November Newsletter ~ 11/12/2014
 Grain conveyor loading germinated grain into the kiln at Riverbend Malt House.
 

 

Riverbend Malt House expansion complete

 

After months of installing, calibrating, and troubleshooting their new equipment, Riverbend Malt House of Asheville NC, finally has the various components of their expansion dialed in. They've done several runs with everything in place and though they'll continue to make adjustments as they go along, they're excited to get into a rhythm and focus on doing what they do best: making great malt. Owners Brent Manning and Brian Simpson consider their mail house an alternative to the large scale producers by supporting the local farming community, and using locally-farmed, artisan malts.

 

To view Riverbend Malt's expansion process, click here.

 

 

At Greenbar, a husband-and-wife team run 

Los Angeles' biggest distillery

 

Tall, slender and wrapped in gleaming copper, adorned with gauges and chunky bolts, the contraption looks like something out of a steampunk fantasy. The machine costs $400,000 and has one purpose: to take fermented liquid and transform it into liquor.

 

The long continuous fractionating still, as it's called, is the heart of Greenbar Craft Distillery. The mom-and-pop (or husband-and-wife) business run by Melkon Khosrovian and Litty Mathew in Los Angeles' Industrial District is the only major working distillery in the city (a micro-distillery dubbed Loft & Bear is in the Arts District).

 

Greenbar, one of only about 30 independently owned distilleries in the state, moved to the Industrial District three years ago. Khosrovian and Mathew spent $1.6 million to buy and renovate the property. The equipment, including fermentation tanks, multiple stills, infusion tanks and bottling equipment, set them back another $2 million. Read more.

 

Alabama's Blues Pants ... Boozery?

 

Blue Pants Brewery owner Mike Spratley draws a glass their Knickerbocker Red.

If you're not a fan of craft beer or just like a little variety, Blue Pants Brewery will soon have an expanded drink menu to suit your tastes. The Madison brewery recently received its license to begin producing distilled spirits at its 10,000 sq.ft. converted warehouse. Blue Pants, which plans to debut the new products Nov. 1 at the annual Pinstripe Fest, said it will be the first establishment in Alabama to make both distilled drinks and craft beer.

 

For owner Mike Spratley, the move was a natural transition for Blue Pants, formerly known as "Alabama's smallest brewery" before it settled into its current location more than two years ago. "We've been interested in distilling a long time," he told AL.com. "It's a similar passion and hobby to craft beer." Read more.

 

 

Montana whiskey distilleries:

From field to glass

 

A Tennessee organic chemist and a Montana farmer's daughter fell in love. All the way back to when he was dating Kristy Moeller, Philip Sullivan started eyeing her dad's cornfield and scheming with her brother Matt.

 

Now the Moeller family's corn, grown in Corvallis, is turned into Montannassee Corn White Lightning at Wildrye Distilling of Bozeman, one of the newest distilleries in what's developing as the epicenter of Montana's distilling industry.

 

Sullivan brings to the mix both his chemistry skills and his Tennessee heritage. Wildrye's white corn whiskey is "pretty much moonshine," he said. But, unlike the Mason jar of Tennessee white lightning his grandfather gave him for his 21st birthday, the Montana version comes without the burn. Read more.

 

 

Virginia distilleries ask governor to pull back plans to raise liquor prices

 

More than a dozen Virginia distilleries are asking Gov. Terry McAuliffe to nix a plan to raise prices at state-owned liquor stores.

 

Last month, McAuliffe directed the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to increase liquor prices as part of a move to close a $2.4 billion budget gap, garnering concerns from consumers and industry alike.

 

While the $92.4 million package to address the shortfall also includes state worker layoffs and targeted budget cuts, the liquor price hike -- yielding an estimated $2.5 million in the current fiscal year -- may be the part that touches a broad swath of state residents most directly. The move to increase prices comes as Virginia saw record alcohol sales of $801 million in the latest fiscal year. Read more.

 

 

The creative design firm behind many distilleries, breweries & wineries

 

 

Urbanadd, a Seattle-based architecture and interior design firm, keeps very busy designing distilleries, breweries and wineries in Washington State and across the US.

 

Founded in 2008 by Mark Ward and Jim Brown, Urbanadd

prides itself on creating designs that tell a company's story. One client's testimonial describes them as "great stewards of the owner's vision." Another says that "they work in a team environment and find the best solution for the many tough challenges that projects face."

