Sept/Oct 2015 Vol. 1 Issue 2
Best of the Fests!
@beerisok OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 1
what’s on tap REGULARS LOCAL REPORT HOPARAZZI OKIE BREWED HOME BREWED BREWERY MAP CRAFT FOOD EVENTS
04 05 06 10 12 18 23
4 #OKinAR Beer trips are a lot of fun. We visited our northwest neighbors in Arkansas for high point flights and crowler fills.
6
19
Drink this now!
UNfiltered q&a
Our reviews focus on local craft you
I recently spoke with Sen. Stephanie
can find on shelves this fall and some
Bice about her latest alcohol reform
hard-hitting, not so easy to find that
bill and what beer inspired her to want
you should, dare we say, trade for.
cold storage in Oklahoma.
All images are subject to copywright and sole possesion of Beer is OK unless otherwise credited. 2 | OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE
find us online
spread the word
Download a copy: issuu.com/beerisok facebook.com/beerisok Twitter: @beerisok Instagram: @beerisok
ediTorial
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whatever is in the cabinet. While some of those get reviewed
Hey, you’re back! Thanks for reading again. We want this to be
we’ll tackle another topic that gets under the skin of a lot
a go to guide for locals and tourists who want to know about
of micro-breweries. “What’s Your Lightest Beer?” covers the
Oklahoma craft beer and our culture.
reactions of local brewers and how they educate newcomers.
Welcome to Beer Fest season. Tulsa hosts some of the best
As always we adore your feedback and want you involved as
in the state with McNellies Harvest Fest, First Draft and the
much as possible. After all, we aren’t doing this for our health,
world famous Oktoberfest. Craft beer is growing prolificly
although drinking has proved to
with more local options like we saw at Wild Brew.
lower some health risks...
Fall means the return of comfort beers like pumpkin ales,
Prost!,
stouts and all other variations of gourd beers spiced with
Brian Welzbacher
© 2015 Oklahomacraftbeerguide.com, all rights reserved. OK Craft Beer Guide is wholly owned by Beer is OK and released bi-monthly. No part of this
OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 3 publication can be reproduced without prior written consent. OKCBGuide is not liable for any typos, claims by advertisers or our writers opinions.
the
report
A group of LOCAL committee members took a trip to Arkansas to see how their new laws affect tourism. It was a hot August Saturday when
way to drink this style and makes for
we loaded up the SUV with empty
an enjoyable afternoon comparing
coolers and growlers in hopes to fill
flavors with friends. I brought along
them with Arkansas craft beer.
my growler to fill up with their famous
look forward to hosting them in Tulsa in
Onyx Coffee Stout, an 8% black beauty
the future so be on the look out for that.
We
were
chauffered
by
our
designated driver, Scott and joined
that’s rich and creamy and brewed with local coffee from Onyx Coffee Lab.
services and tourism with their laws
by Tom Gilbert of the Tulsa World and blogger of What the Ale.
From
there
we
ventured
south
to Columbus House, a fairly new Our
mission:
infiltrate
the
Arkansas has shown it can provide great and there is no reason Oklahoma can’t emulate that system.
AR
brewery located near the bike trails in
craft beer scene by sampling and
Fayetteville. A quaint place filled with
Check out these great places to visit on
purchasing high strength beers on
an eclectic crowd and dogs, yes pets
your next trip to NorthWest Arkansas.
their premises. First stop was food in
are allowed in the tasting room. The
historic downtown Rogers where we
head brewer and his team were out
PuritanBrewCompany.com
relied on Yelp to help us find Levi’s
at the time but we sampled 6 beers
OzarkBeerCompany.com
Gastrolounge. A renovated building
including a delicious Highside Hoppy
facebook.com/ColumbusHouseBrewery
served up some of the “best burgers
Wheat dry-hopped with Mt. Hood hops
levisgastrolounge.com/
for the next 100 miles” and local beer
and a classic finish of a traditional
offerings. Ozark’s Berliner Weisse
wheat beer.
was the favorite as a straw colored sour beer quenched our thirst from
Finally we stopped over to Puritan Brew
the onslaught of heat outside.
