American Brewing, Scuttlebutt send beers to GABF

Published 12:24 pm Friday, September 18, 2015

Edmonds’ American Brewing Company is headed back to Denver this week for the largest beer festival in the U.S.

American head brewer Adam Frantz and assistant brewer Joe Selbert will be traveling to Colorado to represent the brewery at the Great American Beer Festival from Sept. 24 through 26. It’s the first time Frantz will be going to the festival.

“I’m definitely looking forward to getting there and experiencing all that it is,” Frantz said. “I love interacting with folks wanting to drink our beer.”

In 2013, American won a bronze medal at GABF for its Fed, White and Brew, an Extra Special Bitter that the brewery brewed with celebrity chef Simon Majumdar. This year, Frantz said the brewery is submitting five beers for judging: Flying Monkey pale ale, American’s Summer Saison, Caboose Oatmeal Stout, Courage, an American wheat brewed with orange peel, and its fall harvest beer, a sour Bierre de Garde. American will also be pouring Big Bad Plaid Scotch Ale at its booth.

Frantz said the American Summer Saison has been on tap at the brewery and has been received really well. “We might be looking into bottling it,” Frantz said.

At the festival, Frantz is looking forward to taking some time away from pouring American beers and drinking offerings from some of his favorite breweries, including Russian River and Allagash.

“It’s always fun to see what’s exciting and new,” Frantz said.

Everett’s Scuttlebutt Brewing also sent beers to be judged at this year’s GABF, including a barrel-aged Scotch ale in the Wood- and Barrel-aged Strong Beer category, one of the most competitive categories in the festival. Scuttlebutt also sent its Transistor IPA, Amber Ale, Saison and Barley Wine to be judged.

Scuttlebutt head brewer Matt Stromberg said the brewery is hoping to bottle the scotch ale and have it in stores sometime in October.

It’s been a busy few months for Scuttlebutt, which released Transister IPA, a fundraising collaboration with Seattle independent radio station KEXP, in late August and organized the first Rock the Boat concert with Everett Music Initiative on Aug. 1. Stromberg said that Scuttlebutt recently sent six of its beer to England through the importer Left Coast.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to send beer back to Europe,” Stromberg said.

Scuttlebutt sent its Blonde, Amber, Gale Force IPA, Hoptopia, Porter and Golden Mariner to England.

Also, Scuttlebutt’s winter beer, 10 Below, began shipping to distributors last week and will be on the shelves very soon.

Aaron Swaney: 425-339-3430; aswaney@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @swaney_aaron79. Follow the Hops and Sips blog at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/hopsandsips.