Kern River Brewing Company

KRBC Strikes Gold in Denver

2011-10-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

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KRBC Strikes Gold in Denver!

Citra Wins a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival!

Kern River Brewing Company and Brewer Kyle Smith just walked away with one of the highest honors you can receive in the craft beer world, a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. Our Citra Double IPA won the highly competitive Imperial IPA category, edging out over 100 other entries. Needless to say we are extremely excited about the award and proud of Kyle for this amazing achievement.

Kyle, Rebecca, Eric and Maggie, were on-hand to receive the award from Charlie Papazian, President of the Brewers Association and legend in the brewing world (wish you were there Michelle!!!). Charlie is famous for many things, but in particular his contributions to homebrewers everywhere; as someone who started as a homebrewer long before KRBC opened, shaking Charlie's hand (wrapped in bandages to prevent over-exuberance injuries from excited brewers) was particularly thrilling for Kyle. Steve Simpson (arguably our number one fan) was also on hand to help out with the festival and keep us in line; a huge thanks to him for all the help (and the photos!).

So what does this award mean for KRBC? Well, aside from validating what we knew all along (that Kyle makes great beer), it means that Kernville is emphatically stamped on the beer map. The Imperial IPA category was one of the 5 toughest categories in the festival in terms of the number of entries; it is certainly one of the more coveted awards of the entire festival.

As for Citra, we will continue with our plan to brew and bottle it several times a year. Due to its likely increase in popularity (if that is even possible), we will have to rethink the best way to release it so that visitors and locals alike will be able to enjoy it as much as possible. In the meantime though, we will have to have some sort of party to celebrate all of this; we will keep you posted as to when that might be...

For the full results of the festival, check out this Results Link

Also, check out this great Press Release; among other things, it mentions that in the festival competition there were 526 breweries and 3,930 beers...

Thanks to all of our fans who have reached out and congratulated us on this big news and thanks to everyone who has supported us over the past 5 years; Cheers, and we will see you back at the pub soon!

Hope you enjoyed this informative installment of the Brews News. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions, please send them our way!

Cheers,

The Crew

Kern River Brewing Company

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Kern River Brewing Company | 13415 Sierra Way | Kernville | CA | 93238

Brews News June 22nd - It's Summer Time!

2011-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

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It is officially Summer!

We're Legal!

Our Citra Label was officially approved by the TTB. For those that don't know, we have to go through a label approval process for all of our beers. The government wants to make sure we don't do stuff like show babies drinking beer or talk about how drunk our beers will get you; of course some companies have fun with the process , Lagunitas' Wilco Tango Foxtrot for example (you can't put Whiskey on a beer that does not contain Whiskey). This is also one reason why we don't bottle many of our seasonal beers, but after so much positive response to Citra, we decided to go ahead an get the label process going.

Since our artist for our flagship beers has passed away, our newer labels have gone in a different direction. We plan on releasing Citra later this year and releasing it multiple times every year - hope you get to enjoy some next time it comes out!

We're Number 10 (and number 4)!

KRBC's 5th Anniversary Ale recently made it into Beer Advocate's top ten list of Double IPA's! Joining Citra, which resides at number 4 in that list, this puts KRBC up with some pretty amazing company in the beer world in terms of top of the line Hoppy Beers. Of course Russian River leads the list with the top two double IPA's in Pliney the Younger and Pliney the Elder, but KRBC is right there with Hill's Farmstead and Alpine Beer Company in terms of making top notch IPA's - what a great group of brewers to be associated with. Check out the entire list here.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that we are out of our 5th Anniversary Ale, so you can't have any... At least for a little while; we will be brewing this beer again this year as well. Keep up to date with the brews news or closely monitor our website for release info.

Out of the Blue this Friday

Out of the Blue was able to escape from desert tortoise for a much anticipated show at the brewery (by the way, the picture to the left is not our new Vegas location) so come on out and catch their great mix of bluegrass, country and country from another country.

As you might have noticed, the brewery is pretty busy this summer, but hopefully we are still doing a good job of taking care of everybody. I know the staff is doing their best, so if you end up having to wait a little bit while you are here during busy times try to relax, have a great craft beer and enjoy the bustle of summer!

Hope you enjoyed this informative installment of the Brews News. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions, please send them our way!

Cheers,

The Crew

Kern River Brewing Company

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Kern River Brewing Company | 13415 Sierra Way | Kernville | CA | 93238

5th Anniversary Extravaganza!

2011-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Come See What's Brewing in Central California!

Kern River Brewing Company Celebrates Craft Beer Week, May 16-22

Kern River Brewing Company will be showcasing local breweries during craft beer week and releasing a few special beers of our own. Starting May 16th, we will be taping a variety of offerings from our brewing friends on the East and West side of the Southern Sierra; come on by and see what's brewing!

Lengthwise: Harvest Moon Wheat, Triple Hop Red
Firestone Walker: 14th Anniversary Ale, Double Jack IIPA
Mammoth: Dos Osos, 395 Double IPA
Indian Wells: Lobotomy Bock
Brewbakers: IPA

5th Anniversary Ale release party, Friday the 13th!

Has it been 5 years already? I guess time flies when you're drinking good beer...

Every year we celebrate our birthday by releasing a unique beer. Typically it is a Belgian style of some sort, but this year we are going to do something a little different - a Double IPA.

This brew uses a new blend of Northwest Hops called Falconer's Flight that has been created by Hopunion to honor brewer Glen Hay Falconer (you can learn more about Glen here). Among the hops in the blend are Citra, Simcoe and Sorachi Ace. In the spirit of our Citra DIPA, this beer is extensively dry hopped and extremely drinkable (8% abv, 78 IBU). Unlike Citra, it will be available in 22 oz bottles at the brewery and select retail locations. Come get yours while it lasts!

5th Anniversary - Wood!

In addition to our 5th Anniversary Ale, we will be releasing some barrel aged beers on Sunday, May 15th.