Co. and were met with overwhelming hospitality from Kevin and Sloan. They
Tip: Try the duck wings with Hoison
had several Oklahoma craft offerings
Miso sauce, you’ll be glad you did.
like Prairie Tulsa Rugby Ale, Marshall Arrowhead and COOP Grand Sport
From there we hit Ozark Beer Co
Porter. The best part was a “Build Your
located in Rogers in an old recycle
Own Randall” menu. I went with the
center. They’ve been operating since
COOP porter with coconut, dried chili
October of 2013 following their
and local Hello Cocoa chocolate. What
slogan “Hard Work - Honest Beer”
an amazing blend! A true dessert and
Kevin and I had their farmhouse,
great way to end our day. Look for
then tried the Berliner Weisse with
Tom’s piece in the Tulsa World and a
syrups produced locally that infuse
podcast from OklahomaCraftBeer.com
into the beer. This is the traditional
to learn more about our #OKinAR. We
4 | OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE
Every Tuesday is LOCAL night at the Fur Shop in Tulsa. Come have an Oklahoma craft beer between 4-8 and LOCAL gets 10% of the proceeds.
120 strong LOCAL has quite a few members and looking for more who want to make a change in Oklahoma laws. Sign up today!
Facebook.com/localOK @LOCALOkie (Twitter) @WithLOCAL (Instagram)
www.LOCALOK.org
hoparazzi All for the love of beer
Columbus House flights in a custom bike paddle.
Puritan Brew Co. specialty OK beer concoctions.
Puritan Brew Co. taps and crowler fill station.
OK Craft Brewers Guild committee
Kolibri Ale Works invades Wild Brew 2015
Craft & Barrel handling long lines at Wild Brew 2015
OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 5
OKIE BREWED Welcome to, well, almost Fall! Pumpkin everything is slowly creeping out onto the floors of liquor stores. We look at one of those plus some new local additions to Oktober as well as an import.
r
e e b K DRIN
W E I V E R at
pe e r . . . nse
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We’re always looking for reviewers as we grow so drop us a line if you love to review beer!
Mind you: by no means am I any kind of beer judge (yet), but I have been trying to give objective critiques of the beers I drink when asked with cues from the style guide. Overall: Aggressively Hop forward. Dry finishing. Very slight dark malt presence in flavor, although the color suggests otherwise. Seems to be fairly big, but very drinkable. Aroma: High hop aroma, piney and resinous, very light background notes of caramelly malty sweetness. Appearance: Clear very dark brown, light tan fairly persistent head
Roughtail Brewing Co. Adaptation Ale Black IPA Style: American IPA ABV: 8.0% Pair with: Bison burger with colby cheese, Chocolate mousse
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Flavor: Aggressive but balanced hop bitterness (high, guessing ~70ish IBU), light blackberry notes and nice citrusy & piney notes. Very low to almost no dark malt flavors, however, there is a nice balanced base malt character present. Finishes dry, and bitterness does linger for quite a while. But it’s not a too harsh. I love this characteristic. Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-light in body, with no astringency. Medium carbonation. A smooth alcohol warming (I’m thinking this beer is close to 8% if not a little more).
Review & Photo by Nicholas Hodge
I was super excited to learn another local brewery was doing an Oktoberfest style beer. It was only available on draft at Doc’s in Tulsa. I found the perfect afternoon to try one out with the weather turned down a notch.
Following the Oktoberfest theme I stepped out of my comfort zone and picked up the Warsteiner Oktoberfest. Not sure what the Special Edition is about it other than it only comes out seasonally this time of year.
Pouring a nice dark amber color the head almost instantly disappears. Mild aromas of biscuit and touch of toffee sweetness.
Pours a light amber color with massive head that slowly dissipates. Grainy aroma much expected for the Marzen style. Upon initial look it is clear and well carbonated but not the Oktoberfest I am used to. Drinks more like a Pilsner. There is a touch of caramel up front and finishes a tad dry and stale.
