Beer Camp fun: Making new brew

Fred Crudder has a secret he’s been sharing all over Atlanta during the past few weeks.

In November, Crudder traveled to Chico, Calif., home of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. There, he participated in a unique program dubbed Beer Camp, and helped create a limited-edition beer, now known as Hop Secret 393.

“Representatives of key accounts for Sierra Nevada are invited to the brewery to learn about beer, brewing and Sierra Nevada history,” says Crudder, beverage director for Atlanta-based Taco Mac. “We also tasted a lot of beer. And at the end of the first day, we were all given a quiz. The person who scored the highest got to decide what kind of beer we would brew and would possess veto power over the rest of the group, as far as the specifics of the beer. As it turned out, that was me.”

Working with Sierra Nevada brewers, and the pilot system the company uses to develop new and experimental beers, Crudder and his fellow campers had several ideas about styles they might like to make. But during a tour of the lab, Crudder became curious about a new, unnamed hop, numbered 393, that Sierra had yet to try in a brew.

“Of course, we had to use that,” Crudder says. “And everybody got really excited about showcasing this hop, and finding out what it was all about, so we decided to build a beer around that.”

The result was a recipe for an unfiltered ale, with similarities to the barley malt found in Sierra’s seasonal Celebration Ale. But in the case of Hop Secret 393, there was an addition of wheat malt, and most of the hops, including those used for finishing and dry-hopping the beer, were the experimental 393 variety.

Sierra Nevada Hop Secret 393 was featured at Sierra’s annual sales meeting. Reports started rolling in early in February and, says Crudder, “the reviews were outstanding.”

Eight kegs were shipped to Georgia for tastings at Taco Mac locations. The tastings started Feb. 9 at Windward Parkway, where Crudder poured the first pint and took his first taste.

“Every eye in the room was on me,” he says. “I was being very critical, but my reaction was one of elation and slight relief. And then we just got down talking about what we thought of it. We really liked the fact that when you first start drinking it, the hops jump and grab you, but actually the hop flavor isn’t cloying, and it leaves you wanting another sip.”

Sierra Nevada Hop Secret 393 tastings continue at Taco Mac locations in Newnan on Friday, Kennesaw on March 2 and Crabapple on March 11. Read more about Crudder’s adventures at Beer Camp and upcoming Taco Mac beer events on his blog, Fred’s Beer Page: fredsbeerpage.blogspot.com.

Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast.

btowns@bellsouth.net