brewpub contract brewed beer at local microbrewery Pipkin Brewing Company for local distribution in kegs and bottles. When Pipkin succumbed to financial straits, BBC purchased the brewery, greatly enhancing the company's capacity with a 30-barrel brewhouse. Today, the Bluegrass Brewing Company operates two facilities: the downtown brewpub, headed by brewer Don Russell, and the BBC microbrewery, run by head brewer David Pierce who moved over to take control of the former-Pipkin operation. The company has 60 Louisville-area draft accounts more tap handles than Samuel Adams and broad distribution of bottled product. David's bottled beers include Altbier, a German amber ale which won a 1996 GABF bronze medal; American Pale Ale, a mild, moderately hopped ale; Snowy Mountain, an admitted Sierra Nevada Cascade hops knock-off; Dark Star Porter, a pleasant porter named in honor of the 1953 Kentucky Derby Winner; Hell For Certain, a spicy Belgian-style ale fermented with LaChouffe yeast and named for an old eastern Kentucky coal mining town; and Bearded Pat's Barley Wine, the brewery's most awarded beer. On tap at the brewpub and other local pubs, you'll find kegged versions of the beers above as well as draft-only beers like Nut Brown Ale, Luna de Miel Raspberry Meade (a honey wine) and a seasonal selection that includes Kolsch, Festbier and India Pale Ale. The micro Bluegrass Brewing is running at about 2,000 barrels per year, with plenty of room in the 14,000 square foot structure to grow. (With micro help, the brewpub has slowed down to about 1,400 barrels annually). Distributed throughout Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and, of course, Kentucky, the micro has also provided beer for three beer-of-the-month club shipments. So, David, after all these years in the beer biz, are you getting bored? Not hardly! Two to three times each year, the busy brewer finds an excuse to visit Belgium, to sample more of their exquisite, traditional ales, of which he particularly enjoys the Sour Brown, Sour Red and Trappist styles. So versed is he in the small world of Belgian beers that, in March 2003, David will lead a beer-lovers tour of Belgian breweries and bars on a drinking tour, as he calls it. Enthusiasm, passion and excitement - those terms best describe David Pierce when it comes to beer, both drinking and brewing. Bluegrass Brewing Company is his workshop. Belgium is his playground. The sky is his limit. Brewpub: 3929 Shelbyville Road, Louisville KY 40207-3120 (502) 899-7070, Fax (502) 899-7051 Brewery: 636 E. Main Street, Louisville KY 40202-1004 Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/ ===================================================================== Until November, cheers The Beer South Brew Crew |
CALENDAR 10/25 - 8th Charleston International Beer Festival - Mt. Pleasant SC 11/8-10 - 4th Orlando Beer Festival - Orlando FL 11/9 - The International Beer Festival - Miami FL (954) 303-7879 12/7 - Holiday Craft Beer Festival - Durham NC (919) 484-1128 1/31-2/2 - 1st Miami Beach International World of Beer Festival - Miami Beach FL |
RESOURCES Perhaps you are at a social event and the guys and gals next to you are discussing brews from around the world. Many are unfamiliar to you. It's Belgian this and Scottish that! You take a few quick mental notes to find out more. But where to turn? Here are a some sites we like for their depth and descriptive detail of beer. Alcohol Reviews: http://www.alcoholreviews.com/BEERS/index.shtml Beer Advocate: http://www.beeradvocate.com/ Beer Pal: http://www.beerpal.com Beverages & More: http://www.bevmo.com Rate Beer: http://www.ratebeer.com and, lest we forget the master, The Beer Hunter: http://www.beerhunter.com/beerreviews.html |
NEWS Here's a list of the Southern winners in this year's GABF: Category: 5 Herb and Spice Beer - 35 Entries Bronze : Lemongrass Wheat, Outer Banks Brewing Co. - Kill Devil Hills, NC Category: 8 Rye Beer - 14 Entries Bronze : Catcher in the Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery - Arlington, VA Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer - 20 Entries Gold : Star Spangled Ale, Hops Restaurant, Bar and Brewery - Tampa, FL Bronze : Ray's Honey Rye, Boscos Brewing Company - Memphis, TN Category: 13 German-Style Pilsener - 35 Entries Gold : Hops Pilsener, Hops Restaurant, Bar and Brewery - Tampa, FL Category: 22 American-Style Amber Lager - 34 Entries Silver : Wilhelm Sebald's Oktoberfest Bier, Spanish Springs Brewing - The Villages, FL Category: 29 Golden or Blonde Ale - 47 Entries Silver : Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale, Sweetwater Brewing Company - Atlanta, GA