I let my tongue bathe in the heavy malts and as the effervescent suds erased any trace of previous flavors. Low bitterness in the finish and I found this to be true to style. Medium bodied and made to drink a lot of. Purely sessionable at 5.5% ABV and can’t wait for a 4 pack of cans to hit my local packaged store soon.
Perhaps there is a reason I stay with what I like. For the alcohol level it is well reserved and easily drinkable so watch out.
Score: B+
Score: C
COOP Ale Works Oktoberfest
Warsteiner Oktoberfest
Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest ABV: 5.5% Pair with: Bavarian pretzels with rarebit, Siegi’s sausage or potato pancakes. The world of pumpkin beers is ever expanding. I knew about the Travelers line of Shandys and they were just OK in my opinion. Now with a Pumpkin Shandy in their arsenal they are ready to take some of that market. Well, it smells similar to a pumpkin spiced ale...with lemon peel. The base is still a lemon shandy with pumpkin and spices added. It’s pretty much pumpkin spice up front followed by a whole lot of shandy. Still has the effervesence like a soda with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest ABV: 5.9% Pair with: Crisp fall air and warm camp fire. Or some soft pretzels with spicy brown mustard. Taking over the local social media forums is the new Bourbon Barrel Mashie from Elk Valley. Not much to say because it will leave you speechless. And the price point isn’t the only wow factor. In collaboration with Scissortail Distillery they combined two local OK products and made a sweet malt bomb of maple malts and bourbon laced wonderment.
This is a fun beer for lovers of shandy, but I wouldn’t recommend it for pumpkin ale connoisseur. Unless you’re dying for that pumpkin badge on Untappd.
Parts of Mashie are present with sweet toffee characters pouring a dark amber to brown color. No head retention as it settles quickly and aromas of bourbon waft to your nose. Medium body coats the tongue with bourbon and small heat finish. Only improves as it warms and will be wondrous as it ages. Set a sixer of these back with a 10.9% ABV and let’s try a vertical in 6 years.
Score: B-
Score: A
Travelers Jack-O-Traveler
Elk Valley Brewing Co. Bourbon Barrel Mashie
Style: Shandy ABV: 4.4% Pair with: Fall bike rides, robust salads or dessert on its own.
Style: Wee Heavy ABV: 10.9% Pair with: Toffee pudding, Smoked meats OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 7
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OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 9
do you home brew? 10 | OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE
fellowship of oklahoma ale makers FOAM is the home brewing club of Tulsa. Our purpose is to promote beer literacy through education, preparation, and responsible enjoyment of quality beer. FOAM meets on the 2nd Thursday every month. Our club meetings include a short business recap, an optimal Tech Talk on homebrewing subject, and plenty of time to socialize and share brews. We host parties, several home brewing events and the FOAM Cup competition. Members may participate in many local beer festivals. Visit us at: Alemakers.org Questions: philospher@alemakers.org
red earth brewers Redearthbrewers.com Twitter: @RedEarthBrewers Facebook/RedEarthBrewers
high plains draughters High Plains Draughters C/O Trail Boss 1213 S.W. 117th Place Oklahoma City, OK 73170-4417 phone: Dan Shore at 405-692-8095 email: TrailBoss @ draughters.com
stillwater brewers league We meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm at District Bicycles (120 W. 7th Ave)
what’s your lightest beer? by Brian Welzbacher There are plenty of debates in the craft beer world as more brands and styles infiltrate the market. Are cans truly better than bottles? Are super-limited bottle releases still as exciting? Does expansion of brands help or hurt the final product? Questions like these are debated every day on the web. The most recent question though is something you’d hear more often in a bar or microbrewery. “What’s your lightest beer?” Right off the bat this irks me. However, it shows there is an uniformed consumer that hasn’t explored much of the craft beer spectrum and lends itself as a time to educate said person. Tim Schoelen from Mustang had this same issue as we discussed before our podcast. He quickly answers with another question, “What do you typically drink?” Tim is trying to pry out of the customer what their drinking habits are and not roll our eyes and think, oh great, another Bud Light drinker. Like any business, tap rooms give breweries a chance to have a one on one with the consumer and introduce them to possibly their new favorite beer. I see it happen a lot at Marshall Brewing where customers ask the same questions.