Class X Bourbon Barrel aged Stout: Class V Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels and served on Nitro - flavors of bourbon, chocolate and more bourbon. This is always a local favorite!

Barrel Aged Sour with Door County Cherries: This is a blend of our 1st Anniversary Ale (Abbey) aged over three years in a Chardonnay barrel with Door County Cherries and our Saison aged in Pinot Noir barrels for over a year. This is truly a one of a kind beer...

As usual, these barrel aged beers are brewery releases only and there are no growler fills. To get your taste buds on them, you'll have to come by and wish us a happy birthday in person!

Hope you enjoyed this informative installment of the Brews News. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions, please send them our way! Oh yeah, don't forget we are open for lunch 7 days a week now so you won't have to wait in line for all these awesome beers!

Cheers,

The Crew

Kern River Brewing Company

Brews News Dec 7th

2010-12-07T11:47:00.001-08:00

Kern River Brewing Company Newsletter

December Brews News

December 2010

Dear Eric,

Hey Folks,

Winter is upon us in the Kern River Valley. There is already lots of snow in the high country and the days are on the cool side; leaving only locals and a few brave souls to hang-out at the brewery. This makes it one of the best times to come up and visit; hotel rooms are available (and cheaper!), camping is wide open, and the line for beer is short (OK, there is no line). So come on up, grab a seat at the bar and a Holiday Ale and enjoy the serenity that is Kernville in the winter time.

Cheers,
The Crew
Kern River Brewing Co.

Winter Time in the Kern River Valley

Breckenridge view to Walker Basin

Last week we had quite the snow storm with classic rime ice formation on the trees. Above is an image from the top of Breckenridge looking over towards Walker Basin - check out ice covered tree in the foreground and the clouds spilling over the peaks in the distance. If you want to look at some web-cams in the Sierra, check out the following link:

USGS Sierra Webcams

In This Issue

It's Winter!

Article Title

Events

Music

Holiday Ale

We have just released the Holiday Ale on draft and in Bottles. You can find it at the brewery and at select bottle shops in the Kern Vally, Bakersfield, Ridgecrest and Southern California. We even sent some kegs down south, so keep an eye out at your local watering hole!

We sat down with Brewer/Owner Kyle Smith to learn more about this tasty Rye IPA seasonal brew, how he came up with the idea and what it takes to brew it. Enjoy!

Q. When did you come up with the recipe for the Holiday Ale?

A. I came up with that recipe the first year we were open, I had never brewed any beers with Rye in them before so it was a little challenging the first time around.

Q. Why did you choose a Rye IPA?

A. I'm a huge fan of the Hop Rod Rye that Bear Republic has, and was shooting for that style of beer with our own twist on the malt and hop additions.

Q. How does Rye affect the flavor of the beer? How do you choose the hops that best work with this style of beer?

A. The Rye kind of gives the beer a sweet spiciness flavor. You're looking for high alpha hops to balance out the huge malt bill. That why I chose to use the varieties like Magnum and Columbus.

Q. Is there anything you have to do differently when brewing with Rye?

A. YES! You end up stirring the mash continually during the brewing process. Rye does not have a husk on the grain like barley so without the husk the sparging process is a little slower than normal.

Q. Do you have any special plans for this beer (cask/barrels etc)?

A. Yes, we filled some firkins last week. So we should have some Holiday Cask out around Christmas.

Q. What is your favorite Holiday/Winter beer?

A. Delirium Christmas or the old standby Sierra Nevada Celebration

Events:
Make your own Holiday Cookie and a Christmas Beer Tasting!

December 15th (4 pm till the kiddies are worn out): We are going to be decorating Christmas Cookies at the brewery. We provide the Cookies, Icing and Baking - you provide the artwork. Fun for the whole family - and it is Free!

December 16th (6 pm till the beer is gone): We will open a few bottles of assorted Christmas beers for sampling; the lineup is listed below. If you want to bring something to contribute to the sampling, you are more than welcome. Again, no charge.

Alesmith - Yulesmith - Imperial Red Ale 9.5% abv
Port - Santa's Little Helper - Russian Imperial Stout 9.5% abv
Affligem - Noel - Belgian Strong Dark Ale - 9.0% abv
Rouge - Santa's Private Reserve Ale - American Red Ale 6.0% abv
Ninkasi - Sleigh'r - Dark Double Alt 7.2% abv
High and Mighty Beer Co - Home for the Holidays - Oak Aged Winter Ale 7.2% abv

Live Music Friday, December 10th - Out of the Blue!

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Save 10% On Merchandise!	Our Annual Christmas Sale on all merchandise: Shirts, Pint Glasses, Stickers, Hats and Hoodies. Perfect gifts for that beer guzzling special someone in your life!
Offer Expires: 12/25/10 - not applicable to growlers, food, beer or gift certificates!

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

Kern River Brewing Company Newsletter

Newsletter Subtitle

Month Year

Hey Folks,

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at the brewery! We wanted to update you on a few happenings around the brewery; we also have an interview with Terry Harris from Out of the Blue who will be playing this Friday - check it out!

Cheers,

The Crew
Kern River Brewing Co.

KRBC will be Closed Thanksgiving Day

Toooo much foooood

We will be busy eating waaaay too much good food to open on Thanksgiving Day.

Don't worry, we will be open our normal hours on Wednesday for your pre-holiday needs and of course our normal Friday-Sunday hours for you post holiday wind-down.

Interview with Terry Harris - Dobro Extraordinaire

Terry Harris plays the Dobro and shares vocal duties with Pat Seamount and Mike Gallagher in Out of the Blue - a bluegrass band that also features Kris Martin on the bass and will be playing at the brewery this Friday Night. Terry also chases cattle, builds instruments and is an all around good guy. You name it, he's done it from surfing to mountain biking to roping cattle; I'm pretty sure he was the first choice for those Dos Equis commercials, but he was just too modest to take the gig. He was gracious enough to sit down with us and answer a few questions:

Editor's Note: I interviewed Terry on the phone. I took some notes, but didn't really record anything - so while I wrote down the answers to the questions, I am going to make up the gist of the response. Yeah, yeah, bad journalism, I know, but this is the internet, how high can our standards be?

