Brewer's Notebook

Fish Tale Organic Ales have garnered a piece of print immortality. In his newly-released work, Product Design in the Sustainable Era,  author Dalcacio Reis devotes a two-page spread to Fish Tale. The book is from the Cologne, Germany-based publishing house  Taschen.

A 440-page compendium of innovative products designed “with future generations in mind,” the volume’s Fish Tale pages come in the book’s sixth chapter, “Retail Products”. Other chapters focus on electronics, energy, furniture, home & appliances, lighting, sports & apparel, and miscellanea.

“Of course, we’re elated,” said Fish Brewing’s Director for Arts & Crafts, Scott Miller. “Mr. Reis contacted us nearly a year ago explaining the book and inviting us to submit materials for consideration. Naturally, we sent the kitchen sink, hoping we’d be lucky enough to land a logo or a photo of the brewery. Two entire pages—that was a bit beyond our wildest imaginings.”

Typical of Taschen publications, the book is graphics-rich. On Fish Tale’s pages, both the hoped-for Fish Tale Organic Ales brand logo and the brewery shot appear, as well as Fish Tale Organic Ales style logos and product shots.

Also featured in side-by-side English, German, and French translations are two paragraphs of Fish Tale’s philosophy on clean water. In addition, the pages include Fish Tale’s web address, organic certifier, and awards, plus the names of the Mighty Fish Brewers.

Famed for its multi-lingual volumes on art, design, and culture, Taschen lists Product Design in the Sustainable Era at $39.99.

Hot on the heels of their break-out triumph in Los Angeles (see Leavenworth Biers Win Big, below), two Leavenworth Biers have again been honored by a discerning jury.

This time, judges from the World Beer Championships weighed in. Their verdict: Gold Medal ranking for Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen, and Bronze for Whistling Pig Hefeweizen. The WBC results mirrored those from the LA International Commercial Beer Competition, where judges also awarded Gold to Boulder Bend and Bronze to Whistling Pig.

“For Leavenworth Biers, this has surely been a compelling month of vindication and redemption,” observed Fish Brewing Company’s Chief Operating Officer, Al Triplett. “Sixteen years since the brand’s last medal, now this: five medals in four week’s time. Already, there is talk of optioning this story for the Guy Network’s Afternoon Movie of the Week.”

Founded in 1994, the World Beer Championships claims the title of America’s oldest international beer competition. In format, it is unique among beer competitions.

Rather than judging multiple styles at a single event, WBC juries convene every other month to judge beers in style groupings. Judges review these groupings on a rotating calendar.

The WBC’s June/July panels judged Wheat Beers in categories including Dunkelweizen, Bavarian-style Hefeweizen, Kristall Weizen, Weizen Bock, Berliner Weisse, Filtered & Unfiltered Wheat Ale, White/Wit Beer, and Flavored Wheat Beer.

Results from the Wheat Beer judging will appear the August issue of Tastings, a publication of the Beverage Testing Institute. Based in Chicago, the BTI organizes the World Beer Championship.

Judges Also Honor Fish Tale Organic Blonde

When the Mighty Fish Brewers sent their entries to the Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competition, their greatest hopes went with the underdogs.

Their Fish Tale Organic Ales had earned a respectable share of medals in recent years. Their Spire Mountain Ciders had each brought home the Gold. But the Mighty’s Leavenworth Biers were in a bit of a dry spell, medal-less since Friesian Pilsener’s Silver Medal win at the Great American Beer Festival. That was in 1994.

There was Mighty cause for celebration, then, when the LA International announced its 2010 winners. Among them, Leavenworth: Three biers entered, three medals won. And for good measure, a new medal for Fish Tale, too.

Leavenworth’s Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen, a dark hefeweizen, received the Gold Medal in the competitive American-style Wheat Beer category. Complimenting the honor, Leavenworth’s Whistling Pig Hefeweizen earned the Bronze Medal in the same category.

“Scrolling down the winners list, we first saw Boulder Bend,” said head brewer Tony Powell. “That was a fantastic surprise. To then see a Bronze in the same category, I was over the moon. It just got fun after that.”

Also winning big for Leavenworth was Eightmile Alt. In the competition’s German-style Brown Ale/Düsseldorf-style Altbier category, Eightmile brought home Leavenworth’s second Gold. “Eightmile is our newest Leavenworth style, and we couldn’t be happier,” said Powell.

However, brewer Calvin Fultz-Valenta was conflicted. “Should I be happier about two Leavenworth medals in one category, or happier about two Leavenworth Golds? I’ll decide once I can stopped this grinning.”

Rounding out the Mighty’s honors was a medal for Fish Tale Organic Ales. In the Golden/Blonde Ale category, LA judges bestowed the Silver on Fish Tale Organic Blonde. The fourth USDA-certified organic beer from Fish Brewing, Organic Blonde is a summer seasonal ale.

Now in its eighth year, the Los Angeles International has quickly become one of the more prestigious beer competitions in North America. Organized and operated by the Los Angeles County Fair, the competition is open to licensed breweries and brewpubs, and accepts only beers available for sale to the general public.

Panels of no fewer than three BJCP-certified judges review entries in blind tastings organized by style, as specified by the Brewers Association. This year, over 40 judges convened to review more the 430 beers. These entries represented the best work of 70+ breweries.  All three Leavenworth winners and Fish Tale Organic Blonde are available in bottles and on draft.
A complete list of 2010 LA International Commercial Beer Competition winners is available at http://www.lacountyfair.com/2010/entertainment/documents/BeerCompetitionResults2010.pdf

Silver for Starfish, too

Completing a golden hat trick for Spire Mountain Ciders, Spire Mountain Pear Cider has won the coveted Gold Medal of the North American Brewers Association (NABA).

Spire received the honor at the Association’s North American Beer Awards, presented on June 4th in conjunction with the 16th Annual Mountain Brewers Beer Festival in Idaho Falls, ID.

The distinction was the fourth NABA medal for the Spire Mountain brand in three years, and the second for Spire Mountain Pear Cider.

In 2009, Spire Mountain Dark & Dry Apple Cider won the NABA Gold Medal. The NABA presented it’s Gold to Spire Mountain Apple Cider in 2008. That same year, the Silver Medal went to Spire Mountain Pear Cider. Spire Mountain earned each of its NABA medals in the Cider category.

In considering the award, Spire Mountain’s head cider maker, Colin Biechman, seemed humbled. “Since the public’s expectation of cider often begins and ends with apple, having two gold apple ciders seems almost plausible. But now, having a gold pear, too– Well, that’s a deep-down satisfying feeling.”

Meanwhile in the beer categories, judges took note of another Fish Brewing entry.  In the Double/Imperial Irish Red Ale competition, the Silver Medal went to Starfish Imperial Red Ale. “This award is double pleasure for me,” said Head Brewer Tony Powell. “To have our newest recipe, one named in honor of my own dear sweetheart, win this recognition, well, it kind of makes a guy speechless.

The NABA bestows its honors annually at the Idaho Falls beer festival, one of the largest in North America. Preceding the festival, NABA judges dedicate three days to evaluating entries from across the country and around the world. In 2010, the NABA bestowed Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals in seventy-two beer categories, as well as Cider and Soft Drink categories. A complete list of 2010 NABA winners is available at http://www.mbbf.org/winners2010.