They give a well marketed description of the beer style and how it might compare to the “big beer” most are used to consuming. The one issue is all of these beers are low point. The same consumer may have a similar experience at a bar, but the element of control is lost in an employee that is not trained to sell one particular product. We are lucky there are several bars that care in product and presentation of beer and can only hope this continues as the public comes more online with the nuances of quality craft beer. I’ve poured beers for some events over the past summer and it’s rather funny to see 2 different spectrums of consumers. Both times I poured Prairie beers. Once at their tour where they served farmhouse style saisons, some spiked with Brett like Vision and others hopped like Americana. Of course you get 3 free beers so we want to try them all right? Not really. Some people just can’t do sour beers, others will only do sours, haha.
“Oh, I don’t like hoppy beers.” to which I replied that you may be surprised by the taste. Sure enough she was willing to try and absolutely loved it. This continued throughout the day and I’m sure garnered new interest in the farmhouse style. It’s great to see Oklahoma coming along with unique styles of beer in the market. Next time you feel we are losing a potential consumer, reach out and educate when you can. If nothing else you found someone to hear your debate on why craft is better than big beer. Thanks for reading.
At a public tasting for a liquor store I poured Standard and Bomb. Most patrons were familiar with Bomb and imbibed gratefully despite the high heat in June. Not many knew of Standard, a dry hopped farmhouse beer. One lady even commented, OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 11
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OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 13
fall Festival Season begins in oklahoma. big or small we have the details and exclusive insights to them all. get your pretzel necklaces and lederhosen ready!
55 Beers. Yeah, you heard me. This September 4- 12 in Choctaw, Oklahoma you can choose from 55 beers from domestic to all traditional Paulaner, Ayinger, Wiehenstepher and Warsteiner Oktoberfest beers. Expect to see Choc and Left Hand Oktoberfest for craft offerings. The Old Germany Restaurant has been celebrating with live authentic German music, cuisine and vendors for the past 25 years! They draw in over 50,000 people over 9 days to the event. Why not enjoy Labor Day a little different this year. Admission is only $5, Parking is FREE plus activites to keep the kinders occupied. Go grab a Bavarian pretzal and Schnitzel Sandwich, rock out to live German polka and enjoy the start of Fall! Prost! Check out their website: oldgermany.com
September 4-12 Choctaw Creek Park
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Weekend 1: Friday, September 4th: 5 PM to Midnight Saturday, Sept. 5th: Noon to Midnight Sunday, Sept. 6th: Noon to Midnight Week 2: Monday (Labor Day), Sept. 7th: Noon to Midnight Tuesday, Sept. 8th: 5 PM to Midnight Wednesday, Sept. 9th: 5 PM to Midnight Thursday, Sept. 10th: 5 PM to Midnight Friday, Sept. 11th: 5 PM to Midnight Saturday, Sept 12th: Noon to Midnight
Another festival that has gained so much ground over the past few years is the Oklahoma Scot Fest. A culmination of highland games, Scot Rock, traditional Scotish fare and vendors. If you’ve never been, this is the year to go. Test your fests of strength in the Highland Games or Tug o’ War. They have comedians as well as Will Rubright and Dick Hardagain who put on one of the best whiskey tastings you’ll ever witness. Naturally they’ll have American, Scottish and Irish beers available as well.
September 18-20 River West Festival Park Since their inception they have been the largest craft beer bar with the most taps in Tulsa. So when the first Harvest Fest came around it was shocking the small turnout that the first couple of years turned out. I recall meeting Anthem for the first time and being introduced to new beers I would never try before. This event has certainly grown over the years along with the craft movement and budding of local breweries. McNellies always supports local and brings their A game with rare releases, new beers from outside OK market and special surprises. They offer 2 sessions to help your liver sample over 100 beers from 40 breweries. You’re allowed to do both sessions if they feel you haven’t gone overboard. A 2 hour window allows you to grab some food from McNellies Group vendors and rehydrate.
