Full Sailing Brewing, an Oregon craft beer operation with a national following, is going forward with its Brewer’s Share series with the first release expected next month.
Brewer’s Share is a series of craft beers created by Full Sail’s own employees and the idea actually originated back in 2008. At the time, Brewer’s Share products were sold only on tap and only in Full Sail’s exclusive pub. Now, the brewery is expanding the series to include 22 oz. bottles for sale on a national basis. The series will include a new, employee- inspired brew each season and will continue through the end of 2012 and possibly beyond.
The first offering planned is Extra Special Barney (ESB), a product created by Full Sail Brewing Supervisor Barney Brennan. According to Brennan, Extra Special Barney is going to be brewed in the tradition of an English style ale. It will be brewed with five different malts and Challenger hops, including one pound per barrel of dry hop. The product will weigh in at 6.5% alcohol by volume with a modest bitterness rating of 35 IBU.
Brewer’s share might seem like an unusual name for a series of employee- inspired beer products, but there is something behind the choice of title. When beer ages, there is a small portion that disappears from a barrel and it is often referred to as the “angel’s share.” The term “Brewer’s Share” was selected because it is considered an equally mysterious occurrence that appears during something special; in this instance, a moment of inspiration. The parallelism isn’t perfect, but it’s close enough that the name works.
Besides celebrating the creative talents of its employees, the Brewer’s Share series is also a means to support charity. Full Sail is choosing a designated charity for each Brewer’s Share and the charity will receive a portion of the earnings. Extra Special Barney will support the Columbia Gorge Arts in Education fund- a charity focused on K- 12 visual, literary, and performing arts in local schools. Other Brewer’s Share charities have yet to be announced.
Each Full Sail Brewer’s Share product will be offered in 22 oz. bottles and on draft. Once Extra Special Barney has run its three- month course8, it will be followed by such unique malt beverage delights as Phil’s Existential Alt, Chris’s Summer Delight Berliner Weisse, and Big Daddy J’s Malt Liquor.
Full Sail is an employee- centered company and the people who run the brewery are all considered partner’s in the business’s ultimate success. The Brewer’s Share series is an admirable gesture on the part of the company, both from the perspective of employee involvement and charitable giving, and it is nice that Full Sail is involving its employees in the production of new products. Look for Brewer’s Share bottles where Full Sail products are currently sold.
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