Category: 33 American-Style Pale Ale - 93 Entries Gold : Rye Pale Ale, Terrapin Beer Company - Athens, GA Category: 37 (Extra Special) Strong Bitter - 46 Entries Bronze : Sweetwater Tavern Pale Ale, Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery - Centreville, VA Category: 46 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale - 33 Entries Gold : Double 02 Bear, Big Bear Brewing Company - Coral Springs, FL Category: 49 Brown Porter - 33 Entries Gold : Sweetwater Exodus Porter, Sweetwater Brewing Company - Atlanta, GA Category: 56 Strong Scotch Ale - 18 Entries Bronze : Wee Heavy Ale, Capitol City Brewing Company - Arlington, VA Small Brewing Company of the Year: Sweetwater Brewing Company Small Brewing Company Brewmaster of the Year: Kevin McNerney Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse Delisted Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse, Inc. (BBUC: Nasdaq), was delisted from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market as of the open of business on October 7, 2002. The Nasdaq Listings Qualification Panel was unwilling to grant an exception to the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing set forth in Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(4). The stock now trades on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol BBUC.OB. Beer South has kept tabs on this Michigan-based restaurant & brewery chain due to its announcement to locate its fifth unit in Nashville's Opry Mills shopping district. However, such plans appear to have gone stale. 2002 Canadian Malting Barley Crop Among The Worst In Decades Significant developments in world malting barley markets have pushed global prices higher in recent weeks. Coupled with significant crop losses in Western Canada, lower than expected malting barley output in the European Union and ongoing drought and now frost in Australia have changed the market dynamics and are pushing bulk offshore prices higher. Canadian news sources are estimating that this year's Canadian grain crops will suffer dramatically from the prolonged drought that has hit the Canadian Prairie Provinces. Saskatchewan & Alberta have reported substantial reductions in both the yield and the quality of grain throughout the region, including malting barley. Source: Siebel Institute 2002 Hop Crop Positive The weather woes of the international barley crops have not conspired to dramatically affect the quality or value of the 2002 hop crop. Said Ralph Olsen, General Manager of Hop Union, among the Yakima aroma hops "the yields were pretty much average for this year and in fact a little down for some varieties. Mr. Olsen goes on to report, "As for the market place, the U.S. industry still has an abundance of high alpha or bitter hops which are having difficulty finding a profitable market if any market at all. The hop crop in other countries in the northern hemisphere is now well under way. Germany appears to have a very nice crop with good yields and alphas. England is struggling a little more but also will have a good average crop. It appears some of the Eastern countries like the Czech Republic, Poland and the like are having some problems with alpha content being below normal. During the recent flooding in the Czech area, some hop fields were affected. While overall damage to the fields was minimal, it still has an affect on the total crop in that area." Source: Siebel Institute |
The material presented on this site is based on information believed to be correct, but is subject to change at anytime. If you have an update, correction, suggestion or any other contribution, please send it to us at: beersouth@mindspring.com. We welcome your input. (c) 1999 - 2002 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved. |
The material presented on this site is based on information believed to be correct, but is subject to change at anytime. If you have an update, correction, suggestion or any other contribution, please send it to us at: beersouth@mindspring.com. We welcome your input. (c) 1999 - 2002 by Beer South. All Rights Reserved. |
October 2002 Buzz |
Greetings, Congratulations to all the medal recipients in this year's Great American Beer Festival. By all accounts, the event was again the place to see and be seen. While awards are indeed nice, the vast majority of (Southern) brewers do not enter the competition, and thus no national recognition of their products can be bestowed. Fortunately, no brewery needs an award to make great beer, and many, many brewers put out top notch brews all across the South and the country. So, kudos to those who competed, and to those who didn't. What matters is the beer - and that's where we all get to be the judge. ...The Beer Bwana |