October 3 McNellies Downtown Tulsa Session 1: 12pm - 3pm Session 2: 5pm - 8pm Tickets at ticketstorm.com or McNellies Tulsa locations $30 advance/$35 week of event
McNellies Harvest Beer Fest 2010 when it was in its infancy. Oh how times have changed.
OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 15
Come celebrate Oktoberfest the Roughtail way. In addition to the all the regular Roughtail beers you can score at the Taphouse, the following special-releases will be available at Roughtoberfest:
October 9-11 Roughtail Taphouse
-Oktoberfest -Hoppy Oktoberfest -Schwarzbier -Doppelbock -Hefeweizen -Weizenbock -Little Blue Pils -Pumpkin Latte Stout The weekend will also feature: -Growler fills of Pumpkin Latte Stout and Oktoberfest -1/2-liter and 1-liter steins for purchase and fill with select beers -A stein-hoisting contest -A costume contest (David Hasselhoff costumes will be considered) -Cornhole -German music -Brats and pretzels (From Roughtail Facebook Event page)
October 16 ONEOK Field One of Tulsa’s festivals that has come along in its young days is First Draft benefitting the Tulsa Press Club Scholarship program. Led by Tom Gilbert of the Tulsa World this is another exclusive event to try out numerous new beers released for fall/winter. In its 11th year, this festival now features over 50 beers from Oklahoma. With several new breweries online like Elk Valley and Iron Monk the value continues to increase each year. As this is a fundraiser, First Draft receives some high quality items for auction. A majority of them are mystery bags of craft beer and other dontations from local breweries. There is also ballpark food available to soak up all that beer and Okie Crowe will be selling beer soaps and local crafts. For only $50 you’ll receive a souvenir glass, delicious ballpark fare and tasting over 75 beers for about 4 hours. Generally one of the best beer tasting values in the state. VIP will allow you access 30 minutes before the event as well as a special section with limited beers and food.
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No doubt you’ve had one of their sausages at Tulsa Oktoberfest or one of the many other festivals that take place throughout Oklahoma. Siegi’s Sausage Factory is throwing its 3rd Oktoberfest at their shop on 81st and Sheridan. There is live music, dancing, stein hoist competition, Marshall Brewing beer as well as favorite Oktoberfest imports. The traditional German market and restaurant has been making sausage for over 30 years and is a family run business. It only made sense to have their own Oktoberfest in South Tulsa with the wide variety of sausages, schnitzel and beer they serve daily. One big draw is that they have a raffle where the top prize has been a private tour of the Marshall Brewing Co. brewery. If you enjoy the Oktoberfest atmosphere but want to avoid the heavy crowds this is the perfect place. Be sure to grab a Marshall Beer Brat that is made of freshly ground pork and marinated in Marshall beer. Also available in local grocery stores if you can’t wait for October.
October 16-17 Siegi's Sausage Factory
LINDE OKTOBERFEST TULSA
October 22-25 River West Festival Park
One of the most revered Oktoberfests in the country, Tulsa has put on its annual Bavarian fueled fest for 37 years. Spared at no expense they fly in authentic bands to keep us dancing into the night. The German-American Society cooks up the best schnitzel and kartoffelpuffers (potato pancakes) in my opinion. Most importantly the beer selection has grown to fill our Mas Krugs (liter mugs) with Oktoberfest style beers along with Marshall Brewing’s quaffable dunkel. (Be careful, it’s that good.) They offer a family fun atmosphere with carnival rides, unique vendors selling steins, apparel and collectibles. I recommend getting a couple chicken dances in early, fuel back up on sausage and schnitzel, imbibe a Marshall Oktoberfest and finish with a strudel from Helmuts. (Oh, and they will sell out of strudel so get it early.) Fun Fact: “The dance was reintroduced in the United States in 1981 during the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oktoberfest. They wanted to demonstrate their love through dance in costumes, but there were no duck costumes available anywhere near Tulsa. At a local television station, however, a chicken costume was available which was donated for use at the festival, giving the “Chicken Dance” its name.“ Sourced from: Mills, Russell. “Services schedule for Tulsa’s ‘Mr. Oktoberfest,’ Josef Hardt”- KJRH
OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 17
craft food Beer and food are meant to be enjoyed together. Here you may find recipes, restaurants and reviews of just that.
