DEDRICK: Brewery, distillery joined at the barrel

By Jay Dedrick, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 5, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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When Flying Dog Brewing packed up shop to shift its production from Denver to Maryland, Colorado beer fans may have lost a sense of connection to a beloved family of brews. But the beers remain widely available here, so it's a bittersweet change.

Consider, however, the plight of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. The loss of Flying Dog's nearby brewing facility in LoDo meant the distiller was being deprived of a crucial ingredient, the wash used to produce the all-malt whiskey.

Turns out the closing of one door by Flying Dog just opened another door for a different Colorado brewer.

"I called (Stranahan's) as soon as I heard Flying Dog was leaving and a new wash-maker was going to be needed," says Marty Jones, marketing director of Lyons-based Oskar Blues. And now the first craft brewer to can its own beer has partnered with the maker of the whiskey in the fancy bottle.

"We invented this model - hiring a brewery to ferment our barley," says Jake Norris, head distiller at Stranahan's. "When people hear we use wash, they assume we're using old beer. We're not. We hired a brewery because they are fermentation experts. And we use only the highest-quality grains. It's like using Kobe beef to make a hamburger."

Jones says Oskar Blues will provide 100 barrels, or about 3,000 gallons, of wash each week. That gets distilled down to about 300 gallons before beginning aging for at least two years in oak barrels.

But the beer-whiskey connection doesn't stop there. Once the whiskey is bottled, the empty barrels are sought after by brewers - just about every craft brewer in the state, including Oskar Blues - to help create barrel-aged beers. The barrels impart sweet, smoky, woodsy notes to specialty brews.

The relationship with Stranahan's isn't the only thing Oskar Blues boss Dale Katechis is excited about. 5280 magazine recently named Dale's Pale Ale "Top Colorado Export," while Old Chub Scottish Style Ale enjoyed time in the spotlight when a contestant on The Next Food Network Star chose the brew for a gourmet version of beer-can chicken.

* What is it with August and beer events? This month's calendar is overflowing with sudsy get-togethers. And not a moment too soon, what with the recent record-breaking heat making a frosty beverage indispensable.

It's true that the Flying Dog folks brew Old Scratch, Tire Bite and the rest of the barking brood back East now. But several staffers still work here in town. One of them, Mike Freeman, worked as brewery manager until his health put on the brakes; he recently was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.

Freeman is undergoing treatment, and to help offset medical expenses and make up for lost income, his friends, family and colleagues are hosting a fundraiser - they're calling it a "brainefit" - starting at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 in the old Flying Dog warehouse, 2401 Blake St., behind the Blake Street Tavern. There'll be live music from six local bands - Freeman had fronted Gina Go Faster and Start Tomorrow - a raffle, food and beer from Flying Dog (of course), Breckenridge Brewery and Great Divide Brewing. You get it all for a $20 cover at the door.

For more info on Freeman and the event, go to mikesupport.com.

* Another good cause: Community Food Share of Boulder County will benefit from a fundraiser also on Aug. 23, Boulder Beer's Goatshed Revival. The event dates back to 1979, when the state's first modern microbrewery opened. Homebrewer Kjell Wygant's contest-winning saison-style ale will be on tap, with Boulder Beer's stable of brews. Beer and music flow from noon to 7 p.m. For details, go to boulderbeer.com.

If you can't wait till the 23rd, the Pub at Boulder Beer Co. taps its first kegs of this year's batch of Cold Hop on Thursday. Starting at 4 p.m., enjoy discounted pints and pitchers of the British-style ale, another member of Boulder's great Looking Glass series of specialty beers.

* I won't soon forget the lines at the Russian River Brewing Co.'s booth at last year's Great American Beer Festival at the Colorado Convention Center. The Santa Rosa, Calif., brewer crafts some of the biggest, most complex beers in the West, and bottles are finally getting outside the state. Only three markets are getting them to start with: Portland, Seattle and Denver.

It should be no surprise that our own draft beer mecca, the Falling Rock Tap House, is hosting the launch. At 7 p.m. Aug. 19, the tavern hosts a Russian River beer dinner with brewery co-owner Natalie Cilurzo, who'll be pouring Blind Pig IPA, Pliny the Elder, Damnation and more. Tickets for the five-course meal are $60 at the Falling Rock before 7 p.m. Monday, $75 after.

If you can't make the dinner, head to the tap house the next day, Aug. 20. Starting at 5 p.m., Cilurzo will be on hand to launch Russian River in Colorado, with Falling Rock adding those three beers to their lineup.

* Democratic National Convention tie-in of the month: Great Divide's Liberally Hopped Pale Ale. Watch for it on tap in local bars.

What's On Tap appears the first Wednesday of the month. dedrickj@RockyMountainNews.com

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