Jeff Williamson: No Longer Brewer for Flat Earth

Yep, I realize this is old news (check out Michael Agnew's blog post if you haven't heard). It's just been eating away at me, so I figured I'd put my thoughts out there.

Jeff founded Flat Earth and made a lot of friends (customers, brewers, etc.) along the way. Over the years, I've chatted with Jeff on several occasions and can definitely understand why. Knowing the friendly man behind the beer helped people appreciate his products for more than just their flavor. They knew the local head brewer on a first name basis, which was pretty sweet.

Another thing that was so cool about Jeff and Flat Earth - he opened the brewery long before the current Minnesota craft brewery explosion took place, which makes him something of a beer pioneer in the Twin Cities. He was ahead of the curve.

Somewhat recently, Flat Earth was in dire financial straights and needed to be saved by an investor. When this happened, many people were relieved when they found out that Jeff would remain head brewer. Apparently, our relief was short-lived.

There's no way for me to know everything that took place behind the scenes in this situation. I can't explain all the details of why Jeff is no longer working for Flat Earth. What I do know is this: if he was forced out under negative circumstances (which seems to be the case at the moment), Flat Earth's sales will almost surely drop. Jeff's fans and friends are loyal, and I don't think they'll support a brewery that fired him.

I wish Jeff good luck in the future and I hope he'll make his way back into the beer business again. I know he'll have a lot of people willing to help him out.

Beer Brief #17 - Persephone Pils

 
Brewery - Grand Teton Brewing Company, Victor, Idaho

Beer - Persephone Pils (2011 Cellar Reserve)

Style - Imperial Pilsner

ABV - 8.76%

IBU - 70

Color - Golden with a billowy white head

Aroma - Faint bread, hint of honey, herbal spice, and lemon peel citrus

Flavor - Biscuity malt, slight tangerine, lemongrass, touch of dry pine, metallic bitterness

Verdict - To be fair, I need to clarify something. This beer was donated to me for a Beer Brief after having sat on a shelf for a little while. I didn't realize how long until I just did a little research before writing this post. Apparently, Grand Teton released this beer in February of 2011. That means it is now well over a year old. That normally wouldn't bother me with a beer this strong, but the Grand Teton website highly recommends drinking Persephone Pils fresh due to the "deep hop flavors" (in case you aren't aware, hop characters dissipate with age). Oops.

Oh well. I still find this beer very enjoyable, but I imagine it was much better last year around this time. It has a nice spice to the aroma and some very pleasant citrus qualities. It's also near impossible after tasting to tell that it's nearing 8% ABV. Very appropriate for the 80+ degree weather today, due to the deceptively light flavors and crisp finish.

Homebrewing Demonstration

Ever wondered what it takes to make a batch of home brewed beer? Considering getting into making your own beer, but holding back because you don't know how it's done? Then stop by Dugarel's Bar and Grill in Hastings this Saturday, May 5th between 11am-5pm. My local homebrew club is putting on a brewing demo for the AHA Big Brew Day. We'll be out on the patio brewing 2 batches of beer (one extract and one all-grain) and answering your questions. Should be a great time! I hope to see you there.