Vital Statistics
Age: 59 Place of Birth: Long Beach, CA. Residence: Percy Canyon (Northeast Side of Lake Isabella)

Standard Questions
Q: How long have you been playing music?
A: Since I was 16. (long pause) That's Like 43 years...

Q: What is your favorite song to play?
A: The Train Leaves Here (Eagles) and Moonlight Motor Inn (Nanci Griffith), right now those are my favorites. Pat sings a great version of Moonlight Motor Inn.

Q: What is your favorite beer at the brewery?
A: Bourbon Barrel Stout. Are you almost out?
(Nope Terry, we should still have some on Friday when you play)

Q: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not playing music?
A: Practice Music. That's pretty much my favorite; that and working with my cattle.

Q: What is your favorite thing about playing at the brewery?
A: The people that come in to listen to us play, especially the owners (yes, he actually said that, I'm not just putting that in).

Non-Standard Questions:
Q: If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?
A: Bagpipes, because they are obnoxious... actually I would be a Dobro.

Q: If you had a superpower, what would it be?
A: I have always wanted to be able to fly; I would just cruise around and check things out. Teleporting would be good too, but that's more Star Trek.

Q: What is something that you have done that nobody would believe?
A: We hiked the Hakeakala Crater in a day. (Yes, I had to ask how to spell it and for the record, Terry got it right). That's 10,025 feet. I've done a lot of stupid stuff that nobody would believe; I jumped a motorcycle off a cliff and lived.
Q: What? How high was it?
A: High. I was racing a friend, Mark Cattell and we never saw it coming. We both jumped off side by side and landed it on the slope, we crashed at the bottom and it took us half a day to get our bikes back up.
Q: Who's Idea was that?
A: It was an ongoing thing. Don't you ever go out riding with your friends and start pushing the envelope?
Q: I don't jump off any cliffs!
A: Yeah, I've done lots of stupid stuff nobody would believe...

Q: If you could only eat one dish for Thanksgiving, what would it be?
A: Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!

Q: What are you Thankful for this Thanksgiving?
A: I love my grand kids and I'm really thankful for them. Family is very important to me.

Thanks for sitting down with us Terry; we'll see you Friday Night!

Food Specials

And Citra!!!

mmm beer

We will be having food specials throughout the week with a pre-turkey day special on Wednesday: Turkey, Brie and Cranberry Sauce Sandwich!

Yes, we will also have Citra on again this week. Right now it looks like it will be ready Friday; just in time to come hang out and listen to Out of the Blue!

Our Holiday Ale is also in the fermenter - should be ready on tap and in bottles in early December - more details to come!

Out of the Blue Friday Night

Friends, family and great music; what else could you ask for after a day of stuffing yourself and laying on the couch. Come on in and enjoy your brewery!

Kern Valley Toy Drive

We have a large bucket in the front of the brewery collecting toys for kids of the Kern River Valley. These toys will be given out to families that would otherwise have a not-so-merry Christmas. Please bring in an unwrapped toy and you will get a gift in return from us - a KRBC beverage of your choice (sorry, no barrel aged beers - we just don't have enough). Thanks for helping!

On Thanksgiving day it is a tradition to go around the table and say what you are thankful for. Here at the brewery we are thankful for our family, our friends, beer, and of course you - the people that allow us to continue to do what we love to do. Thanks again for making Kern River Brewing Company what it is.

Brews News - Nov 5th

2010-11-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Eric,

Hey Folks,

We have a lot of stuff going on this week, not to mention this new fancy e-mail look. This is a test run, so hopefully it works! Enjoy the Brews News and we'll see you at the brewery!

Sincerely,

Eric Giddens

Featured Article

San Diego Beer Week - Southern California's (and possibly the world's) finest Beer Festival will have Kern River Brewing Company Events at the Toronado, O'Brien's and Down Town Johnny Brown's!

In This Issue

Citra Release

KRBC in the SD

SD Booty Dinner!

New Beers On Tap

Live Music - Slideways!

Citra Release

This Saturday, November 6th, we will be releasing the latest batch of Citra Double IPA! We will also be bringing this tasty treat down to San Diego Beer Week, so to make sure we can keep in on tap at the brewery for more than a few days, we are setting a 2 growler per person, per visit limit.

San Diego Beer Week with KRBC

KRBC is headed down to San Diego Beer Week to showcase our hand-crafted beers. We will have events at the following locations:

Tuesday, November 9th - The Toronado 7 pm
Wednesday, November 10th - O'Brien's Pub 4:30 pm
Thursday, November 11th - Down Town Johnny Brown's 5 pm

San Diego Booty Dinner - Wednesday, November 17th, 6:30-8::00 pm

While down in San Diego, we are going to keep an eye out for some of the amazing beers they are producing down there and bringing some home. What better way to enjoy it than a food and beer pairing dinner! We don't know exactly what beers we will have yet, or what the menu will be, but we do know it will be a four-course meal with steamed mussels as the main dish. Each course will be paired with a 5-oz sample of beer.

Tickets will be on sale at the brewery; 16 tickets available, first come first serve. If you miss out this time, don't worry, we will be doing more of these events this winter.

$25 gets you the meal, the beer samples, and a great time. Please note, we will be taking our time to enjoy the meal, so block out at least an hour and a half for this event.

New Beers on Tap!

Other than Citra, we will have the following new beers on tap:
Beer Valley Jackalope - Imperial Pumpkin Porter
Bootlegger's Rustic Rye - Rye IPA
Grand Teton Tail Waggin' Double White - keg conditioned

Live Music - Slideways, Tonight 7:30 pm

Enjoy!

