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Orlando Beer Guide Interview With Kurt Widmer on 10/8/2011 |
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Brewer Doug Rehberg (Left) and Kurt Widmer (Right) talk to a
group about the history of Widmer Brothers Brewing prior to "Explore Your Craft" on Saturday night. |
Enjoying a Widmer with Gerard Walen from Road Trips for
Beer and Beer in Florida |
We were fortunate enough to spend some time with Kurt Widmer of Widmer Brothers Brewing yesterday in Orlando. Kurt was in town for Widmer's "Explore your Craft" event that took place Saturday night at Ember downtown. We discussed "The Golden Age of Beer", pairing craft beer with food, Florida's exploding craft beer market, and Widmer's Collaborator Project among some other things.
Orlando Beer Guide So we’ve heard a lot of people recently referring to this particular time period in American History as “The Golden Age of Beer”. Do you think that is an accurate statement and why?
Kurt Widmer Yes... What we’ve seen happen in Portland, Oregon is now being replicated in other markets across the U.S. It’s exciting for us because more people are seeing how exciting beer can be as a beverage. And for a long time people thought beer was what the major domestic brewers made and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that beer. It’s the right tool for the job and I drink those beers all the time myself. But, I personally prefer a more flavorful beer and everyday there’s more people that discover how interesting and flavorful beer actually can be.
Orlando Beer Guide So if it is the “Golden Age of Beer” what kind of role do you think Widmer brothers has played in that?
Kurt Widmer Well. There’s not a lot of others that have been around for 27 years. A lot of others that started that long ago are no longer in the business but Rob (Widmer) and I are still kickin. So I guess if nothing else longevity (laughs) and we’ve been around… We are proud of the fact that we created a beer style called “American Hefeweizen” or “unfiltered wheat” and there aren’t too many breweries that can lay claim to having created a beer style. We were also the first brewery to have a year round lineup of seasonal beers. There’s just been a number of firsts along the way and within the industry we get acknowledged for that. But I don’t expect beer drinkers to know or care about those things but we take pride in those things.
Orlando Beer Guide Could you tell us a little bit about the “Explore Your Craft” event that is taking place here in Orlando this evening?
Kurt Widmer There’s several motivations there… One, that a lot of people know us for our Hefeweizen. But, a big reason Doug and I and the rest of the team are down here is to showcase that we’ve always done a lot of other beers and we’re trying best we can to make people aware of those other beers…And that’s a big part of what this event is all about.
And two, we are (with a lot of other breweries) working to elevate the status of beer as a beverage. We are promoting glassware which you will see here tonight. Beer is a very elegant beverage and we think that with the proper glass it conveys the notion to beer drinkers that it is an elegant beverage. And beer is the best beverage pairing for food there is. A lot of people have forgotten that so this event is to reaffirm that it doesn’t get any better than beer for pairing with food! Tonight you’ll see a local chef who tried the beers and has 10 different menu items that you’ll see around the event that will be paired with a specific beer. We think it’s very exciting and we really like the notion of pairing beer with food. Oh sorry.
Orlando Beer Guide One second (I quickly leave to grab my Widmer Imperial Red from the neighboring table and I take a sip)
Kurt Widmer That’s critically important. You can’t get too far away from your beer. Yea.
Orlando Beer Guide Could you maybe give us a quick 101 for an individual who might be interested in pairing beer with his or her food? Maybe some basic concepts that a person should understand when it comes to pairing beer with food?
Kurt Widmer Well you know what? We feel that beer should not be difficult and should not be complicated. I’m aware that new wine drinkers get paranoid about choosing the right wine. With beer it’s like, if you like that beer and you like how it goes with what you are eating then that’s the right combination. And, maybe a big IPA with spicier foods might be appropriate. Or a big, rich (beer) like our Pitch Black might be appropriate with a steak. Or maybe Mexican food? I think a nice pale ale like the Drifter that’s very appropriate. There’s a nice citrusy profile there that’s a nice accompaniment to Mexican food. But I don’t want people to come away and be intimidated or think there’s a wrong beer. There’s no such thing as a wrong beer. If its what you like then it’s the right beer! It shouldn’t be any more complicated than that.
Orlando Beer Guide What do you think about the beer market here in Florida? Florida hasn’t had the best beer reputation in the past but that is certainly changing. What kind of a role do you think Widmer could play in Florida’s beer market?
Kurt Widmer I’ve spent some time here in Florida. I think I’ve come down here once or twice a year for the last 7 years. And that’s because this market is exploding! With craft. Each time I come down the difference is remarkable. I don’t know what % of beer sales are craft in Florida. I do in Oregon. But when I go into places it’s not uncommon to see multiple tap, multiple craft accounts. The grocery stores here all are recognizing how profitable for them craft beer can be and that’s exciting. 7 or 8 years ago we were fighting an uphill battle trying to convince on premise and off premise accounts that craft was the coming thing and that their customers were going to start asking for it. And, that they might want to get out ahead of it and give people what they wanted. And now we don’t have to do that. We show them what we got and they’re like… Bring it on! It’s very exciting.