Marshall Oktoberfest Braised Short Ribs by Chef Trey Winkle
(This recipe can be increased or decreased depending on how many pounds of Short Rib you have available.) Heat a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or shallow pot capable of holding all of the meat over medium heat. You can do this while chopping your vegetables. After your vegetables have been coarsely chopped and your aromatics have been assembled, pat the short rib dry with paper towels. Coat the meat with oil and make sure to season liberally with the Kosher Salt on every side. Add a thin layer of canola oil to your heavy bottomed pot and increase the heat to medium-high. The oil should shimmer and appear to have ripples. Carefully place the Rack meat side downing the pot, the bones should be facing you. Sear the meat until golden/brown. The meat should not stick as long as your pan is hot enough. You can slide it around on the flesh side and give it a really great crust by exposing it to new, hot areas of the pan. When the flesh looks how you want it, sear each lip of the rack by holding the rack with tongs, once again, sliding it around along the surface. There should be a nice fond, brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan, created by the meat. Remove the meat and reserve on a cooling rack if possible. Add your Carrot, Onion, and Celery to this same pot and decrease the heat to medium. Sweat the vegetables until they’re begging to soften and become aromatic. Add the meat back to the pot along with all other ingredients. For a braise you want to cover 2/3 of the meat with liquid. You can use as much of the beer as you’d like for this, and can use it in combination with stock, broth, or water as well. I would only assume you’re down to 5, maybe 4 beers at this point. You can substitute water for anything left. The meat and vegetables will create an intense broth you can reduce or thicken for a sauce. Place in an oven at 250 F for at least 4 hours. You want the meat to move when touched, but be careful to be gentle or it will all fall apart. Allow to cool in the pot with the liquid over night. Pull out of the braising liquid gently, cut in between each bone to portion, and strain liquid for reheating. Reheat in a warm oven in a bit of braising liquid with the rest being used for a sauce. 18 | OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE
What you’ll need: 2-5 lb. Rack, Bone-In Short Rib Kosher Salt 2 Fresh Carrots, chopped coarsely 3 Ribs Celery, chopped coarsely 1 Large, Yellow Onion, chopped coarsley 1 Bay Leaf 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed 2 Sprigs of Rosemary 1 Small Bunch Thyme 1 T Black Pepper Corns 1 6-pack Craft Beer, something you enjoy, but nothing too expensive
We’d love to share your recipes or how you use beer in cooking. Send us recipes and pictures to brian@beerisok.com
unfiltered Q&A Senator Stephanie Bice was kind enough to discuss the latest news of her SB383 and thoughts on beer tourism.
How did this Craft Revolution come about? Bice: Well, as you know in the State of OK we have 2 strengths of beer. The 3.2 is considered low point that can be sold in grocery and convenience stores but must be sold separately from full strength beer which is sold warm in retail packaged liquor stores. The challenge is that many of the craft beers, because of the way they are made need to be chilled due to quality and freshness purposes. Unfortunately in the state of OK, our retail stores are unable to chill any of these products. This is problematic for two reasons. One, it prevents breweries from coming to the state because they have concerns about quality and freshness issues. Second, from a consumer’s position, it is very inconvenient. You can go out and buy a couple dozen low point that are chilled at a convenience store but you can’t buy a craft beer at a liquor store that is cold. The idea of bill 383 was born from the craft brewing community that has blossomed over the past 5 years and the craft beer drinkers that find it frustrating that you can’t go to the store and buy a cold beer and drink in the comfort of your own home. When I filed the original bill, it would have allowed for package stores to refrigerate high point. What happened with many of convenience stores and grocery stores across the state said, “Wait a minute, if they’re all the same cold beer we don’t want to sell any of this low point because it won’t be as popular.” As you know craft brew scene has exploded over the past decade or so and it’s evident by the fact that many large beer companies across the country are buying small craft breweries to grow their market share. After I filed the bill, there was some excitement but also trepidation from both sides. On the flip side of that, I have a lot of people asking me about the ability to chill wine in grocery and