Brews News - Halloween

2010-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

The origins of All-Hallows-Even (Hallow-E’en) is somewhat cloaked in darkness; some think it goes back as far as ancient Rome and their festival of the dead while many think it originates from Samhain (Celtic) or Calan Gaeaf (Briton) – both of which celebrate the transition from the lighter half of the year to the darker half. Allegedly, the barrier between this world and the otherworld becomes thin on Samhain, resulting in the need to disguise one’s self to avoid harm from evil spirits. In Medieval times, the practice of burning candles in carved turnips (souling) was used to commemorate souls in purgatory and also to ward off evil spirits; in North America the pumpkin was more readily available for this purpose, ergo the jack-o’-lantern – thank goodness turnip beer doesn’t sound that tasty…

We have some fun events coming up at the brewery this weekend; first up we have Bunky Spurling playing music this evening from 8-10. Some of you may have heard him play with Slideways a couple of months ago. Bunky is a fantastic guitar player and vocalist who spins his acoustic/folk/blues mix in an entangling web of music.

Also we will have our initial release of Bourbon Barrel Aged Class V stout this Saturday while it lasts (if you miss out, don’t worry, there will be more to come). This batch is certainly strong enough to ward off evil spirits – limit 2 per person per visit. Draft Only - Sorry, no bottles.

While we don’t have any turnip or pumpkin specials this weekend, we did just get a harvest of green tomatoes; so throughout the weekend we will be serving up fried green ‘maters, so come on out this weekend and have a spooky-good time!

Coming up: Citra IIPA release, San Diego Beer Week and remember, November 6^th is learn how to brew day!

The Crew,

Kern River Brewing Co.

Join us for the "Tap the Pumpkin Party"

2010-09-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Giant Pumpkin is planning on making a trip to Kernville, and I think he plans on getting sloshed!

Yep, we will be having our annual "Tap the Pumpkin Party" on Thursday, September 30th featuring pumpkin carving for the kids, a little music on the lawn and Pumpkin Ale pouring out of a Giant Pumpkin (patent pending). Rebecca also plans on having some tasty pumpkin related specials lined up, so come on out and have a great time (unless you are a pumpkin, then you should run and hide...).

Here are some pictures from a couple of years ago...

These Guys are Clearly Off their Gourds

So much fun it will make you sick...

John and Sebastian

Laura and Casey

Mike and Lucy

Happy Birthday KRBC!

2010-06-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

We are turning 4 years old this week; so come help us celebrate with fun, games, and of course beer! Every time we celebrate our anniversary, it is fun to take a stroll down memory lane, think about how far we have come and be extremely thankful that we don't have to go through all that stuff again...

Picking up our Brewing Equipment at Alesmith in San Diego

Now how do we turn this into a brewery?...

From the start, we were short on cash, but rich with friends - who helped every step of the way.

Neil trying to convince Rebecca that it can be done

Sometimes we did things the hard way...

Until we figured out the right way...

Rebecca loves power tools

Measure once, cut as many times as necessary...

Chris in our Septic Tank. Who says he doesn't know $%&@

Rachael, our Web Designer and Kitchen Scrubber

We even got George in on the action!

Three guys (and a girl) standing around not working

Check out Grant's Bud Toomer!

We can't lie, we bribed people to work with beer...

But in the end, we somehow ended up with a brewery

Thanks again to everyone that helped out; we are forever thankful!

Cheers,
The Crew
Kern River Brewing C0.

The Firkins are coming!

2009-12-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

We just got some Firkins in, so you can look forward to future releases of KRBC beer on CASK! For those who are unfamiliar, a cask beer is the traditional way of carbonating beer in the serving vessel, which is then tapped directly and poured for your pleasure without the assistance of CO2 or Nitro pressure. It produces a beer with a very different character - and it allows us to play around with adding different ingredients to our normal beers (fruit, coffee, etc.).

Keep an eye and an ear out - we'll be having our first Cask night soon!

Holiday Ale release and thoughts from SD Beer Week

2009-11-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

Our Holiday Ale is now available on tap and in bottles. A 30% Rye Ale with a quaffable spiced malt flavor - this one weighs in at 7.2% abv and 65 IBU; come on in and enjoy your Holiday!

While we have you here, we just wanted to share a few images and thoughts on San Diego Beer Week. For those who were not aware, we headed down south for a few days of fun and beer in one of America's best beer cities. We were lucky enough to talk the Toronado SD in to hosting us for the opening act of Big Wednesday - Special thanks to Ian and Big Daddy for having us!

Our Beer List at The Toronado SD (click to enlarge)

Kyle and Beale hanging with Big Daddy (and an especially expensive bottle of beer)

We had a chance to pour some of our beers and meet some super nice folks - thanks to everyone that attended. After us came Allagash - and Head Brewer Rob Todd. Turns out that small world expression is really true - Rob's Mother grew up in Old Kernville; when the lake flooded the family up and left - years later two breweries with roots in Kernville meet in San Diego.

Another big thanks to O'Brien's and Hamilton's for finding homes for a couple of kegs of JO.

After all the fun we had at the Toronado, we couldn't just stop there. On the way home we decided to stop by the Stone World Bistro and join the Stone/Alesmith food and beer tasting. Peter from Alesmith was his usual self - witty and extremely nice. For those of you that did not know, our original brewing equipment was sold to us by Skip, one of the former owners of Alesmith; it then resided in the Alesmith warehouse for an extended period of time while we figured out how to get it up to Kernville. During that period, Peter and the rest of the folks there were very patient with us even though we were taking up valuable space; they were actually really encouraging and helpful during the whole process. My recollection is that we still owe all of them a raft trip on the Kern...

The food and beer pairing was, of course, stellar. You would expect no less from Stone and Alesmith.