Orlando Beer Guide I’m pretty sure people in Florida don’t know a whole lot about Widmer Brothers…
Kurt Widmer What? Are you kidding me? (laughs)
Orlando Beer Guide Yea…So I wanted to ask you about your collaborator project. I know you started as a homebrewer and wanted to know exactly what that program is all about.
Kurt Widmer Oh yea. That’s a great question. The Oregon Brew Crew I believe is one of the oldest and largest (homebrew clubs). I think that they have 500 active members. And we are not charter members but we have been members of that club for 33 years. That’s a group of phenomenal individuals of both men and women who are passionate about beer. And we never forget our roots. 33 years was a long time ago but it doesn’t seem that long ago to Rob and I. But anyhow… I think this is probably the oldest collaboration project in the US. One day we were sitting around with those guys and the concept was that the club identifies a beer style that is either poorly represented in Oregon or not represented at all. And it can be anything. So Widmer Brothers set up an open account at a Homebrew supply shop. And participation is voluntary. So of 500 members probably somewhere between 20 and 50 participate . And they’ll brew either collaboratively or individually that style and their interpretation of it. Then there’s a blind tasting and Rob (Widmer) is on that panel. The winner gets a commemorative leather jacket (chuckles) and he or she gets to brew in our pilot program. Then that beer goes on tap at our restaurant and there’s also a couple of pubs in Portland that participate in the program. Several of our beers have grown out of that program into our year round lineup. Snowplow (milk stout) is one of those and it’s a 2 time Gold Medalist at the GABF. So these guys are very accomplished brewers and the beer that comes out of that is very exciting. Anyhow, we donate a portion of the proceeds back to the club and the club then donates it to the Fermentation Science Department at Oregon State University for new brewers. So it’s a very cool win win win situation. It’s a great project and the oldest one in the US.
Orlando Beer Guide We think that the setting a beer drinker is enjoying his or her beer in is just as important as the beer itself. Just curious where your favorite place to have a beer is?
Kurt Widmer That’s a really good question. (Pauses) Obviously I enjoy our restaurant because I enjoy the beers that we make. But….I used to live in Germany and I always enjoyed sitting with friends or family or both in a biergarten on a warm day drinking Helles. And there’s no particular biergarten that comes to mind but I always thought the biergarten culture just seemed right to me. It’s just a real hard question to answer. I mean, it’s a good question and I agree with you that ambiance is critically important and that’s why biergarten comes to mind… I mean, you got 500 year old trees above you and beyond you, and picnic tables, and people enjoying a nice evening. It’s just a wonderful atmosphere and I had only good times when I was doing that.
Orlando Beer Guide Thanks!
Orlando Beer Guide So we’ve heard a lot of people recently referring to this particular time period in American History as “The Golden Age of Beer”. Do you think that is an accurate statement and why?
Kurt Widmer Yes... What we’ve seen happen in Portland, Oregon is now being replicated in other markets across the U.S. It’s exciting for us because more people are seeing how exciting beer can be as a beverage. And for a long time people thought beer was what the major domestic brewers made and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that beer. It’s the right tool for the job and I drink those beers all the time myself. But, I personally prefer a more flavorful beer and everyday there’s more people that discover how interesting and flavorful beer actually can be.
Orlando Beer Guide So if it is the “Golden Age of Beer” what kind of role do you think Widmer brothers has played in that?
Kurt Widmer Well. There’s not a lot of others that have been around for 27 years. A lot of others that started that long ago are no longer in the business but Rob (Widmer) and I are still kickin. So I guess if nothing else longevity (laughs) and we’ve been around… We are proud of the fact that we created a beer style called “American Hefeweizen” or “unfiltered wheat” and there aren’t too many breweries that can lay claim to having created a beer style. We were also the first brewery to have a year round lineup of seasonal beers. There’s just been a number of firsts along the way and within the industry we get acknowledged for that. But I don’t expect beer drinkers to know or care about those things but we take pride in those things.
Orlando Beer Guide Could you tell us a little bit about the “Explore Your Craft” event that is taking place here in Orlando this evening?
Kurt Widmer There’s several motivations there… One, that a lot of people know us for our Hefeweizen. But, a big reason Doug and I and the rest of the team are down here is to showcase that we’ve always done a lot of other beers and we’re trying best we can to make people aware of those other beers…And that’s a big part of what this event is all about.
And two, we are (with a lot of other breweries) working to elevate the status of beer as a beverage. We are promoting glassware which you will see here tonight. Beer is a very elegant beverage and we think that with the proper glass it conveys the notion to beer drinkers that it is an elegant beverage. And beer is the best beverage pairing for food there is. A lot of people have forgotten that so this event is to reaffirm that it doesn’t get any better than beer for pairing with food! Tonight you’ll see a local chef who tried the beers and has 10 different menu items that you’ll see around the event that will be paired with a specific beer. We think it’s very exciting and we really like the notion of pairing beer with food. Oh sorry.
