One of the best things about working with beer…is that you get to work with beer. From day-to-day that can mean any number of responsibilities: pouring beer, tapping in beer to the draught system, tasting new beer, cleaning up spilt beer, discussing how awesome beer is, etc. Sometimes, those responsibilities include the actual making of beer. Pouring your passion, knowledge and creativity into the thing that you probably love the most.
Andrea Smith, GM of The Lake Flying Saucer in Garland, Texas, got an amazing opportunity to not only brew beer, but to do it on the biggest of stages with one of the most important breweries in the world. Andrea, along with Houston Flying Saucer Manager Kelsey Kostenlnik, received an invitation to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Beer Camp to collaborate with other passionate beer pros from around the country for the production of a brand new beer. That beer, Hopricot, is making its way across the nation and is releasing at The Lake Flying Saucer on March 1st.
We wanted to get the scoop on what the process was like, how Hopricot came to be, and what Beerknurds can expect from this special Sierra Nevada Beer Camp release. So, we started by chatting with Andrea about her experience.
How did this opportunity come up?
I was Assistant GM at Addison Flying Saucer and Bo, Addison GM, went out to St. Louis Flying Saucer to help them during baseball season. Sierra Nevada was doing an incentive that month and we won. The winner got to go to Chico and brew the next Beer Camp series!
Have you brewed before?
Yes, I have. Multiple times in my friend’s basement using empty kegs. Cleanliness and timing play a major role. We brewed a Ballast Point Sculpin clone and an IPA. I want to get back into it, I haven’t done it in years.
When did you go? Where did you go? Who did you brew with?
The trip was August 31-September 3rd in Chico, CA (their first brewery location). Houston Flying Saucer won as well, so I got to meet manager Kelsey Kostenlnik along with tons of business owners, brewers, beer directors, beer buyers, and chefs. It was an amazing experience that I would not take back for the world.
What was the process? What were the instructions and parameters? Did you have the freedom to just brew anything you wanted and run free in Sierra Nevada’s brewery?
We were very hands on, picking out exactly which hops and malts were to be used along with the style and ABV we wanted.
We started at the brewery with a history of Sierra Nevada and learning about owner Ken Grossman. Oh, and a Sierra Pale at 10AM! I was amazed how he started right out of his basement and the drive he had to get the company going and to where it is today. We then moved on inside the brewery where we got a personalized tour. At the end of it we had brewers with all of us collaborating on the hops and malts we were going to use. We had a booklet with all the profiles. It was awesome. We all picked out the hops and malts together. Then, we actually went into the vaults to grab the ingredients ourselves. We added fresh peaches and mangoes which they grow behind the brewery. We picked them right out of their garden. Then, the fun began. We did everything starting with the mash, to pouring the malts into the boil, to skinning and pureeing the mangoes and peaches.
How did you come up with the name Hopricot?
After we brewed, we were all in a room and just throwing out ideas on what we wanted to use. We came up with two we all loved: “Peaches be Trippin” Or “Resting Peach Face.” Since we used so many peaches, those sounded fun. But they ended up picking Hopricot which is great, so not mad there.
What do you think about the beer?
I actually have not tapped it in and tried it yet…want to keep it fresh. I’ll try it along with all the Knurds on March 1st on its big release.
Would you do this again? What would you do differently?
I would absolutely do this again. The experience was mind-blowing and I learned a lot from all the successful brewers and folks around me. I met some owners that I know will be long-term friends. I would not do anything differently. I participated probably more than most because of my excitement. Maybe I would of drank less. …Nah.
Tell us about Hopricot. What can Beerknurds expect from the beer?
It is an imperial IPA sitting at a gravity of 8.2%. We used four different hop profiles and added a generous amount of peaches and mangoes. We also used Rye malts. I love Rye in beer.
How does it feel to know that a beer you helped create is available for people around the world to enjoy?
Feels very rewarding to know Beerknurds can drink the beer I so much enjoyed brewing. Being that I have been in the craft beer world for over 7 years, this is something very special to me and I hope they all enjoy!
When and where can Beerknurds grab Hopricot?
Beerknurds can grab Hopricot on our Brewery Nite this Wednesday, March 1st at 7pm.
Jealous? We all should be. We’re proud of Andrea and Kelsey and can’t wait to share their creation with the world. We look forward to chatting with Kelsey about her experience as well and seeing what her impressions of her creation are. So, make your plans to be at The Lake Flying Saucer and keep your eyes peeled for Hopricot hitting your local taps.