The highlight for me was the bacon, chocolat cheesecake paired with Speedway Stout and Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Yep you read that right, bacon - and lots of it. This guy liked it so much that he ended up with a KRBC shirt!

Mmmm... Bacon...

Finally we meandered downstairs for a vertical tasting of Double Bastard - 2001 to present. Everywhere we went we seemed to meet great folks, no exception here.

Beer makes people happy...

Finally a big shout out to our twitter friends - The Art of Beer and the Beer Wench

Can't wait till next year!

Take the Plunge

2009-11-09T15:46:00.001-08:00

Alright the time is here for all you hop heads!! The Plunge will be released Tuesday the 10th at 4:00. This year the Plunge is 8.3% ABV Imperial/Double IPA Hoped with very generous amounts of Columbus,Magnum,Amarillo,and Cascade. This was a fun beer to brew and its always a reward to put it on tap!! Cheers

Friday the 13th - Batch #1 release!

2009-10-29T10:58:00.001-07:00

It's Official, we are releasing 750 ml bottles of Batch #1 on Friday, November 13th. Batch #1 is our Class V Stout aged in used bourbon barrels from Heaven Hill Distilleries for 8 months. Each bottle was hand filled and bottle conditioned; light on carbonation but heavy on flavor, these beauties can be enjoyed right now or laid down in the cellar for while.

We open the doors at 11:30 am on Friday and will continue to sell throughout the weekend or until we run out - whichever comes first. We only have about 200 bottles, each numbered and signed, so we are limiting purchases to two bottles per person. We also plan on putting some 17 month BBA Stout on tap that weekend. That's right, we said 17 months; so if you are a fan of the BBA Stout, cancel all your plans for the weekend, park the RV out back and enjoy...

KRBC visits Firestone Walker

2009-10-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

On the way to the coast we found ourselves in Paso Robles - might as well swing by Firestone and see what's going on. I got a sampler which included some unfiltered Double Barrel Ale, Oaktoberfest, Nectar IPA and, of course, some Union Jack. Rebecca got a glass of Black Xantus - their barrel aged stout and coffee concoction; quite tasty...

After admiring their equipment for a while, we ran across Dustin, their lead brewer. He just got off the early shift and was gracious enough to give us a little tour of the place.

To put is succinctly, we were blown away by the place; not just the set-up, but the people who work there. Dustin not only knows his stuff - their Union Jack has one the IPA category at GABF two years in a row (the most competitive category) - but he was also happy to explain in detail some of the steps they take to ensure the quality of their product as well as some of the challenges they are facing as they grow. Other folks were really friendly as well as we wandered through their work space. I must say, as much as I like a pint of Union Jack, I'm sure I will enjoy it even more now that we got a chance to meet the folks behind the product. Oh, and those couple of bottles of Black Xantus we bought are going to go down smooth as well...

Barley Power

2009-10-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

KRBC @ GABF!

2009-10-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Rebecca at our booth!

I know this post is a bit late; we've just been busy catching up after getting back from Denver. To sum it up, we had a blast - wish we could have brought home a medal, but there were many worthy breweries there, so we'll just have to try again next year.

Kyle Serving Beer at GABF???

Rebecca - the Aspiring Brewer???

There were many great parts of the trip; I'll try to throw in some of the highlights.

First of all just seeing all the breweries there was just plain impressive. Here are some of the final stats:
49,000 attendees
3308 beers in the competition
2100 beers being served
495 breweries in the competition
Personally we tried as much beer as we could responsibly consume while still being able to complete a coherent sentence to curious customers of our booth try saying that while drinking!

Thirsty KRBC patrons

Other highlights include a visit to Avery Brewing Company in Boulder where we got a great tour from Peter and tasted some exquisite beers. It was especially interesting to see how they have grown into what they are today - most definitely an informative and enjoyable experience.

Check them out here!

Avery Brewing Co - another great Colorado Brewery

The Barrel Room at Avery

Along with all the great beer at the festival we had many a good beer at the Cheeky Monk, a great Belgian Beer Bar on the way home from the convention center.

Finally we got a chance to meet Norm! George Wendt was there promoting his new book Drinking with George - Haven't read it yet, but I think he knows that of which he writes, and it looks like he is a fan of KRBC!

Pumpkin Ale Ready - Fresh Hop on the Way!

2009-08-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Our Pumpkin Ale is on tap and in bottles. This year we got an early start on one of most popular seasonal brews - made with 160 lbs of real pumpkin! So come on in and grab your bottles, fill you growlers or just sit at the bar and sip on a taste of fall.
4.0% abv

Also we just brewed a batch of fresh hopped ale. Using locally grown Galena, Cascade, Nugget and Chinook from the Keverline Hop farm in the Kern River Valley, this pale ale is going to be a unique treat.
5.8% abv

Mammoth Bluesapalooza 2009

2009-07-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite events of the year. Mammoth always puts on a great show and they are expecting 70 microbreweries this year. That's right, 70 legit different microbreweries like our friends from The Bruery, Left Coast Brewing Company, Lengthwise, and of course the hosts - Mammoth Brewing Company. Throw some great Blues on top of that and a high-sierra vibe and it is a must see event.

If you are in the area, come on in and enjoy - if you are not, you really need to be.

See you there!

Anniversary Ale available in 22 oz bottles!

2009-07-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

We just released the 2009 Anniversary Ale in 22 oz bombers - it's a Belgian Tripel (in honor of our third anniversary). Swing on by the brewery or look for them in the following locations:

Kern Valley
James Sierra Gateway Market (Kernville)
Riverside One Stop

Bakersfield
Country Club Liquors
GM Liquors

Ridgecrest
Lucky Liquor
1-Stop

Tehachapi
Tehachapi Liquors

Happy Birthday to Us!

2009-06-08T18:46:00.001-07:00

Well, we made it another year; we celebrated our third anniversary on June 4th. This past year saw some interesting and noteworthy events - a brewery expansion, the release of our first barrel aged beers, and, most importantly, great times with great folks.

