Category: Ground Breaker Brewing

Fall is Time for the Great Pumpkin (Beer) to Appear

10/5/2015

Oakshire brewmaster Matt Van Wyk carefully weighs all of the spices that go into his batches of Big Black Jack Imperial Pumpkin Porter. The recipe for the popular seasonal brew has remained the same since he started making it. Photos by Kris McDowell

By Kris McDowell
For the Oregon Beer Growler

Love 'em or hate 'em, pumpkin beers are a fall staple that vary widely from pale, sessionable offerings to heavy, hearty brews. One of the best in Oregon falls in the latter camp and comes from 9-year-old Oakshire Brewing in Eugene. Big Black Jack Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter gets a rating of 94 out of 100 on RateBeer, so while it might not be everyone's cup of tea there are plenty of people that enjoy the boldly flavored beer.

Oakshire's head brewer, Matt Van Wyk, brought the recipe for Big Black Jack with him when he started there six years ago. The first small batch was brewed the following year and started out as many specialty beers do — being a keg-only offering. Beer drinkers took to it quickly, however, and within a couple of years Oakshire began selling it in 22-ounce bottles as well.

The recipe has basically remained the same since Matt started making it, with only minor malt changes based on availability. He describes it as a hands-on beer due to the spices — nutmeg, dried ginger, whole cloves and cinnamon chips — that go into every batch. Similar in variety and amount to a premixed pumpkin pie spice blend, Matt's hand weighing ensures the beer comes out just the way he intended. After weighing, the spices are put into mesh bags, the equivalent of gigantic tea bags, which are then placed into buckets marked with the time each will be added to the boil. Just as "mise en place" allows a chef's process to flow smoothly, having the "tea bags" ready allows the Oakshire brewers a smoother brew day. Most brew days, the team is juggling three batches, transferring them from tank to tank, one after another. A delay with one batch could throw off the entire brew day. And even when Matt isn't leading the brewing, his process helps grease the wheels for the making of Big Black Jack.

In addition to the spices, each batch of beer gets solid dose of 70 percent dark chocolate and cacao nibs — 10 pounds of each. Unlike spices that might float to the top, these ingredients risk falling to the bottom and scorching the brew kettle. To avoid that problem, hot wort is poured over the chocolate and nibs in a separate bucket to create a sauce of sorts that’s then added to the boil. Lucky for the brewing staff, there’s always plenty of wort-chocolate to spare and Matt traditionally treats everyone to sundaes by bringing in ice cream the days the beer is brewed.

Pumpkin brews are often a point of contention for beer lovers because they tend to hit the shelves and taps before the pumpkins could realistically be harvested most years. But Oakshire plans ahead while using pumpkins from Stahlbush Island Farms in Corvallis. The team roasts, purees and freezes pumpkin every year, so the puree used in this year's batch of Big Black Jack actually came from last year's pumpkins. It's a method that eliminates the unpredictability of the growing season and allows the beer to be brewed in August, well before any local pumpkins could be harvested and processed, with the finished product reaching craft beer drinkers' lips in early September.

Being a spiced beer, Big Black Jack is one that is best when it’s fresh in order to experience the full spice profile. But the fact that it's also an imperial porter, coming in at 7.5 percent ABV, the beer can hold up to a bit of aging. Its flavor will change after a couple months, with the spice notes retreating, allowing the chocolate and roasty characteristics to become more assertive.

Knowing his beer was suitable for aging, Matt went one step further last year and aged part of the supply in two Heaven Hill bourbon whiskey barrels. A recent sampling confirmed that as it has aged, the spice notes have mellowed out — almost to the point of being absent. In their place is a rich, wood flavor from the barrels that complements the imperial porter. Fans of barrel-aged beers will likely have to visit Oakshire's Public House in Eugene for a sample, although it's possible that a keg or two may escape and surface at a special event in the Portland area.

Big Black Jack joins a host of other pumpkin beers from Oregon breweries with fall availability.

Oakshire’s Big Black Jack Imperial Pumpkin Porter is made using pumpkins from Stahlbush Island Farms in Corvallis. The squashes are actually roasted, pureed and then frozen the year before in order to eliminate the unpredictability of the growing season. The method also allows the beer to be brewed in August.