NEWS Here's a list of the Southern winners in this year's GABF: Category: 5 Herb and Spice Beer - 35 Entries Bronze : Lemongrass Wheat, Outer Banks Brewing Co. - Kill Devil Hills, NC Category: 8 Rye Beer - 14 Entries Bronze : Catcher in the Rye, Rock Bottom Brewery - Arlington, VA Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer - 20 Entries Gold : Star Spangled Ale, Hops Restaurant, Bar and Brewery - Tampa, FL Bronze : Ray's Honey Rye, Boscos Brewing Company - Memphis, TN Category: 13 German-Style Pilsener - 35 Entries Gold : Hops Pilsener, Hops Restaurant, Bar and Brewery - Tampa, FL Category: 22 American-Style Amber Lager - 34 Entries Silver : Wilhelm Sebald's Oktoberfest Bier, Spanish Springs Brewing - The Villages, FL Category: 29 Golden or Blonde Ale - 47 Entries Silver : Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale, Sweetwater Brewing Company - Atlanta, GA Category: 33 American-Style Pale Ale - 93 Entries Gold : Rye Pale Ale, Terrapin Beer Company - Athens, GA Category: 37 (Extra Special) Strong Bitter - 46 Entries Bronze : Sweetwater Tavern Pale Ale, Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery - Centreville, VA Category: 46 Belgian-Style Abbey Ale - 33 Entries Gold : Double 02 Bear, Big Bear Brewing Company - Coral Springs, FL Category: 49 Brown Porter - 33 Entries Gold : Sweetwater Exodus Porter, Sweetwater Brewing Company - Atlanta, GA Category: 56 Strong Scotch Ale - 18 Entries Bronze : Wee Heavy Ale, Capitol City Brewing Company - Arlington, VA Small Brewing Company of the Year: Sweetwater Brewing Company Small Brewing Company Brewmaster of the Year: Kevin McNerney Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse Delisted Big Buck Brewery & Steakhouse, Inc. (BBUC: Nasdaq), was delisted from the Nasdaq SmallCap Market as of the open of business on October 7, 2002. The Nasdaq Listings Qualification Panel was unwilling to grant an exception to the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement for continued listing set forth in Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(4). The stock now trades on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol BBUC.OB. Beer South has kept tabs on this Michigan-based restaurant & brewery chain due to its announcement to locate its fifth unit in Nashville's Opry Mills shopping district. However, such plans appear to have gone stale. 2002 Canadian Malting Barley Crop Among The Worst In Decades Significant developments in world malting barley markets have pushed global prices higher in recent weeks. Coupled with significant crop losses in Western Canada, lower than expected malting barley output in the European Union and ongoing drought and now frost in Australia have changed the market dynamics and are pushing bulk offshore prices higher. Canadian news sources are estimating that this year's Canadian grain crops will suffer dramatically from the prolonged drought that has hit the Canadian Prairie Provinces. Saskatchewan & Alberta have reported substantial reductions in both the yield and the quality of grain throughout the region, including malting barley. Source: Siebel Institute 2002 Hop Crop Positive The weather woes of the international barley crops have not conspired to dramatically affect the quality or value of the 2002 hop crop. Said Ralph Olsen, General Manager of Hop Union, among the Yakima aroma hops "the yields were pretty much average for this year and in fact a little down for some varieties. Mr. Olsen goes on to report, "As for the market place, the U.S. industry still has an abundance of high alpha or bitter hops which are having difficulty finding a profitable market if any market at all. The hop crop in other countries in the northern hemisphere is now well under way. Germany appears to have a very nice crop with good yields and alphas. England is struggling a little more but also will have a good average crop. It appears some of the Eastern countries like the Czech Republic, Poland and the like are having some problems with alpha content being below normal. During the recent flooding in the Czech area, some hop fields were affected. While overall damage to the fields was minimal, it still has an affect on the total crop in that area." Source: Siebel Institute |
BREWING CHANGES Closings FL / Panama City - Panama City Brewery (BP) |