convenience stores because that’s not an option currently either. So, what we’re currently trying to do over the interim is to move to a single strength rather than this two tier system in place and sell wine in grocery and convenience stores. What can we expect in 2016? Bice: The plan of action is that we will vote on this in 2016 legislative session. There will be 2 different votes that will occur. One of them will be to put a ballot initiative together to repeal the Article 28 of the constitution. Article 28 contains all of the language that references 3.2 beer. It was written in 1959 after prohibition was repealed. Because all of this is constitutional we have to have a vote of the people to change it. The second will be to rewrite the laws the way we want to see them today. What are concerns of local businesses? Bice: They have made some legitimate concerns about this bill. What I try to explain to them is it is not a mandate, they can choose not to if it is more cost effective not to refrigerate. In lieu of that they could maybe sell their products at a lower price because they don’t want to pay for refrigeration. On the flipside of that, I’m not asking stores to buy huge coolers to cover 30% of the store. They may want to refrigerate say the top 10 best-selling brands they carry which would require small refrigeration that could easily be installed in their stores. Have you discussed our issues with other states? Bice: I have. I’m actually on a panel with the commissioner of alcohol for Minnesota as well as a couple of think tanks doing a lot of independent research. You know, Oklahoma, we’re kind of unique
OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 19
in that most of this is constitutional and still have this 2 strength system. We’re 1 of 5 that still have it along with Kansas, Utah, Colorado, and Minnesota. I’m not looking to sell liquor in convenience or grocery stores and want to make sure we are keeping in mind that access to minors is on the forefront and we need to make sure it is limited just like it is today. What’s your opinion on the 424 bill and local tourism? Bice: That was introduced by Sen. Brian Crain out of Tulsa. I would have preferred that to have passed this past session but I am very supportive of that and pass next session as well. I think craft brewing in general has been a tourism boost for a lot of states. There are states doing food and beer festivals that are generating a lot of interest and revenue to the state. It would give us the same opportunity to do some unique things like that. This isn’t just opening up access to adults for more beer, but also an economic development initiative. Once this bill passes, what cold, high point beer will you purchase? Bice: My go-to beer is Hoegaarden. I would love to be able to go buy a six pack of Hoegaarden to take home and enjoy one with dinner. I also really like the Mustang Rocket Fuel and also like La Fin du Monde in the comfort of my own home. Cans or bottles? Bice: Bottles. No real reason, I will drink out of a bottle more than a pint glass. Thanks again Stephanie! We appreciate you taking time to talk with us. Bice: You bet. I may be doing some more web articles and social media once we get closer to session so be sure to look for those. Follow and fight with Senator Stephanie Bice Twitter: @stephaniebice
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The most wonderful time for beer.
tulsawinterwarmer.com
OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 21
CULTIVATE
the
craft
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local Festivals Event
Location
Dates
Website
Choctaw Oktoberfest
Choctaw, OK
Sept. 4-12
www.oldgermany.com
ScotFest
Tulsa, OK
Sept. 18-20 www.okscotfest.com
McNellie’s Harvest Festival
Tulsa, OK
Oct. 3
www.ticketstorm.com/venue/mcnelliesoutdoors/tulsa/1928
Roughtoberfest
Midwest City, OK
Oct. 9-11
www.roughtailbeer.com
Tulsa Press Club First Draft
Tulsa, OK
Oct. 16
www.firstdrafttulsa.com
Siegi’s Oktoberfest
Tulsa, OK
Oct. 16-17
www.siegis.eventbrite.com
Tulsa Oktoberfest
Tulsa, OK
Oct. 22-25
www. tulsaoktoberfest.org
Hops for Hope
Bartlesville, OK
Nov. 7
http://www.hops4hope.org
Tulsa Winter Warmer
Tulsa, OK
Dec. 5
http://www.tulsawinterwarmer.com
11.07.15 06.30 pm brew years of craft ent! Celebrating 6 m n ai rt te ht en & quality in- ig
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