Orlando Beer Guide One second (I quickly leave to grab my Widmer Imperial Red from the neighboring table and I take a sip)
Kurt Widmer That’s critically important. You can’t get too far away from your beer. Yea.
Orlando Beer Guide Could you maybe give us a quick 101 for an individual who might be interested in pairing beer with his or her food? Maybe some basic concepts that a person should understand when it comes to pairing beer with food?
Kurt Widmer Well you know what? We feel that beer should not be difficult and should not be complicated. I’m aware that new wine drinkers get paranoid about choosing the right wine. With beer it’s like, if you like that beer and you like how it goes with what you are eating then that’s the right combination. And, maybe a big IPA with spicier foods might be appropriate. Or a big, rich (beer) like our Pitch Black might be appropriate with a steak. Or maybe Mexican food? I think a nice pale ale like the Drifter that’s very appropriate. There’s a nice citrusy profile there that’s a nice accompaniment to Mexican food. But I don’t want people to come away and be intimidated or think there’s a wrong beer. There’s no such thing as a wrong beer. If its what you like then it’s the right beer! It shouldn’t be any more complicated than that.
Orlando Beer Guide What do you think about the beer market here in Florida? Florida hasn’t had the best beer reputation in the past but that is certainly changing. What kind of a role do you think Widmer could play in Florida’s beer market?
Kurt Widmer I’ve spent some time here in Florida. I think I’ve come down here once or twice a year for the last 7 years. And that’s because this market is exploding! With craft. Each time I come down the difference is remarkable. I don’t know what % of beer sales are craft in Florida. I do in Oregon. But when I go into places it’s not uncommon to see multiple tap, multiple craft accounts. The grocery stores here all are recognizing how profitable for them craft beer can be and that’s exciting. 7 or 8 years ago we were fighting an uphill battle trying to convince on premise and off premise accounts that craft was the coming thing and that their customers were going to start asking for it. And, that they might want to get out ahead of it and give people what they wanted. And now we don’t have to do that. We show them what we got and they’re like… Bring it on! It’s very exciting.
Orlando Beer Guide I’m pretty sure people in Florida don’t know a whole lot about Widmer Brothers…
Kurt Widmer What? Are you kidding me? (laughs)
Orlando Beer Guide Yea…So I wanted to ask you about your collaborator project. I know you started as a homebrewer and wanted to know exactly what that program is all about.
Kurt Widmer Oh yea. That’s a great question. The Oregon Brew Crew I believe is one of the oldest and largest (homebrew clubs). I think that they have 500 active members. And we are not charter members but we have been members of that club for 33 years. That’s a group of phenomenal individuals of both men and women who are passionate about beer. And we never forget our roots. 33 years was a long time ago but it doesn’t seem that long ago to Rob and I. But anyhow… I think this is probably the oldest collaboration project in the US. One day we were sitting around with those guys and the concept was that the club identifies a beer style that is either poorly represented in Oregon or not represented at all. And it can be anything. So Widmer Brothers set up an open account at a Homebrew supply shop. And participation is voluntary. So of 500 members probably somewhere between 20 and 50 participate . And they’ll brew either collaboratively or individually that style and their interpretation of it. Then there’s a blind tasting and Rob (Widmer) is on that panel. The winner gets a commemorative leather jacket (chuckles) and he or she gets to brew in our pilot program. Then that beer goes on tap at our restaurant and there’s also a couple of pubs in Portland that participate in the program. Several of our beers have grown out of that program into our year round lineup. Snowplow (milk stout) is one of those and it’s a 2 time Gold Medalist at the GABF. So these guys are very accomplished brewers and the beer that comes out of that is very exciting. Anyhow, we donate a portion of the proceeds back to the club and the club then donates it to the Fermentation Science Department at Oregon State University for new brewers. So it’s a very cool win win win situation. It’s a great project and the oldest one in the US.
Orlando Beer Guide We think that the setting a beer drinker is enjoying his or her beer in is just as important as the beer itself. Just curious where your favorite place to have a beer is?
Kurt Widmer That’s a really good question. (Pauses) Obviously I enjoy our restaurant because I enjoy the beers that we make. But….I used to live in Germany and I always enjoyed sitting with friends or family or both in a biergarten on a warm day drinking Helles. And there’s no particular biergarten that comes to mind but I always thought the biergarten culture just seemed right to me. It’s just a real hard question to answer. I mean, it’s a good question and I agree with you that ambiance is critically important and that’s why biergarten comes to mind… I mean, you got 500 year old trees above you and beyond you, and picnic tables, and people enjoying a nice evening. It’s just a wonderful atmosphere and I had only good times when I was doing that.
Orlando Beer Guide Thanks!
