DENVER INC.: Distiller in dash for mash after brewer's departure

Jane Hoback & Gil Rudawsky

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Craft beer enthusiasts that we are, we were saddened by the news that Flying Dog Brewery is shuttering its Denver brewery next month and shifting all of its beer-making operations to a facility it owns in Maryland. The edgy brewer's corporate headquarters will stay in the Mile High City.

Flying Dog's exit got us to wondering about what's going to happen to Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. The maker of super premium whiskey is located a stone's throw from Flying Dog's brewery here and relies on the beer maker for its "mash," a mixture of hot water and crushed grain that is an early step in the production of beer.

Thanks to a network of pipes connecting the brewery and the distillery, the filtered mash water, or "distiller's wash," is sent from a fermentation tank at Flying Dog to the custom-made copper pot still at Stranahan's. It then goes into the whiskey-making process.

Stranahan's owner Jess Graber said Flying Dog's departure is "going to have some impact on us."

But he fully expects to stay in business: "We're still going to be making Colorado's best whiskey after my lifetime."

Graber plans to shop around for another beer maker to supply him with mash - he needs about 3,000 gallons a week of the stuff.

"We're going to have to secure another brewer that can produce the mash at the same quality and the same quantity," Graber said.

He has a big plus going for him: Colorado is the nation's top beer-producing state. It's not only home to Coors and a big Anheuser-Busch plant in Fort Collins but also to more than 90 craft brewers that operate in Colorado.

All the best to Graber in his search. He makes a fine whiskey.

Makeover helps family

Here's a story with all the elements to warm the heart: A young girl with a rare disease, her courageous but beleaguered family, generous businesses and residents who stepped forward to offer aid - even a popular television show.

Ten-year-old Kayla Woodhouse, of Colorado Springs, has Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy type II, a rare genetic disorder that affects the nerves in the lower arms and hands and lower legs and feet. A significant symptom of this intensely degenerative and progressive disease is the body's inability to regulate its own temperature and the sensation of pain.

You can imagine the consequences.

Faced with $500,000 in medical bills from an extensive surgery for Kayla, her parents, Jeremy and Kim, were forced to sell the family's home last year. Jeremy is an assistant pastor with a local congregation, and Kim stays home to care for Kayla and the couple's 12-year old son, Joshua. Kim also home-schools the kids.

Enter Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC's television show that builds and furnishes a new house for a family in need with the help of local businesses and residents.

Crews work 24 hours a day to complete the project in about a week.

Builder Premier Homes built the house, which contains a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system that helps Kayla maintain a constant body temperature.

A bunch of local businesses not only donated food and goods to the project and workers but also offered to provide services and products to help sustain the family long-term.

The University of Colorado will provide full-ride scholarships for the kids when they reach college age.

Comcast provided technical services for entertainment and recreation in the house. The family can rarely leave home because Kayla requires a constant controlled environment.

And Denver's own Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers are stocking the kitchen for a year with all-natural and organic groceries and supplements that Kayla's doctors have recommended for her. Vitamin Cottage also assigned a special nutritional coach and dietitian to help Kayla's family with their special dietary needs.

The retailer will follow the family's progress during the coming year on its Web site, vitamincottage.com.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tentatively plans to air its program about the Woodhouses on Jan. 13.

Boarders gain ground

And then there were three.

Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico became the latest ski area to forgo its rules banning snowboarders.

"At the end of the day, it's not important how our visitors get down the mountain, as long as we can all enjoy this special place," said Adriana Blake, Taos Ski Valley marketing manager - and granddaughter of the family that owns the area.

The catch?

You have to wait until March 19.

After that, just Deer Valley Mad River and Alta remain as skier-only mountains.

Assistant Business Editor Jane Hoback and Deputy Business Editor Gil Rudawsky can be reached at business@RockyMountainNews.com