oklahoma craft beer guide vol 1 issue 2

OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE | 1

Sept/Oct 2015 Vol. 1 Issue 2

@beerisok

Best ofthe Fests!

2 | OKLAHOMA CRAFT BEER GUIDE

what’s on tap

All images are subject to copywright and sole possesion of Beer is OK unless otherwise credited.

REGULARS

19

I recently spoke with Sen. Stephanie

Bice about her latest alcohol reform

bill and what beer inspired her to want

cold storage in Oklahoma.

UNfiltered q&a

6

Our reviews focus on local craft you

can find on shelves this fall and some

hard-hitting, not so easy to find that

you should, dare we say, trade for.

Drink this now!

4

Beer trips are a lot of fun.

We visited our northwest

neighbors in Arkansas for

high point flights and crowler

fills.

#OKinAR

LOCAL REPORT

OKIE BREWED

HOPARAZZI

HOME BREWED

BREWERY MAP

CRAFT FOOD

04

05

06

10

12

18

23EVENTS


ediTorial

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Submit inquiries to [email protected]

find us online spread the word

Hey, you’re back! Thanks for reading again. We want this to be

a go to guide for locals and tourists who want to know about

Oklahoma craft beer and our culture.

Welcome to Beer Fest season. Tulsa hosts some of the best

in the state with McNellies Harvest Fest, First Draft and the

world famous Oktoberfest. Craft beer is growing prolificly

with more local options like we saw at Wild Brew.

Fall means the return of comfort beers like pumpkin ales,

stouts and all other variations of gourd beers spiced with

whatever is in the cabinet. While some of those get reviewed

we’ll tackle another topic that gets under the skin of a lot

of micro-breweries. “What’s Your Lightest Beer?” covers the

reactions of local brewers and how they educate newcomers.

As always we adore your feedback and want you involved as

much as possible. After all, we aren’t doing this for our health,

although drinking has proved to

lower some health risks...

Prost!,

Brian Welzbacher

© 2015 Oklahomacraftbeerguide.com, all rights reserved. OK Craft Beer Guide is wholly owned by Beer is OK and released bi-monthly. No part of this

publication can be reproduced without prior written consent. OKCBGuide is not liable for any typos, claims by advertisers or our writers opinions.

Download a copy: issuu.com/beerisokfacebook.com/beerisokTwitter: @beerisokInstagram: @beerisok


A group of LOCAL committee members took a trip to

Arkansas to see how their new laws affect tourism.

It was a hot August Saturday when

we loaded up the SUV with empty

coolers and growlers in hopes to fill

them with Arkansas craft beer.

We were chauffered by our

designated driver, Scott and joined

by Tom Gilbert of the Tulsa World and

blogger of What the Ale.

Our mission: infiltrate the AR

craft beer scene by sampling and

purchasing high strength beers on

their premises. First stop was food in

historic downtown Rogers where we

relied on Yelp to help us find Levi’s

Gastrolounge. A renovated building

served up some of the “best burgers

for the next 100 miles” and local beer

offerings. Ozark’s Berliner Weisse

was the favorite as a straw colored

sour beer quenched our thirst from

the onslaught of heat outside.

Tip: Try the duck wings with Hoison

Miso sauce, you’ll be glad you did.

From there we hit Ozark Beer Co

located in Rogers in an old recycle

center. They’ve been operating since

October of 2013 following their

slogan “Hard Work - Honest Beer”

Kevin and I had their farmhouse,

then tried the Berliner Weisse with

syrups produced locally that infuse

into the beer. This is the traditional

way to drink this style and makes for

an enjoyable afternoon comparing

flavors with friends. I brought along

my growler to fill up with their famous

Onyx Coffee Stout, an 8% black beauty

that’s rich and creamy and brewed with

local coffee from Onyx Coffee Lab.

From there we ventured south

to Columbus House, a fairly new

brewery located near the bike trails in

Fayetteville. A quaint place filled with

an eclectic crowd and dogs, yes pets

are allowed in the tasting room. The

head brewer and his team were out

at the time but we sampled 6 beers

including a delicious Highside Hoppy

Wheat dry-hopped with Mt. Hood hops

and a classic finish of a traditional

wheat beer.