Our Anniversary Party was a great time; some of the highlights included the "so you think you can wait" game where we got to turn the tables on our customers a bit. We would sit at a table, order a meal and start the clock. Each competitor had to negotiate an obstacle course with a tray of drinks and then come back and recite the order from memory - surprisingly difficult. Dan Ocampo came in with the winning time of 31 seconds!

Rebecca Demonstrating the Obstacle Course

Of course, being a bar, we had to have a challenging game of quarters. We certainly had some experts in this game, with Clayton taking home the victory.

Speed Quarters!

Another highlight was the root beer burp-off; it was so close we had to have a rematch (pictured below). Unfortunately Rhonda was not able to better her first round belch and Mikey took home the win (and a growler of root beer).

The much anticipated Burp-Off

Speaking of root beer, we had a label contest for the kids - several adults entered the contest as well, so we gave out two first place awards. First in the kids class Sierra Thomas with her lifelike rendition of our hand crafted treat. Liz's KRBC rootbeer - exploding the sky brought home the win in the adult category.

A good time was had by all - we certainly look forward to what our 4th anniversary will bring us!

Cheers and Thanks!

Eric, Rebecca and Kyle

21st annual Keysville Classic!

2009-03-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Come on Out on the Weekend of March 13-15 and enjoy one of California's best Mountain Bike Races. We are stoked to be involved with this event again this year; so that means there will be BEER at the event. It's sure to be a good time - rain or shine!

Friday Night Registration and pre-race celebration at the brewery

Events:

Saturday - Cross Country Races and Downhill Practice

Sunday - Downhill and Short Track Races

Don’t forget about the VINTAGE RACE - classic bikes at a classic venue

All proceeds will be donated to local trail project

Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout!

2009-01-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

On Tap at the Brewery Now!

We took our Class V Stout and decided to up the anty a bit by aging it for 8 months in used bourbon barrels straight from Kentucky. The end product? Well, I suppose we could call it Class VI Stout (Class VI being considered an unrunnable rapid in kayaking), but I'm sure you'll want to brave this concoction.

Here is a little video of the stout being transferred from the bourbon barrels into kegs to be carbonated.

This is available on tap at the brewery until we run out (which will likely be soon). We will also be bottling a limited supply in the near future - keep checking for news on these special releases!

Get your 22's!

2008-12-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody,
We are back in business with our 22 oz bottles; you can find them at many shops in the Kern River Vally, Bakersfield - and now Ridgecrest! You can find them at these fine establishments:

Kern Valley
James Sierra Gateway Markets
Riverside One Stop
KV Bottle Shop
Primos
Buzzard Gulch

Ridgecrest
1-stop
Lucky Liquor
Minit Shop

Bakersfield
Country Club Liquor
GM Liquor
Westchester Liquor

2008-11-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

Our Holiday Ale is on tap!
This is a good one; hoppy with a nice malt/spice body from the Rye
Rye IPA
7.5% abv
77 IBU
17% Rye malt
Columbus, Galena and Amarillo Hops

Come and get it while it lasts!

What's going on out back?

2008-10-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed some new things going on around here; a couple of new shiny objects down in the brewery and a bunch of digging out back. Well, the bottom line is that we are trying to keep up with demand. The first step in making more beer is to get some bigger tanks; so we got a couple of 15 bbl (1 beer barrel = 31 gallons) unitanks. A unitank acts as both a fermenter and a serving tank if necessary. Here is a picture of the new tanks

These tanks are double walled and we can circulate coolant through the inner chamber. This allows us to ferment at the desired ale yeast temperature (around 65 degrees F) and then chill the beer, carbonate it and serve at the proper ale serving temperature (around 38 degrees F). Our old fermenting capacity was 28 bbl, our new fermenting capacity is 51 bbl (we had to get rid of one of our 7 bbl fermenters to make space).

The next step in making more beer is having a place to put it - thus the digging. We are in the process of putting an additional walk-in cooler outside. This is where we plan to store the beer for distribution in the 22 oz bottles and kegs. The cooler requires a concrete pad, throw in a loading dock and we should be able to start getting our product in stores and restaurants again. Here is a picture of the forms being set yesterday - we should be getting mud (the industry term for concrete) by the end of the week or early next week.

Keep an eye out for construction updates!

Inflation, Gas Prices, Bear Market - Oh My!

2008-10-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so the economy is in the can; that doesn't mean you have to drink out of one. We know that people are watching their wallets these days, that's why we started our Frequent Diner Program. For every dollar you spend here on our regular items, you get a point - when you reach 100 points, we give you $10 in brewery bucks - that amounts to 10% off! You have to be a Frequent Diner member though, so come in and sign up today!

Pumpkin Party!

2008-09-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all that showed for our "Tap the Pumpkin Party", it was scary fun! For those that missed it, there was a giant beer pouring pumpkin, music in the lawn from Out of the Blue, lots of pumpkin carving and, of course, our 2008 Pumpkin Ale.

Click on the Slide Show below for pictures from the event!

Pumpkin Ale is brewing

2008-09-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Pumpkin Ale is in the fermenter. As always, it is brewed with lots of real pumpkin and a dash of allspice. Keep an eye out at the brewery and the website - we'll be having a release party soon. This year look forward to it being available in bottles too!

Harvest Time at KRBC

2008-08-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

If you have been by the brewery, you may have noticed that we have been growing hops out by the patio. We planted a few different varieties a couple of years ago and they really took off this summer. Now there is only one thing to do with them - make some beer!

Kyle picking the KRBC hops for our "Harvest" beer - these are Chinook hops.

We also had another plant make a home by the patio; this tomato plant sprung up on its own. Don't worry though, we won't put it in our beer.

Keep an eye out for this (and a few other special releases) at the brewery over the next couple of months.

Cheers!