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OREGON TAKES HOME 22 MEDALS AT 2014 GABF

11/3/2014

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Oregon breweries in October claimed a total of 22 medals at the Great American Beer Festival, according to reports from the Brewers Association, which organizes the event in Denver each year.

Oregon Breweries brought home seven gold medals, eight silver medals and seven bronzes. As was the case last year, rural Oregon breweries won more medals than Portland metro brewers, who won seven medals. Breweries from Central Oregon won five medals, Eastern Oregon won four, coastal breweries won four, Columbia Gorge area breweries won one, as did Southern Oregon. About half of Oregon’s breweries are in the Portland area.

Winners were selected by an international panel of 222 beer experts from a field of 5,507 entries received from 1,309 U.S. breweries. For complete information, visit http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/the-competition/winners.

Of interest, Brian Butenschoen of the Oregon Brewers Guild noted:

·      Four breweries tied for most medals at the GABF, with three medals each. Two of these breweries were from Oregon: 10 Barrel Brewing Company and Barley Brown's Brew Pub.

·      The gold medal winner in the most-entered category for the second year in a row in the American-Style India Pale Ale category with 279 entries went to Breakside Brewery.

·      It was the second year for the Fresh or Wet Hop Ale category and for the second year in a row the gold medal went to an Oregon brewery. This year it went to Barley Brown's Brewpub for Fresh Hop Pallet Jack IPA, which won the bronze medal in this category in 2013.

Also of note:

Carrying the south coast brewing banner was Arch Rock of Gold Beach, which celebrated its one-year anniversary this year with a prized GABF gold medal. James Smith is Arch Rock’s brewer. Earlier this year, tiny Chetco Brewery, a few miles south of Arch Rock in Brookings, earned a World Beer Cup gold medal as it celebrated its first-year anniversary. Apparently, south coast breweries know how to hit the ground running.

And the north coast is no slouch: Open less than a year, Astoria’s Buoy Beer Co. won silver for its Dunkel.

After name-changing trials at the beginning of the year, Ground Breaker Brewing of Portland took home the gold medal for gluten-free beer.

“Dark Ale was the first beer to feature a new recipe including roasted lentils in place of oats,” said James Neumeister of Ground Breaker.

Following, in order of gold, silver and bronze, are Oregon’s 2014 medal winners at this year’s GABF.

2014 GABF Medal Winners Made by Oregon Breweries:

GOLD
Field Beer - Cucumber Crush, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend

Fresh or Wet Hop Ale - Fresh Hop Pallet Jack IPA, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City

Indigenous/Regional Beer - Salmonberry Sour, Bend Brewing Co., Bend

Gluten-Free Beer - Dark Ale, Ground Breaker Brewing, Portland

Kellerbier or Zwickelbier - Gold Beach Lager, Arch Rock Brewing Co., Gold Beach

International-Style Pale Ale - Hand Truck Pale Ale, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City

American-Style India Pale Ale - Breakside IPA, Breakside Brewery, Milwaukie

SILVER
American-Style Wheat Beer With Yeast - Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Brewing Co., Portland

German-Style Wheat Ale - Weizenbock, 13 Virtues Brewing Co., Portland

American-Style Sour Ale - Myrtle, The Commons Brewery, Portland

American-Style Brett Beer - Peche ‘n Brett, Logsdon Organic Farm Brewery, Hood River

European-Style Dunkel -- Buoy Dunkel, Buoy Beer Co., Astoria

German-Style Kölsch - I’d Like to Buy the World a Kolsch, Old Town Brewing Co., Portland

Classic English-Style Pale Ale -- Caldera Ashland Amber, Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland

American-Style Stout -- Disorder, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City

BRONZE
American-Style Strong Pale Ale -- Breakside Wanderlust IPA, Breakside Brewery, Milwaukie

American-Style Wheat Beer - Amber Waves, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend

Belgian-Style Fruit Beer -- Poire du Pélican, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pacific City

Indigenous/Regional Beer - Sage Fight IPA, Deschutes Brewery, Bend

English-Style Summer Ale - Surfer’s Summer Ale, Pelican Brewing Co., Tillamook

American-Style Black Ale - Turmoil, Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City

American-Style Stout - P2P, 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend

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Fall is Time for the Great Pumpkin (Beer) to Appear

OREGON TAKES HOME 22 MEDALS AT 2014 GABF

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