 

Some of Urbanadd's recent and current projects in their home state of Washington include: Scratch Distillery, Westland Distillery, Headworks Brewery, Triple Point Brewery, BellBent Brew Company, and Bookwalter Winery. Learn more by visiting their website.

 

Ballast Point Brewery fan proposes marriage

 

Cody K. Addington, a fan of Ballast Point and graduate research assistant from North Carolina, was so impressed with Ballast Point's new logo, he sent a marriage proposal to the brewery, which they sent to MiresBall, their brand design firm in San Diego, CA. Never having received a marriage proposal before, and thoroughly tickled over the gesture, MiresBall contacted Addington, with permission to post his postcard. 

 

What became of the proposal? It turns out the logo designer was not available ... nor female. Nice try, though.

 


 Thank You to all our Sponsors!





Bruni Glass































 
FOUNDING SPONSOR

IN THIS ISSUE:
Riverbend Malt House
LA's Biggest Distillery
Blue Pants Brewery
Montana Whiskey Distilleries
Virginia's Liquor Prices
Urbanadd Design Firm
Ballast Point Brewery Fan


Bourbon
Slush

 

  • 2 cups Old Pogue Bourbon
  • 2 cups strong tea (4 bags)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 12 oz frozen lemonade concentrate
  • 12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate

Bring 7 cups water and 2 cups sugar to a full boil until dissolved. Mix all ingredients and freeze at least 24 hours. Freeze in small plastic containers. To serve, put 2 scoops of slush in a glass and add 7-Up, Sprite or carbonated water. You can add more bourbon according to your taste.

 

(Source:  Old Pogue Distillery)

 

Hands-on Whiskey Distilling Workshop


with Jordan Via, Breckenridge Distillery
and Nancy Fraley, Sensory Analysis 

December 7 - 12, 2014 

Gig Harbor, Washington

 

This hands-on class takes place at Heritage Distilling Co. in Gig Harbor, WA, and covers the fundamentals of whiskey distilling. Participants will be able to smell and taste new make spirit as it is being distilled. 

 

Topics include mash preparation, basics of fermentation and wash production, anatomy of a still, mechanics of distillation (stripping and spirit runs), making the cuts, barrel maturation, proofing, and bottling. 

 

Attendees will make new spirit on the six small teaching stills at Heritage Distilling Co. and take home a bottle of new-made whiskey. 

 
For detailed information, including cost and hotel accommodations, click here.

 

ADI's Annual Survey is still open!

 

Help ADI help you and the entire craft distilling community. If you haven't already done so, please take 60 seconds to fill out the 2014 Annual Survey. We only do this once a year!

 

The whole industry, including distillers, policymakers, suppliers, vendors, and investors, look to ADI for solid information on the growth of the market. Help us provide that ongoing service to our members. Responses are entirely anonymous and analyzed only at a summary level. 

 

To take the survey click here.

Beer + whiskey = 

Beerskey

 

  

 

Earlier this month, Infinity Beverages released their long anticipated Beerskey whiskies -- whiskey distilled from full flavored craft beer.

 

Beer ... and whiskey?

 

Look at it this way: Beer is made from grain ... and so is whiskey. Typically, however, most whiskeys are distilled from a very basic, stripped down grain bill (think of a beer like Miller, Bud, or Coors). Matthew Rick, Winemaker & Distiller at Infinity Beverages, has ventured to distill a whiskey with far more flavor complexity than typical whiskey. Read more about Beerskey on their website.


Craft Distilling Classes
February 6-8, New York

Knowledge is power and at Black Button Distilling in Rochester, NY, they endeavor to share the knowledge necessary to feel confident in opening your own craft distillery. Their 3-day program is geared towards those who already possess a basic understanding of spirits and distillation and are looking to make the jump into commercial distillation.

 

For information, including cost and topics covered, click here.

 New Book Release 

Whisky, 2nd Edition
Technology, Production and Marketing
ornamental-icon.gif

Edited by Inge Russell and Graham Stewart, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland. This is the only book available that covers the entire process of whiskey making as well as information on how to deliver the finished product to the global marketplace. To read more or for ordering info, click here.


Are you ready to become certified?
 

Apply today, and join more than 200 micro-distilleries who are truly craft, not just crafty

 Send us your craft distilling    news 
We're adding fresh updates and industry news regularly to our eNewsletter, as we share what is happening in our ever-growing industry nationwide.

Send your craft distilling news and info on new products -- even your craft spirits recipes -- to our eNewsletter editor Carol Kaufman.

 

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