Brewer Q & A (Issue 21)

92 Rating – Revolution Brewing – Citra Hero

Responses from Revolution head brewer Jim Cibak.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I did.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?  
My favorite aspects of the beer are the light malt profile from pale, red wheat and aromatic malts. This really allows for the clean, crisp bitterness, citrus rind flavors and the huge aromas of citrus fruits with hints of fresh mint from the hop variety Citra to take center stage!  Dry-hopping this beer with Citra hops really ensures that the Citra Hero will really kick out these wonderful aromas when the beer is poured!

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Anti-Hero, an American IPA, is our main flagship product.  The success of this beer has spawned a whole series of other IPAs (The Hero Series), which tends to showcase a particular hop variety.  Examples : Crystal Hero, Mosaic Hero, Galaxy Hero.

Is this your "desert island beer?"
No, that would be Firestone Walker's Pivo Pils.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
CitraHero is a clean, crisp, citrus explosion of an IPA.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
No personal story.  We really like Citra hops and brewing IPAs so it just a matter of time before we pulled the trigger on it. (By pulling the trigger I mean making sure we had enough Citra hops.  They are in high demand)!

92 Rating – Holy City Brewing – Chucktown Follicle Brown

Responses from Holy City brewmaster Chris Brown.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I (Chris Brown) write all the recipes here at HCB, although the whole production crew helps to come up with ideas. 

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
The aroma and flavor that comes from the Amarillo dry hop. It changes the flavor profile of the beer in a great way. 

Where does this beer’s name come from?
We brewed this beer for the Southeastern Beard and Mustache Championships which raised money for The Center for Women, in Charleston. We had a contest on Facebook to name it and this was the winner. 

Is this your "desert island beer?"
I wrote this recipe thinking about the type of Brown Ale that I would want to drink, it's probably the beer of my own that is always in my fridge, so yes it probably is. 

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Big, Hoppy, Full bodied brown ale. 

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
The man on the can is Mr. Paul Roof. He is the Commander and Chief of the Holy Beard and Mustache Society so we had to put him on the can. He used to be a professor at Charleston Southern, but they fired him for being on the beer can. 

92 Rating – Union Craft Brewing – Double Duckpin

Responses from Union head brewer Kevin Blodger.

Who came up with this beer's recipe?
I did.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
This beer is all about the hops it starts with this super dank aroma and then you sip and you just get this great hop flavor. There is malt there it's 8.5% but the malt and alcohol are hidden by the hops here.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
We took our Duckpin, gave it hop steroids and tried to double the flavor.

Is this your "desert island beer?"
I'd be a very happy (and drunk) man if I had this on a desert island.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Dank, resinous, aromatic and super-yummy.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
This is a beer we wanted to do for a long time but could never fit it into the schedule but once we did it became an instant hit.  we brew it every 3 months to make sure we are getting the freshest batches of out to market and then once we know it all gone we brew a new batch. I really do love this beer.