KRBC in Beijing

2008-08-18T08:11:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know, Eric got a chance to go to the Beijing Olympics - this time as a judge in Canoe/Kayak whitewater slalom. His main duty was to design the gate placement for the competition, but he was also the "video judge" in charge of overseeing the judging to make sure there were no major mistakes. The event went pretty smoothly except for a thunderstorm that delayed the C-2 men's and K-1 Women finals event for a day. As for the course, it was pretty tough (just watch some of the coverage for the K-1 w) but fair.

China is quite different from here in many ways; it is pretty interesting to see how 1.3 billion people live. Hosting the Olympics was HUGE for the Chinese government and the people. It was a chance to show off their culture, their government and their sports (which is fairing pretty well in the medal count). Here are a few pictures from the trip...

Got great seats for the opening ceremonies - a very impressive event

The lighting of the Olympic FlameLook, a KRBC fan in the crowd!The best part about the Opening Ceremonies was the free beerThe basketball players in the parade of nations. It was great to see them not only at the ceremonies (it was very long and extremely uncomfortable due to the heat) but at lots of events as well. They really got into the spirit of the Olympics and did not try to separate themselves from the rest of the athletes.A funny road sign - I guess things sometimes get lost in the translation

The main Beijing beer was Yanjing - here is a picture of the brewery which was near our hotel. Unfortunately I did not get a tour, but I did sample a lot of the product.

Interesting to note that even though the beer was a lager, the Chinese normally served it a room temperature. Most of the evenings were spent trying to see if they had any cold ones stashed for us foreigners.
All in all it was a good trip, but it is good to be home.

Bluesapalooza

2008-08-04T18:31:00.001-07:00

Just got back from another great event at the Bluesapalooza and Festival of Beers at Mammoth. The event was hosted by Mammoth Brewing Company - who did a great job gathering 69 top-notch breweries and nabbing some pretty awesome acts for the stage.

Johnny Lang of "the Blues Brothers" fame

The "Grand Tasting" was held from 12-5 pm on Saturday in the woods while we were serenaded to great blues music and questions from adoring and knowledgeable beer fans. We were pouring the IPA and XPA for folks and had some great reviews for both. Of course we always get to drink our own beer, so we got to wander around and try a few other booths - OK, MANY other booths

Our House

And our happy customers

Dave "the Gimp" Boone at Mendocino Brewing Co.

Our buds at Lengthwise

San Diego Brewing Co

Left Coast Brewing

And, of course, our good friends at EJ Phair

Of course we had the crew supporting us as well - at least they said they were there to help out, I think they were really just there for the beer

The ladies...

Michelle "waving" to the camera

Rachael declaring that the JO IPA was actually brewed just for her

Thanks to these guys for helping us break down the booth - they eagerly dispensed of the drip pan gnar...

We're not exactly sure what is going on here...

All in all it was another great time at the festival, a big thanks to all the Kernville crew who came up to support us and to Sean and the others at Mammoth Brewing for continuing to put on a great event!

KRBC's spent grain feeds local cattle!

2008-06-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Going green is a big catch phrase these days, but at KRBC, it is a way of life. Not only do we recycle our used veggie oil in our delivery truck, but we do other things to help out as well. We are on a septic system, so no wastewater gets added to the municipal load. We have an innovative employee profit sharing program to help make the work environment more productive. And we give our spent grain to local livestock owners who use it for feed. They really seem to enjoy it, but we still wonder if they would prefer having the beer...

Dipping in the Kern

2008-06-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Wildfires (and not-so-wild fires) are not uncommon here in the Kern Valley. As we were driving down the canyon the other day we ran across one that had started on the side of the road - ergo the not-so-wild fire variety. Since the road was blocked, we got to hang out and watch some of the action; here is a little video clip of the CDF Hellattack Dipping in the Kern River...
and Dropping on the fire...

KRBC Delivering on Veggie Oil!

2008-05-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have converted our delivery truck (we'll actually Kyle's truck) to run on used veggie oil from our kitchen. Yes, the same Trans-Fat Free oil that makes your waffle fries so tasty also delivers kegs and 22-oz bottles of your favorite KRBC beer to various locations in the Kern River Valley and Bakersfield. With diesel prices up over $4 a gallon, it never felt so good to do something good for the environment!

Happy Birthday To Us!

2008-05-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

Our second anniversary is coming soon! Wednesday, June 4th to be exact. To celebrate, we are releasing our Anniversary Ale; a Belgian IPA that will make you wish every day was our birthday. The label (shown above) is an actual picture of a beer delivery truck in Old Kernville circa 1915. If you look closely, for some reason, the driver looks exactly like Kyle - spooky!

If you are in town, be sure not to miss our Anniversary Party; doors open at 4pm and we'll have happy hour prices all night. So come on in, try a pint of our new beer and have a good time - I know we will.

Kern River Festival

2008-04-10T10:20:00.001-07:00

Spring is here and the river is starting to rise - perfect timing for the Kern River Festival, April 19th to 20th (http://www.kernfestival.org/festival.htm). Come enjoy kayaking and rafting races in the park, an extreme Brush Creek race and some beers at KRBC. We'll have live music on Friday night with the "Grassvillains" and Saturday night with "Out of the Blue". The weekend promises to be a good time, a perfect way to celebrate that imminent tax return!

Other news around the brewery is that we have bottled a batch of Class V Stout in 22 oz bottles. Come by our place and pick some up while they last!

Other places you can find our 22 oz bottles are:

James Sierra Gateway Markets, Riverside One Stop, Buzzard Gulch and Primos (Kernville)

KV Bottle Shop (Lake Isabella)

Country Club Liquors, GM Liquors, Westchester Liquors (Bakersfield)

March Round-up!

