This is the 2015 version (and the 8th installment) of our Year End tradition, a look back at all of the places we've visited over the course of a sudsy / boozy year.
2015 was a coast to coast extravaganza, featuring stops from Maine to Northern California, with Texas, Montana, Colorado, New York Missouri and more in between.
Also, (no big deal here) we officially released and celebrated our 300th video episode this year!
So...now what? Click play for a look at a remarkable year.
We have The Happy Hour Gal to thank for this one: Kristen Ludwig was doing theatre at the Alpine Theatre Festival in Whitefish, Montana, and made it a mandate that The Guys shoot at a festival favorite, Glacier Distilling, situated on the very threshold of one of America's most stunningly beautiful National Parks. Press play for a peek into a company making some terrific spirits - run, don't walk, to visit this one; or rather, Bev-Tour! Cheers!
In this moment, there's a distillery under a bridge in Waco, Texas. In a tiny space, Balcones is doing things their own way and making whiskey that is, simply put, blowing peoples' minds. They've had a tough year legally; but now, finally they're looking towards the future. Press play for a look at some liquids that you're going to want to get your hands - and your mouth on. Cheers!
Montana! The sky out there really is bigger...and so is the Craft.
Jimmy has just returned from a week in the Big Sky State (he flew out to see the Happy Hour Gal performing in shows at the Alpine Theatre Project and, as usual, he took the THHG camera gear with him). Last Fall at The Great American Beer Festival, when Montana clocked in with a surprising 6 medals (including 3 Golds), Mark and Jimmy knew that things were changing in a state that had previously been relatively quiet, Craft-wise. Folks, there is MUCH Craft news to report from northwest Montana!
In Whitefish, MT.
The visit began with a trip to the Bonsai Brewing Project in Whitefish. They've just moved in to a new facility and boast a 7 barrel BrewHouse in a beautifully designed former restaurant on a plot of land "just across the tracks" from downtown. It turns out that Whitefish, on the shores of beautiful Whitefish Lake, is a stop on one of the major east-west rail arteries in the NW United States - (in fact, the creation of the Great Northern Railway spurred the development of the town.) But back to Bonsai: Head Brewer and Owner Graham Hart was featuring 10 different beers the day we visited, from a 'Bouquet IPA' brewed with Lavender, Rose and Juniper, to Brother George, a funky barrel-aged dark ale that set our senses humming like strummed guitar strings. And why the name Bonsai? "We like small and incredibly well made, suggesting an age possibly beyond our years", suggested Graham. "We're lurking in the shadows of giants."
Turns out they're poetic as well as ingenious in Montana.
Focus.
Another hallmark of this part of the state is that it's on the very doorstep of Glacier National Park, one of the most stunning Tracts of Land in all of the U.S. - so the second day of CraftVenturing took Kristen & Jimmy to Glacier Distilling Company in nearby Coram, MT; Glacier Distilling is just a few miles from the west entrance to the Park. Owner Nicholas Lee started GDC in 2010 after getting snowed in with some buddies in a nearby mountain pass. When the conversation turned dystopic (as stormy night talks often will... I mean, don't they for you?) Nick realized that while Montanans were distinctly capable of riding out an apocalypse with most basic needs cared for...NO ONE WOULD BE MAKING ANY WHISKEY. Of course this needed to be taken care of immediately, and thus, GDC was born; fast forward to today, when they're distilling 15 different products using 3 separate stills, ranging from a dynamite cask-strength Rye Whiskey to a Prohibition inspired 'white dog' called Glacier Dew. A morning of shooting and sampling that included some nicely palate pleasing cocktails, and then an afternoon hiking up to Avalanche Lake in the Park: This was an amazing, memorable day.
Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park.
Oh, sweet mystery of life...
Day 3 found the crew at Glacier Hops Ranch back in Whitefish; after paying such close attention to Craft Beer around the world, it's terrific to delve into the craft and science behind the specific ingredients that make them so great - and no ingredient is as lauded in Craft Beer (for better or worse) as hops. Owner Tom Britz has a limited experimental 1/8 acre plot on farmland he owns; his initial intention was to awaken farmers and investors to the fact that Montana has a perfect climate for hop growing, with long summer growing days and low humidity - a terroir perhaps even on par with one of the epicenters of the hop world, Eastern Washington.
Jimmy will now be using this shot for everything.
Mission accomplished: Tom has had enough interest (and support) that he'll be entering Phase Two next year by planting a massive expansion of 27 acres! And much of his projected crop is already spoken for through term contracts from local brewers that are growing fast and are desperate to source local hops for 'wet hop' harvest beers, as well as pellet-tized hops for year-round use. Oh, and one huge difference between Glacier's product and other hop growers; with all hop growers, the processing from field to pellet involves drying hops so that they don't spoil. But too high a temperature during that process (unavoidable when you're processing A LOT of hops) can actually boil away some of the most tender oil compounds in the hop cone; so Tom uses a low-heat drying process (he calls it 'Artisinal') that preserves many of the hard to maintain flavoring / aroma oils that brewers so deeply prize. It's slower and more expensive, but the rewards are instantly noticeable. The upshot? Expect big things from Glacier Hops Ranch in the coming years.
Glacier Hop Ranch Owner Tom Britz and the Happy Hour Gal.
And from The Happy Hour Guys, expect upcoming video episodes to augment each of these places in this here blog post! Stay tuned, everyone - because it's always a good time to laugh, learn, and drink. Now let's get our Big Sky on.
CHEERS!
The Stobrawa is a type of potato that until recently had never been grown anywhere in the North or South America.
Woody Creek Distillers has changed that.
Also, they're making an astonishing lineup of Craft Spirits, from their Signature 'old world style' Vodka, to Rye, Bourbon, Gin, White Whiskey and their soon-to-be released Colorado Scotch Style Whiskey, to their stunning, palate-surprising Reserve Vodka, Stobrawa. Press play to meet the team, have a look inside the still house, and also have a seat behind the bar in their gorgeous tasting room. Enjoy!
The whole Happy Hour Guy crew gets involved in our yearly tradition of looking back over our favorite stops of the previous year. And as we're on the threshold of our 300th episode (which will drop in 2015) this one, which is OUR SEVENTH (!!) is pretty special.
Press play for a look at where we've alighted in 2014, with special guest appearances by rock star brewers, the Amish, and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Cheers, Happy New Year, and here's to a great 2015!
Mark, Jimmy and Squigs make their way back to The Jeffrey on Manhattan's Upper East Side to spend a little time with their Mixology guru Jacob, a.k.a. The Bearded Alchemist. Click play for yet another great reason to hang out at the Jeffrey, and a set of tips and tricks that this Master of Liquids recommends that you take back to your own home bar. Cheers!
