Feb 18, 2009

Standing on the shoulders of Giants

Russian River Brewing Company has been a great inspiration to me in many ways. Of course, the many awards on their walls, from the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival, would be inspirational to any brewer, but there is something very special about this place. If our own brewpub becomes even half as successful, I will consider that one of the greatest accomplishments in my life - and one that I owe to the inspiration and advice from Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo.

I have enjoyed their special atmosphere since the first month they opened, over 4 years ago - and I am fortunate that I live within walking distance! Their sunny patio is across the street from the town library, and I have often enjoyed a new book in the warm sun with a cold Pliny.

Their food is also top-notch. In fact, when my father came to visit over Christmas, he said theirs was the best pizza he ever had in his life!

And yet, there are several places that make good beer and serve good food, but somehow they lack that je ne sais quoi that makes Russian River such a special place. Some have suggested that part of their magic comes from the New Albion Brewery sign that graces the top of their barrel-aging room - a relic from the very first "micro-brewery", founded in nearby Sonoma in 1976. That may be part of their secret, but Vinnie and Natalie are also the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

I have felt privileged to attend a couple brewfests with them, but it is a little strange having people tell "me" how great I am - when I know they really mean Vinnie. It is like being the batboy for Babe Ruth's team: my hat and shirt might look the same, but I know I am not even in the same league. All I can hope is that by letting me stand in his shadow, I might someday grow into a giant.

Feb 17, 2009

SF Beer Week - Celebrator Brewfest

I had a great time pouring for Russian River Brewing Company at the "Best of the West" Brewfest for the 21st Anniversary of Celebrator Magazine.
Thanks, Vinnie & Natalie!

On tap we had Pliny the Elder, the original "Double-IPA", and their new Belgian-style Mortfication, a 11% "quadruple" that many people compared to a barley wine. Pouring from bottles we had two more Belgian-style ales - Damnation: Batch 23 and Consecration, made with black currants and aged in Cabernet barrels. Dozens of people told me that this tart Belgian-style ale was the best beer at the brewfest that night! When the 3-liter bottle of Consecration was finally uncorked at 5:23, there was much rejoicing - truly the highlight of the evening!

There were a lot of great people there - some I had met before, and others I look forward to meeting again. I have to mention Dan Curran from Devils Canyon Brewing, who had some great pictures from last year's Celebrator party on their website. (I was pleasantly surprised to find pictures of my hair before I donated it to Locks of Love.) Dan was kind enough to let me post them on our FaceBook group page - check them out!

I plan on attending several more brew-related events before we open our doors in Logan. I was even invited to be a judge at the North American Beer festival in June - see you there!

Feb 7, 2009

A Journey of a Thousand Miles...

Welcome to the first blog about our new brewery!

Cache Valley Brewing Company was originally opened in 1888 in downtown Logan, Utah and now this historic brewery is being revived by a group of Eagle Scouts, all graduates from Logan High.

Having grown up in Logan, we all appreciate the small-town charm of Cache Valley, and we appreciate the historic traditions - especially the one about having a brewery downtown! We are also partnering with local farmers, as well as various departments at USU, but that is another story for another time.

The four of us Eagles have been homebrewing for almost 20 years, and we are excited to see that Utah is on the verge of legalizing homebrewing! Our brewmaster has won several awards for his homebrews, and a couple of us have experience at professional breweries.

Our goal is to make a family-friendly restaurant where anybody from Cache Valley would feel comfortable. And yes, we will have non-alcoholic Root Beer!

If you are interested in getting in on the ground floor on this exciting opportunity, let us know!
We are looking forward to seeing you there soon!