Lager-Only Craft Breweries

So I went there less than one year after they opened and got my usual at a new brewery - a sampler. What I got was a giant piece of wood with holes in it for the samples. 18 beers in all with 12 - twelve - different lagers, all clean, all flavorful, all well made. An amazing brewery.

 

I get what you are saying but along the same lines you wouldn't ask a Chinese Restaurant to cook Mexican Food just because you like Mexican food and vice versa. I think it's admirable for a brewery like Gunpowder Falls Brewing to stick to what they know and continue to brew high quality German Lagers for those of us who really like these types of beers. For everyone else there's a ton of choices in the Ale department and plenty of places to purchase.

As far as I'm concerned...Gunpowder Falls Brewing...please do not try to be everything to everyone, stick to lagers only!

Also, if you look at it statistically, based on beer consumption stats, it is clear that the majority of Americans palettes still prefer lighter more drinkable beer and probably always will, so it's about time that the Craft Beer scene is starting to pay attention to this viable end of the market.

As far as yeast goes...and I'm no scientist but my understanding is that for smaller brewers it is risky to brew both Lagers and Ales when you have a small brew house because you risk cross contaminating batches of beer with with mixed yeast strains which can be disastrous especially if a bottom fermenting beer gets infected with a top fermenting yeast strain and vice versa.

BTW...one of my favorite German style craft breweries is Crescent City Brewhouse in New Orleans. I believe the owner is a German trained brewer as well. http://www.crescentcitybrewhouse.com/beer.html

 

Whew, thought you were going to say you got diacetyl. They did have some diacetyl at start up, but some homebrewers you know helped Oliver get the procedures down to eliminate it fairly quickly. The beers have been well made with good quality since.

They have done some refined CAPS and Bo-Pils.

Edit - BYO has a panel on brewing IPLs this issue. Oliver Roberts of Wolverine is one of the brewers interviewed.

 

Hey competition is good and I certainly hope that their business strategy would not be to pick and choose locations based on fear of competition. In fact, when there is competition it means that there is a strong market and if their beer is as good as others are saying, it will stand on it's own. I've not tried Gunpowder Falls beer nor the others you mentioned because I'm from California but yesterday I visited the Stone Brewery in Escondido, CA which makes fantastic beer, I really like their Arrogant Bastard Ale and this is coming from someone who prefers and seeks out lagers. But within a 20 square mile radius there are probably two dozen or more craft breweries all making similar styles of beer. Ballast and Abbey to name a couple are within a "stones" throw of Stone. ; ).

Point being, the craft beer scene in San Diego is packed with many different brewers and options and from what I can tell the market is large enough to support them all especially as long as their product tastes good.

Prost!

 

Red Oak in NC first came to mind...

 

Emerald City Brewing in Seattle? I haven't seen their cans or beer on tap in a while, but they started out as being a lager-only brewery.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23552

 

Brevard Brewing Co. in Brevard, NC is a fairly small and newer brewery that almost does lagers exclusively.

http://www.brevard-brewing.com/

Was there two weeks ago and had their Oktoberfest.

 

Budějovický Budvar is a good one.

 

As mentioned upthread, these guys from just down the street from me: http://chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com/

 

spoetzl brewery in shiner, tx was lager only until they came out with wild hare pale ale, to compete in the hopped up ale market, probably could have just done an ipl with just as good as results. not that wild hare is bad, it's a decent pale ale, but i'm sure they could have done a decent ipl also.

 

They also brew a Hefeweizen which is a non-lager beer.

Cheers!

 

yes they do. forgot about that. never see it around here except in sampler packs. out of sight out of mind.