Finally we stopped over to Puritan Brew

Co. and were met with overwhelming

hospitality from Kevin and Sloan. They

had several Oklahoma craft offerings

like Prairie Tulsa Rugby Ale, Marshall

Arrowhead and COOP Grand Sport

Porter. The best part was a “Build Your

Own Randall” menu. I went with the

COOP porter with coconut, dried chili

and local Hello Cocoa chocolate. What

an amazing blend! A true dessert and

great way to end our day. Look for

Tom’s piece in the Tulsa World and a

podcast from OklahomaCraftBeer.com

to learn more about our #OKinAR. We

120 strongLOCAL has quite a few members and looking

for more who want to make a change in Oklahoma laws. Sign up today!

look forward to hosting them in Tulsa in

the future so be on the look out for that.

Arkansas has shown it can provide great

services and tourism with their laws

and there is no reason Oklahoma can’t

emulate that system.

Check out these great places to visit on

your next trip to NorthWest Arkansas.

PuritanBrewCompany.com

OzarkBeerCompany.com

facebook.com/ColumbusHouseBrewery

levisgastrolounge.com/

Facebook.com/localOK@LOCALOkie (Twitter)@WithLOCAL (Instagram)

www.LOCALOK.org

Every Tuesday is LOCAL night at the Fur Shop in Tulsa. Come have an Oklahoma craft beer between 4-8 and LOCAL gets 10% of the proceeds.

the report


hoparazziAll for the love of beer

Columbus House flights in a custom bike paddle. Puritan Brew Co. specialty OK beer concoctions.

Puritan Brew Co. taps and crowler fill station.

Kolibri Ale Works invades Wild Brew 2015 Craft & Barrel handling long lines at Wild Brew 2015

OK Craft Brewers Guild committee


OKIEBREWED

DRINK beer

REVIEW

rinse...repeatWelcome to, well, almost Fall! Pumpkin everything is slowly creeping out onto the floors of liquor stores. We look at one of those plus some new local additions to Oktober as well as an import.

We’re always looking for reviewers as we grow so drop us a line if you love to review beer!

Roughtail Brewing Co.Adaptation Ale Black IPA

Style: American IPAABV: 8.0%Pair with: Bison burger with colby cheese, Chocolate mousse

Mind you: by no means am I any kind of beer judge (yet), but I have been trying to give objective critiques of the beers I drink when asked with cues from the style guide.

Overall: Aggressively Hop forward. Dry finishing. Very slight dark malt presence in flavor, although the color suggests otherwise. Seems to be fairly big, but very drinkable.

Aroma: High hop aroma, piney and resinous, very light background notes of caramelly malty sweetness.

Appearance: Clear very dark brown, light tan fairly persistent head

Flavor: Aggressive but balanced hop bitterness (high, guessing ~70ish IBU), light blackberry notes and nice citrusy & piney notes. Very low to almost no dark malt flavors, however, there is a nice balanced base malt character present. Finishes dry, and bitterness does linger for quite a while. But it’s not a too harsh. I love this characteristic.

Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-light in body, with no astringency. Medium carbonation. A smooth alcohol warming (I’m thinking this beer is close to 8% if not a little more).

Review & Photo by Nicholas Hodge


COOP Ale WorksOktoberfest

Style: Marzen/OktoberfestABV: 5.5%Pair with: Bavarian pretzels with rarebit, Siegi’s sausage or potato pancakes.

TravelersJack-O-Traveler

Style: ShandyABV: 4.4%Pair with: Fall bike rides, robust salads or dessert on its own.

Elk Valley Brewing Co.Bourbon Barrel Mashie

Style: Wee HeavyABV: 10.9%Pair with: Toffee pudding, Smoked meats

Warsteiner Oktoberfest

Style: Marzen/OktoberfestABV: 5.9%Pair with: Crisp fall air and warm camp fire. Or some soft pretzels with spicy brown mustard.

