Brewer Spotlight

Caldera Brewing, Ashland, Oregon

Located at the base of the Siskiyou Mountains in a town made famous for it’s annual Shakespeare Festival is a small brewer with big beers, big plans and a big following.  Caldera Brewing Company doesn’t have a tap room, only a brewing facility with dock sales twice a week.  They also don’t bottle, but choose to Can instead.  In a move that defies conventional logic the folks here hand can their Pale Ale for distribution locally, as well as Eugene and Portland.  HAND CAN!  I don’t even want to know how labor intensive this process is, but the beers come out good and clean, so it must be a good system they have.  They also sell 5, 7.75 and 15 gallon kegs for those with draught systems.

Mike was kind enough to let me watch them work before taking me on brief tour and answering all the questions I had.  The most striking thing I noticed while visiting there was their use of Whole Flower Hops – almost exclusively!  I also got to peek at their hops supply and was impressed by their freshness and high alpha acid levels, many more than 11 AAU.

I was able to sample their year round brews, as well as several seasonal and specialty beers.  Their Year Round brews include: Pilsner Bier; Pale Ale; IPA; Dry Hop Orange; Ashland Amber; Dry Hop Red; Pilot Rock Porter and Oatmeal Stout.  The IPA and Dry Hop Orange were the better of the offerings in my opinion, but they were all quality brewed beers.  I would be more than happy to see any of these on tap in my favorite Southern Oregon restaurants.

Their Seasonal beers displayed the brewers creativity and exceptional care in quality and unique beers.  Their seasonal beers include: Helles Lager, Spring; Lawnmower Lager, Summer; Oktober Festbier, Autumn; Old Growth Imperial Stout, Winter; and their signature Cauldron Brew – which varies year to year. 

Mike had recently brewed a special beer, a Double IPA, that we were able to sample.  What a wonderful display of malt and hops – with an obvious focus of the hops!  This beer was beautiful to pour, to look at, smell and taste.  The hop’s flavor and bitterness lingered nicely for minutes, which was a very good thing. 

While we didn’t get to try this beer, their Cauldron Brew captured all attention when it was described – a Stout brewed with Dates, Black Currents and Black Pepper!  My mouth is still watering for this wonderful sounding creation.  This beer shows me that the guys at Caldera aren’t afraid to experiment and to introduce new and amazing beers to their following.  I am a big fan of unique ideas in brewing, if you haven’t figured that out yet.

I am certainly going to be heading back there before my Southern Oregon trip is complete, growler in hand and in search for a double IPA worth sharing with my friends back home.  If you live in Southern Oregon, or plan on visiting for a show or holiday, ask around for these folks – far and away the best brews in Ashland.  Also, don’t be afraid to stop in on a Tuesday or Friday for their dock sale, where you can visit and see first hand the brewery where these brews are created and conditioned.