2012 /
The first Beers Made By Walking program was so inspiring that I decided to expand the program this year. To recap BMBW is a program that invites brewers to make beer inspired by nature hikes and urban walks. Each walk is different, each beer is a portrait of that landscape.
This year I worked with sixteen breweries, ten homebrewers, and organized four events in three states - Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. For each event I published a catalog that also served as an informational menu with descriptions of the hikes, the beers, and each brewer's thought processes. Last year I organized the project as part of the UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art programming and this year I decided to do the project independently. Below are some recaps of the four events and some of the hikes. You can also see more information at beersmadebywalking.com.
Oregon
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| The public hike through the Whychus Canyon Preserve with Deschutes Brewery |
In Oregon I worked with five breweries in distinct parts of the state. Deschutes Brewery is in Bend and their hike was through the Whychus Canyon Preserve. Their beer raised a couple thousand dollars for the Deschutes Land Trust. Standing Stone in Ashland hike Grizzly Peak. Flat Tail in Corvallis walked along the waterfront area in town. Upright and Coalition are both in Portland. Coalition's hike was through Forest Park, the largest in-city park in the county. Upright's hike was in the Mount Hood National Forest.
The beers were served at Belmont Station in Portland on October 22nd. The beers were:
Coalition Brewing - Ale with Stinging Nettles and Salmonberry
Deschutes Brewery - IPA with Juniper and Sage
Flat Tail Brewing - Fresh Hop Cherry Saison with Corvallis Cherries and Yarrow
Standing Stone Brewery - Ale with Sweet Root, and Wild Ginger
Upright Brewing - Saison with Yarrow and Rose
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| Coalition Brewing's hike was through Forest Park in Portland |
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| Salmon Berries |
Washington
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| Our camping spot in Carnation, WA during The Long Walk |
I was invited to do a Beers Made By Walking as part of Susan Robb's expansive project The Long Walk Seattle. A group of about 60 people walked 45+ miles on the King County Regional Trail System over three days from Seattle to Snoqualmie. I worked with Snoqualmie Brewery to create a beer with ingredients from a walk around a park in Carnation, WA, which was one of the overnight stops along The Long Walk. The beer ended up being a Stinging Nettle Ale and was served while we at the park.
Colorado (Denver)
I invited ten breweries across the state of Colorado to go on nature hikes and make beer inspired by the landscape of Colorado. The beers were served during the Great American Beer Festival at Wynkoop Brewing in Denver, one of the main drinking destinations of the week. Visitors from all over the country were able to these local-minded beers. The brewers ranged from brand-new small breweries to more established large breweries.
A list of the beers for the event:
- Crooked Stave - Foragester Sai-bucha - A blend of three beers with jasmine kombucha tea, linen flowers, and wild grapes.
- Oskar Blues - Opuntia Zytha - Our brew is a Golden Ale made with prickly pear cactus and fresh hops picked out of Charlie Papazian's yard.
- Lone Tree - High Plains Harvest Brown - Brown Ale with whiskey soaked pumpkin seeds and orange blossom honey.
- Phantom Canyon - Sundance Saison - A balanced and clean Saison made with rose hips and sumac.
- Pikes Peak - Dances with Bees - Inspired by a hike to Palmer Lake Reservoir, a golden honey ale with sunflower seeds.
- Pikes Peak - Kriekenstein - A 4% sour mash Kriek with chokecherry.
- Ska Brewing - Cerveza de las Animas Perdidas - A dry and fruity Saison spiced with juniper, yarrow, and chokecherries, inspired by the Animas River in Durango.
- Strange - Eldorado Bel-Gin Dark - Brewed with juniper berries and pineapple weed this Belgian Dark Ale is the color of the canyon walls along Eldorado Creek.
- Trinity - Saison Du Tomme - Light bodied Saison with rose hips and amaranth from the hike, also added is lemongrass and grains of paradise.
- Wynkoop - Oishi Gochiso - A light lager made with pacific rim hops and a blend of spices and tea inspired by our urban walk.
Colorado (Colorado Springs)
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| Some of the walkers at Palmer Lake Reservoir |
A text from the BMBW website reads:
This summer we invited eight groups of local homebrewers to join us on a public hike. We walked the Palmer Lake Reservoir Trail, identifying edible and medicinal plants along the way. Each group came up with an exciting and innovative recipe, using ingredients that are non-traditional in contemporary brewing practices. The beers were produced at Pikes Peak Brewing and will be available at the brewery for one day only.
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| Four of the beers during the tasting event at Pikes Peak Brewing in Monument, CO. |
We hosted about 25 people on our public hike and the beers were served in early September. A couple of the beers were selected to be rebrewed on a larger scale at local breweries and were served at the Denver event as well. Here is a list of the beers and the brewers:
Bryan Paradisi and Oren Weil
Professor Plum / Brandy Oak Plum Porter
Carol White and Zenia Brink
Rosie's Wild Hips and Hops / Belgian Pale Ale with Rose Hips, Clover Honey and Wild Hops
John Landreman
Sundance Saison / Saison with Rose Hips and Sumac
Josh Adamski
Maple Ryetious Pale Ale / Maple Rye Pale Ale
Mike Bordick
Palmer Special Ale / Belgian Rye Brown with Maple and Juniper
Mike "Lefty" McGuckian
Dances With Bees / Cream Ale with Sunflower and Wildflower Honey
Scott Simmons
Kreikenstein / Sour Stein Kreik with Chokecherry
Scott Werner
Gose of Summer's Past / German Gose with Bee Balm and Sumac
