Breweries that Distill or make other spirits

Ballast Point and Cisco Brewers also come to mind. I too have wondered if the distillery aspect is just an attempt to capitalize on a name/brand. But I can't say for sure, since I never buy the booze when I'm too busy buying beer. It's too expensive to have both habits.

I've heard that Ballast Point's cocktail mixes are good though.

Also, I've sampled some of the Cisco liquors---they go by a different brand name that I can't remember--- and they were okay.

 

Haven't tried, so I can't judge. But I do think the commonality of the brewing process makes it make sense that some try distillation. Whether it yields a quality product is key because you don't want to degrade the reputation of your beers. If their approach to spirits is anything like beers, we'll see a lot of variety but it'll never challenge the large-scale macros on price.

 

I have never had the DFH stuff as I do not drink that stuff. My friends who have say it is very good, but pricey. I think it is that the skills crossover so it is a natural progression.

 

Don't know for sure, but I suspect with a few places the distillation first began as a way of not having to dump/drain pour batches of beer that didn't meet quality control standards.

As for being pricey, I suspect that products of small distillation operations will almost always be more pricey than products of large batch, full time distilleries.

 

I am not sure how closely intertwined these businesses are financially, or whether they actually fall under some sort of general umbrella...but here in Pottstown, Pa, one of the former head brewers at Sly Fox, now is in the business of spirits (right across the road from Sly Fox in the same business park). There is definitely a relationship there of some sort, yet neither one seems to advertise/heavily push for the other..I think they have got a lot of press/awards locally though! Called Manatawny Still Works

 

Ranger Creek in San Antonio actually started as a whiskey distillery and then got into beer brewing. Their BBA RIS that just was released was started aging in Wild Turkey barrels and finished in their own. It was surprisingly one of the best ones I've had. Also, Ballast Point makes Vodka, Gin, something else and Bloody Mary mix. I definitely thought about carrying their products but they're just $$$. Just like Ranger Creek. Retail on pints of barrel strength whiskey is around $40. That market is just way too niche.

 

Anchor has had a distillery for a long time.

 

Numerous Bavarian breweries do. Weihenstephaner, Andechs, Schneider, etc.
They make Bierschnaps, which is essentially distilled beer. Obstler (apple/pear/cherry/etc. brandy) is also common.

 

3 Fonteinen distilled an Eau-de-vie after their tragic thermometer incident to help get their feet back on the ground. If you ever wondered what gueze would taste like as a boiled down distilled product, you should look no further.

Also in the spirit of their never-ending pioneer spirit, De Struise Brouwers also put out distillates of their Pannepot in various whisky barrels. Most of them are at or around 62% and taste absolutely fantastic. They're about 20 EUR for a tiny little bottle though.

 

Newport Storm in Rhode Island also makes Thomas Tew rum. The rum is far better than the beer in that particular case.

 

I had Dogfish's spirits 3 years ago, and again 1 year ago. Three years ago I'd say sub-par gin, decent vodka and while I don't know enough about rum to properly judge, I wasn't impressed. I believe they were asking $16/750ml then. Last year the gin had greatly improved, vodka was a touch smoother, and while I still am not a big rum drinker, I enjoyed the samples I had much more. I believe they had raised prices to $20/750 though given the quality improvement I thought this was an appropriate price. They were good but nothing I'd consider world class. They've since relaunched the line and expanded production. I don't know pricing on the new line, or how they stack up taste-wise. I'll have to try them again to see if they've continued to improve.

I've also tried a friend's bottle of Rogue's spruce gin and found it very enjoyable though not stellar. It's definitely different from other gins I've had, and good if you like a little piney flavor in your gin. If you're a traditionalist it won't be up your alley. I have no idea what he paid for it so I cannot comment on whether it's overpriced.

 

Deciding you are going to craft a quality product is half the battle...whether you are making beer, whisky, wine, lemoncello, or whatever beverage. However, making a truly exception product is not any easier for a distilled product than it is for beer. So, a great brewery should be able to make a decent distilled beverage assuming they put the time, money, and effort into it. However, you shouldn't expect it to be great. I've been to a few world class scotch distilleries and they all admit that the "beer" they make for distilling is terrible and you would never want to drink it. That simply isn't where the quality comes into the final product.

 

They do it to be more risk averse and diversify their business. If their craft beer side of the business goes bad, they have other avenues for income. Same reason many brewers also make soft drinks, why Boston Beer Co. got into ciders etc. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

It's still readily available on their open house days in Beersel, too. It's a bit like a schnaps, but with a very faint gueuze whiff on the nose and just a tiny bit on the palate. After few hours after drinking it, your glass actually smells just like a gueuze was in it.

 

Backdrop Distilling is located inside the GoodLife brewery here in Bend, though they are technically separate businesses. I think in addition to diversification, it's a nice hedge against buying barrels on the open market and competing with a rapidly increasing number of new breweries.

 

When I was at Southern Tier a few years ago they told us they were getting into spirits but I haven't seen it. Then again, I really haven't been looking for it, presently I pretty much stick to Evan Williams black label, it's cheap and good (kinda like Miller High Life ). It's also possible the plan fell through and they never launched it.