J. Wilson, a Prescott, Iowa writer, homebrewer, beer judge and beer blogger, is Wynkoop Brewing Company’s 2012 Beerdrinker of the Year.
Wilson won the title at our 16th annual Beerdrinker of the Year National Finals, Saturday, February 25, right here at Wynkoop Brewing Company. A raucous crowd was on hand to witness the event and see Wilson get the honor.
Wilson’s astute beer knowledge, beer ambassadorship (from a town of just 283 people) and a 2011 beer & water fast helped him win the big nod from our judges.
“He’s a person who really understands and promotes beer,” said Andy Brown, Wynkoop head brewer and one of five judges for the finals. “He also had a near-religious experience revolving around beer this year.”
Iowa writer, homebrewer and beer ambassador lands Wynkoop’s 16th crown for America’s ultimate beer nut
(Denver, Colorado) – J. Wilson, a Prescott, Iowa writer, homebrewer, beer judge and beer blogger, is Wynkoop Brewing Company’s 2012 Beerdrinker of the Year.
Wilson won the title at the Beerdrinker of the Year National Finals, held Saturday, February 25 at Wynkoop Brewing Company, Colorado’s first brewpub.
Wilson’s astute beer knowledge, beer ambassadorship (from a town of just 283 people) and a 2011 beer & water fast helped him win the contest.
“He’s a person who really understands and promotes beer,” said Andy Brown, Wynkoop’s head brewer and one of five judges for the finals. “He also had a near-religious experience revolving around beer this year.”
Our recent Collective Hoppiness beer project involved a custom-made beer brewed especially for -- and with the help of -- local members of the American Homebrewers Association.
Our brewers created a special recipe and brewing process that we think set a record for the most people involved in brewing a batch of beer. About 220 local AHA members pitched hops into the brew kettle. That’s communal brewing!
The beer was a big hit, a hybrid creation somewhere between a black IPA and an imperial red. All elevated to special heights by an addition of rye and a 70-minute addition of human-added hops.
Want to make it at home? Grab 200+ friends, the recipe (link to recipe) and read the inside scoop below from our ace brewer, Brad Landman.
Marty Jomes
Founding Brewer
Russell Schehrer was the original brewer for Wynkoop, he helped launched our brewpub in 1988. At the time the craft beer landscape in the US was largely uncharted, and Russell was a true pioneer in the trade.
He was one of the first US craft brewers to produce mead, doppel bock, alt beer, cream stout and chili beer, and his efforts blazed significant trails for brewers to come.
He was also a big promoter of cask-conditioned beer. Russell placed beer engines and live ale in Wynkoop long before beer consumers had ever heard of them.
Canner/Cellar Man
A retired Denver Public Schools employee, Bill now does part time but fully important work on our canning line. Bill makes sure our liquid art makes it safely into a can, a sixpack ring and then onto your local shelf. When he's not canducting at Wynkoop, Bill enjoys riding bicycles and spending quality time with his wife, sons, dogs and grand kids.
Head Brewer
Brewmaster C. Andrew Brown (Andy to his friends) got into brewing the way many professional craft brewers become interested in beer, homebrewing at the young age of 20. The natural question followed: "How can I make this hobby into a career?" Brewing school came next as well as stints at breweries across the front range of Colorado and his home state of Maine. Andy has been professionally brewing award-winning beers for over ten years and guides the Wynkoop into a promising and beery future.
What is Cask Conditioned Beer?
Serving beer "on cask" is a traditional method of dispensing beer that recalls the days before modern draft beer systems and carbonated bottled beer existed. Cask beer’s trademarks are a slightly warmer temperature and a gentler carbonation than its modern counterparts.
The term “cask” refers to the container that holds the beer for serving. These containers were usually wooden barrels until about the 1950's when stainless steel casks became the norm. This type of beer is also referred to as "real ale" because it is unfiltered, unpasteurized and still contains live yeast.
Cask beer is not held in a pressurized keg, but pulled up from the beer cellar using a special device called a hand pump or beer engine. On the way through the hand pump the beer passes through a special diffuser (called a sparkler) that blends ambient air with the beer.
The process brings out the fine aromas of the beer, creates a soft, billowy head, and causes the glorious cascade of fine bubbles that slowly diminish in the glass. Our cellar temperature for our cask beer (48-50 degrees) also brings out the delicious aromatics of these real ales.
Since our inception in 1988, Wynkoop Brewing Company has been committed to serving cask conditioned beer and preserving its heritage. The stronghold for this type of beer has traditionally been Britain, so we keep at least three styles of English ale on cask at all times. Try one for yourself and enjoy this connection to the rich history of beer and brewing that American craft breweries like the Wynkoop help maintain.
Our year-round cask beers are:
- St. Charles ESB
Our British-style session beer is cask conditioned and dry hopped. Tea colored with a toasted malt flavor, it’s a robust amber ale with a light mouthfeel and understated hop nose. Its British ESB acronym stands for extra special bitter, a misleading term since this style of beer features a gentle hop bite on its finish.
5.6% ABV, 35 IBU - London Calling IPA
The India pale ale style hails from Britain and the 1800s, when British soldiers stationed in India were sent extra hoppy beer that held up to a long sea journey. London is a classic English pale ale that’s cask conditioned and dry hopped with UK hops, it features biscuity malt notes and an elegant hop profile.
ABV 6.4% ABV, 52 IBU
Our seasonal cask beers include:
- Churchyard Ale
A stronger version of a Scottish ale, Churchyard is malty, full bodied and cola colored. It features a hearty amount of caramel and roasted malt characteristics, and its higher alcohol flavor balances the beer’s malt sweetness.
ABV 7.4%, 25 IBU
Why Cans?
Now hand packaged one can at a time in 12-ounce aluminum cans, Rail Yard Ale is returning to local shelves after an 8-year hiatus from its earlier bottled days.
Why cans? Aluminum cans are the best package for beer. They keep beer fresher longer by providing complete protection from light and oxygen, a fresh beer’s worst enemy.
Cans are also immensely portable, free from weight and glass-breakage issues, and welcome in places where bottles are not.
Cans are also the “greenest” beer package. They are less fuel-consuming to ship, infinitely recyclable, and the most frequently recycled beverage package in the world.
A recycled can requires about 95% less energy and creates 95% less pollution than a can made from scratch.
Today cans are being embraced by a growing number of craft beer makers and consumers for all of these reasons.