RESOURCES Perhaps you are at a social event and the guys and gals next to you are discussing brews from around the world. Many are unfamiliar to you. It's Belgian this and Scottish that! You take a few quick mental notes to find out more. But where to turn? Here are a some sites we like for their depth and descriptive detail of beer. Alcohol Reviews: http://www.alcoholreviews.com/BEERS/index.shtml Beer Advocate: http://www.beeradvocate.com/ Beer Pal: http://www.beerpal.com Beverages & More: http://www.bevmo.com Rate Beer: http://www.ratebeer.com and, lest we forget the master, The Beer Hunter: http://www.beerhunter.com/beerreviews.html |
CALENDAR 10/25 - 8th Charleston International Beer Festival - Mt. Pleasant SC 11/8-10 - 4th Orlando Beer Festival - Orlando FL 11/9 - The International Beer Festival - Miami FL (954) 303-7879 12/7 - Holiday Craft Beer Festival - Durham NC (919) 484-1128 1/31-2/2 - 1st Miami Beach International World of Beer Festival - Miami Beach FL |
PROFILES IN BREWING By Bobby Bush, author of "Beer & Loafing" David Pierce - Bluegrass Brewing Company - Louisville, Kentucky David Pierce was only ten years old when he brewed his first beer. Well, actually he watched his father brew a batch of homebrew on the kitchen stove. That was 1980. Years later, he rekindled Dad's interest in homebrewing as a father-son project. And now David brews professionally. Hobby morphed to livelihood in 1992 when David applied for the brewer's position at The Silo, an as-yet-unopened Louisville, Kentucky brewpub. He joined the fledgling company in the early stages, designing and later installing the DME-manufactured brewhouse. The brewery opened in November 1993. Eileen Martin (profiled in the September edition of the Buzz) served as David's assistant. Just before the short-lived Silo brewpub folded, David moved to another company, Bluegrass Brewing Company. The popular Louisville brewpub became one of the highest volume brewpubs in the South, producing 2,500 barrels in 2000 by keeping seven to nine beers on tap all the time. Looking to expand distribution beyond their own walls, the BBC brewpub contract brewed beer at local microbrewery Pipkin Brewing Company for local distribution in kegs and bottles. When Pipkin succumbed to financial straits, BBC purchased the brewery, greatly enhancing the company's capacity with a 30-barrel brewhouse. Today, the Bluegrass Brewing Company operates two facilities: the downtown brewpub, headed by brewer Don Russell, and the BBC microbrewery, run by head brewer David Pierce who moved over to take control of the former-Pipkin operation. The company has 60 Louisville-area draft accounts more tap handles than Samuel Adams and broad distribution of bottled product. David's bottled beers include Altbier, a German amber ale which won a 1996 GABF bronze medal; American Pale Ale, a mild, moderately hopped ale; Snowy Mountain, an admitted Sierra Nevada Cascade hops knock-off; Dark Star Porter, a pleasant porter named in honor of the 1953 Kentucky Derby Winner; Hell For Certain, a spicy Belgian-style ale fermented with LaChouffe yeast and named for an old eastern Kentucky coal mining town; and Bearded Pat's Barley Wine, the brewery's most awarded beer. On tap at the brewpub and other local pubs, you'll find kegged versions of the beers above as well as draft-only beers like Nut Brown Ale, Luna de Miel Raspberry Meade (a honey wine) and a seasonal selection that includes Kolsch, Festbier and India Pale Ale. The micro Bluegrass Brewing is running at about 2,000 barrels per year, with plenty of room in the 14,000 square foot structure to grow. (With micro help, the brewpub has slowed down to about 1,400 barrels annually). Distributed throughout Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and, of course, Kentucky, the micro has also provided beer for three beer-of-the-month club shipments. So, David, after all these years in the beer biz, are you getting bored? Not hardly! Two to three times each year, the busy brewer finds an excuse to visit Belgium, to sample more of their exquisite, traditional ales, of which he particularly enjoys the Sour Brown, Sour Red and Trappist styles. So versed is he in the small world of Belgian beers that, in March 2003, David will lead a beer-lovers tour of Belgian breweries and bars on a drinking tour, as he calls it. Enthusiasm, passion and excitement - those terms best describe David Pierce when it comes to beer, both drinking and brewing. Bluegrass Brewing Company is his workshop. Belgium is his playground. The sky is his limit. Brewpub: 3929 Shelbyville Road, Louisville KY 40207-3120 (502) 899-7070, Fax (502) 899-7051 Brewery: 636 E. Main Street, Louisville KY 40202-1004 Read more by nationally recognized beer writer Bobby Bush at: http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/bush-b/ ===================================================================== Until November, cheers The Beer South Brew Crew |