2008-03-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since our last post, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing going on. With the nice temps here in March, the wildflowers are going crazy on the hillsides here in the Kern Valley. The yellows, oranges and purples look a bit surreal, almost like someone has graffitied the mountains - check it out before they are all gone.
We also helped to sponsor the Keysville Classic Mountain Bike races this past weekend, check out some of the action over on http://www.ssfta.com/ - lots of folks showed up to the Brewery Friday night for registration and a pre-race pint (or two!). Despite the chili weather, ordered especially for the fishing derby weekend, everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to being involved again next year. Also, don't forget the Kern River Festival kayak and raft races are coming up next month (April 18-20), check out http://www.kernfestival.org/festival.htm for more info.

This is also a great time of year to visit nearby Death Valley, but don't forget to stock up on KRBC beer before you leave, you don't want to end up like poor Andy here, parched in the desert sun.
Finally a gratuitus picture of one of the brewery mascots, Copper, making his way along the Eureka Dunes.

Barrel Aged Belgian

2008-02-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just put a Belgian Strong Ale in a Chardonnay Barrel with Door County Cherries - Mmmmmm

Come on in and try the Belgian on Tap (9% abv with corriander). Sorry, you'll have to wait for the Barrel aged stuff!

KRBC Photo Contest!

2008-01-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

Got these images from a fan of Kern River Brewing Company. Made us think we should have a photo contest for the best use of a KRBC product in an image. Rules are:

1. E-mail entries to the brewery before Labor Day, 2008

2. Winners get a prize of some sort

3. Keep it clean!

Happy Drinking! (But not too much, like the snowman - George P. Burdell)

Winter Happenings

2008-01-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

So you may not know it, but winter up here in Kernville is actully quite cool! OK, enough punny stuff... We have live music every Friday night, Happy hour during the week from 4-6 pm ($1 off KRBC Beers!) and Taco Night on Monday ($2 tacos). Of course there is all the cool stuff to do outside the brewery too. Check out the Ski Area at Shirley Meadow (http://www.shirleymeadows.com/) or head up Sherman Pass for some back-country skiing. It is also a great time of year for some of the low-elevation hikes and bike rides and even some winter kayaking when the weather is right. Bottom line is: there is so much to do here this time of year and you don't have to fight the crowds. So come on up, enjoy the day and drop in for a tasty brew!

Happy Holidays from KRBC

2007-11-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

Winter is a great time here in the Kern River Valley; snow starts to fall in the mountains, the river is clear and cold, and Kernville starts to smell of pine and cedar as fireplaces heat up all around town. What a perfect time to cozy up to the bar, try our new Holiday Ale and hang out with good people. As for your Christmas shopping, check out our new Hoodies and Long-Sleeve Shirts. For a limited time, if you spend $50 or more, you get 10% back on a gift card for yourself - giving has never been so good!

KRBC Holiday Ale

2007-11-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

Our new Holiday Ale is in the fermenter! It's a Rye IPA crafted by Kyle to help celebrate the changing of the seasons here in Kernville as we say goodbye to the summer and get ready to cozy up to the fireplace for the winter. Whether you stop in and enjoy a pint at the brewery or take home a 22 oz bomber, we're sure this beer will take the nip out of winter and leave you feeling jolly!

Beer Fest!

2007-08-22T15:52:00.001-07:00

It's Beer Festival Season at KRBC. On August 3rd and 4th, we went to the Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza. We had a great time listening to music and sharing our IPA, Red and Anniversary Ale with 5,000 of our newest friends. Don't worry though, we were able to escape our booth on occasion to taste some of the other fine brews.

Next we head to the Brews in the Village in Bakersfield on Saturday September 8th. Be sure to drop in, say hi and try some of our new XPA, a summer seasonal we just released. Also, on October 13th, we will be at the 4th annual Valley Fest in Lake Isabella. Kyle says he's been training for the various beer events so as to avoid last years embarrasing showing. We'll see...

Summer Heat

2007-07-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Summer is fully upon us now, but there are lots of ways to beat the heat here in Kernville. One of our favorite ways is to jump in the river, as demonstrated by Rebecca and Copper in the picture above. The best way, however, is to enjoy a cold brew on the patio or down in the grass at the brewery!

As far as other news goes, the Anniversary Party was a blast. Special thanks to "Out of the Blue" for playing well into the night as well as all of our locals who help support us throughout the year. You guys rock!

Sunday Fires

2007-06-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

O.K., so we mentioned that this blog is to keep you up to date with stuff going on in and around the brewery; well, here is some of the stuff going on around the brewery. The dry winter has lead to a series of "Sunday Fires", one of which was right across the street from the brewery. Nothing too dangerous, but it drew quite a crowd to the patio as people drank beer and watched the airattack and helitack crews take on the fire.

The fire was caused when a transformer blew at the James Sierra Gateway Market across the street. This was the first in a string of fires that popped up every week for about a month- always on Sunday. The latest one has been the Goldledge Fire which started about 8 miles upstream. Not to worry though, Kernville (and the brewery) is operating normally.

Happy Birthday KRBC!

2007-05-23T15:35:00.001-07:00

Come celebrate our 1st Birthday on Monday, June 4th; We'll have $2 pints and 1/2 price appetizers all night along with live music from Out of the Blue. Don't miss the debut of our Anniversary Abby (to read more about it, check out the rest of the blog).

Get your KRBC in bottles!

2007-05-23T15:27:00.001-07:00

Now you can enjoy your favorite KRBC brews in 22oz bombers! Drop in and pick them up at the brewery or find them at the following locations:

James Sierra Gateway Markets
One Stop in Kernville
Country Club Liquors in Bakersfield
Westchester Liquor in Bakersfield

Belgian Abbey Ale Brewing

2007-05-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

OK, here is our first test of the new Kern River Brewing Company Blog. This is where we keep you up to date with stuff going on around the Brewery as well as some of the stuff we do in our spare time. Hope you Enjoy it!

Kyle is brewing a Beglian Abbey style ale today; dealing with the belgian candy sugar is a bit sticky, but we can't wait to taste the results.