craft beer

Friday Happy Hour: Shipyard Brewing Company

Shipyard Brewing Company

Shipyard Brewing Company

By Sean Tuohy

There's nothing tastier than enjoying a beer in your own backyard.

In that spirit, I reached out to Shipyard Brewing Company based out of Portland, Maine, which isn't too far from our home base in Boston.

Bruce Forsley, Shipyard’s vice president of sales and marketing, answered some of my questions about his favorite beers and what's next for the brewery.

Cheers!

Sean Tuohy: Give us a little insight into your background.

Bruce Forsley: My background has always been in hospitality. Prior to Shipyard, I owned and operated two restaurants in Waterville and Portland , Maine. Prior to that, I worked as an on-premise wine sales representative for wholesaler located in central Maine. Both occupations were excellent preparation for entering the craft beer business. Craft beer is sold very much like wine with focus on process, ingredients, style, and incorporation into a healthy lifestyle. I was very familiar with the distribution network which was essential in gaining early distribution for our products. I am not actively involved in the brewing process, but steer new product development and portfolio management.

ST: What Shipyard beer would you recommend for a newbie?

BF: Shipyard Summer or Export. Both beers are mildly hopped and moderate an alcohol, but with beautiful balance, consistent quality, and wonderful drinkability.

ST: What was your biggest mistake brewing?

BF: Oh my…there have been several. We tried to make an alcoholic iced tea from a 100% malt base years before Twisted Tea. We failed, but they succeeded by using neutral grain spirits. Shipyard Wheat Ale…with a mermaid on the label…the beer was great, but the package didn’t sell. And there are others…

ST: Pumpkinhead is one of the best beers out there. What is the back story of that beer?

BF: It was initially developed as a fall seasonal at Federal Jack’s brew pub in Kennebunkport, Maine. After the third season we realized that when available it was our most popular draft. Oddly the decision to produce in bottle was not an easy one. There were skeptics including myself. I could not have been more wrong!!!

ST: Could you describe your beer in one sentence?

BF: Balanced and consistent are two essential criteria for consumer confidence.

ST: If you were in Prohibition times, do you think you’d be bootleggers?

BF: Definitely. In the early days of self-distribution we’d deliver beer from the back of a car. Legalized bootlegging!!

ST: What does the future hold for Shipyard?

BF: Our goal is to be recognized as a national brand, stay true to our Maine heritage, and be a responsible corporate neighbor and loyal employer of many Maine families. When we are gone we will leave behind a legacy of creating a great beer to be enjoyed by my kids and generations of Mainers!

ST: If you were stuck on a deserted island with just one case of one of your beers, which one would it be and why?

BF: Summer Ale because I’m assuming I’ll be stuck on a deserted island in the South Pacific and I’ll need the clean thirst-quenching refreshment of that wheat-based ale until I figure out how to make a coconut beer.

To learn more about Shipyard Brewing Company, visit the official website, like the brewery on Facebook, or follow it on Twitter @ShipyardBrewing

Happy Hour Archive

Friday Happy Hour With Miami's Wynwood Brewing Company

This looks like a crew we'd like to drink with!

This looks like a crew we'd like to drink with!

By Sean Tuohy

Since Daniel Ford got to rejoice in interviewing a brewery from his beloved Astoria, N.Y., it was only fair that I got to chat with one from my old neck of the woods.

So pull up a Tim Dorsey novel, park yourself on the beach, and have a drink with Miami’s Wynwood Brewing Company, makers of South Florida's first craft beer.

Cheers!

Sean Tuohy: Give us a little background on your history and how you started brewing.

David Rodriguez (head cellarman/assistant brewer): I started brewing after graduating high school out of necessity to make beer because I couldn't legally purchase it as well as to experiment with different ingredients.

ST: Wynwood area has a lot of history in Miami. Why did you pick this location for the brewery?

DR: We chose Wynwood because it is an up and coming neighborhood. The entire district is covered head to toe with incredible graffiti murals and street art. There are many young professionals creating businesses here and there is a very prevalent "mom and pop" mentality with these local businesses. Also, Wynwood is a Puerto Rican barrio so it definitely falls in line with our owners' heritage.

ST: You are Miami's first craft beer. What does that honor feel like?

DR: Being Miami's first production craft brewery means that we will set the standard for local craft beer. It is a tremendous honor and one that doesn't come without hard work to build and maintain our reputation.

ST: Craft beer is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Miami. Why did you pick the Magic City as your location?

DR: We felt that Miami is the last frontier for craft beer in the Florida as well as the United States. There are many local breweries throughout the country and for some reason Miami has zero. You can find breweries in Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando, etc. but none here. We are happy to be the first but we won't be the last. There are already two other breweries in construction here in Wynwood with an additional two to four more in planning. Also, there are two breweries in construction over in Doral. Miami needs an identity when it comes to craft beer and we are here to create that.

ST: For a newbie what beer would you recommend them to start with from Wynwood?

DR: Beer is very personal; it depends on the preferences of the drinker. I would recommend a tasting beginning with La Rubia, which is our Blonde Ale, followed by Pops Porter and the Wynwood IPA. Different people tend to gravitate towards different beers and I wouldn't judge someone to drink a lighter beer just because it was what they were raised on.

ST: What was your biggest mistake brewing?

DR: Not buying a bigger brewhouse! We currently brew 15 barrels at a time (465 gallon batches) and since opening in August have outgrown our current equipment. In February, we tripled our capacity by adding more fermenters and conditioning tanks. The demand is huge!

We'll take 10.

We'll take 10.

ST: Could you describe your beer in one sentence?

DR: "A work of art in every glass." Cheesy? I'm not sure…you be the judge.

ST: What does the future hold for Wynwood? Will our readers be able to find you nation wide soon?

DR: Soon we will be bottling some of our barrel-aged beers. Currently, we are aging a wheat wine in petite syrah barrels (been aging since December of last year) as well as a Belgian golden strong aging in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels. These beers will be bottle conditioned in 750ml wine bottles with cap and wax. Also, we will be most likely expanding our operation to an additional building. Lots to come.

ST: If you were in Prohibition times, do you think you’d be bootleggers?

DR: That or we'd move to the Bahamas! I can't imagine it would be easy to hide an operation like ours.

ST: If you were stuck on a deserted island with just one case of one of your beers, which one would it be and why?

DR: Magic City Pale Ale. It’s our brewmaster's recipe of a very quaffable pale ale with medium bitterness and juicy hop flavors and aroma. Sitting at 5.6 percent , this is something I can drink a lot of.

To learn more about Wynwood Brewing Company, check out its official website or follow the brewery on Twitter @WynwoodBrewing.

Happy Hour Archive