I was super excited to learn another local brewery was doing an Oktoberfest style beer. It was only available on draft at Doc’s in Tulsa. I found the perfect afternoon to try one out with the weather turned down a notch.

Pouring a nice dark amber color the head almost instantly disappears. Mild aromas of biscuit and touch of toffee sweetness.

I let my tongue bathe in the heavy malts and as the effervescent suds erased any trace of previous flavors. Low bitterness in the finish and I found this to be true to style. Medium bodied and made to drink a lot of. Purely sessionable at 5.5% ABV and can’t wait for a 4 pack of cans to hit my local packaged store soon.

Score: B+

The world of pumpkin beers is ever expanding. I knew about the Travelers line of Shandys and they were just OK in my opinion. Now with a Pumpkin Shandy in their arsenal they are ready to take some of that market.

Well, it smells similar to a pumpkin spiced ale...with lemon peel. The base is still a lemon shandy with pumpkin and spices added. It’s pretty much pumpkin spice up front followed by a whole lot of shandy. Still has the effervesence like a soda with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.

This is a fun beer for lovers of shandy, but I wouldn’t recommend it for pumpkin ale connoisseur. Unless you’re dying for that pumpkin badge on Untappd.

Score: B-

Taking over the local social media forums is the new Bourbon Barrel Mashie from Elk Valley. Not much to say because it will leave you speechless. And the price point isn’t the only wow factor. In collaboration with Scissortail Distillery they combined two local OK products and made a sweet malt bomb of maple malts and bourbon laced wonderment.

Parts of Mashie are present with sweet toffee characters pouring a dark amber to brown color. No head retention as it settles quickly and aromas of bourbon waft to your nose. Medium body coats the tongue with bourbon and small heat finish. Only improves as it warms and will be wondrous as it ages. Set a sixer of these back with a 10.9% ABV and let’s try a vertical in 6 years.

Score: A

Following the Oktoberfest theme I stepped out of my comfort zone and picked up the Warsteiner Oktoberfest. Not sure what the Special Edition is about it other than it only comes out seasonally this time of year.

Pours a light amber color with massive head that slowly dissipates. Grainy aroma much expected for the Marzen style. Upon initial look it is clear and well carbonated but not the Oktoberfest I am used to. Drinks more like a Pilsner. There is a touch of caramel up front and finishes a tad dry and stale.

Perhaps there is a reason I stay with what I like. For the alcohol level it is well reserved and easily drinkable so watch out.

Score: C


FOAM is the home brewing club of Tulsa.

Our purpose is to promote beer literacy

through education, preparation, and

responsible enjoyment of quality beer.

FOAM meets on the 2nd Thursday every

month. Our club meetings include a short

business recap, an optimal Tech Talk on

homebrewing subject, and plenty of time

to socialize and share brews. We host

parties, several home brewing events

and the FOAM Cup competition. Mem-

bers may participate in many local beer

festivals.

Visit us at: Alemakers.org

Questions: [email protected]

fellowship of

oklahoma ale makers

Redearthbrewers.com

Twitter: @RedEarthBrewers

Facebook/RedEarthBrewers

red earth brewers

High Plains Draughters

C/O Trail Boss

1213 S.W. 117th Place

Oklahoma City, OK 73170-4417

phone: Dan Shore at 405-692-8095

email: TrailBoss @ draughters.com

high plains

draughters

We meet on the third Tuesday of every

month at 7:30pm at District Bicycles

(120 W. 7th Ave)

stillwater brewers

league

do

yo

u h

om

e b

rew

?


what’s your lightest beer?

There are plenty of debates in the craft beer world as more brands and styles infiltrate the market. Are cans truly better than bottles? Are super-limited bottle releases still as exciting? Does expansion of brands help or hurt the final product?

Questions like these are debated every day on the web. The most recent question though is something you’d hear more often in a bar or microbrewery.

“What’s your lightest beer?”

Right off the bat this irks me. However, it shows there is an uniformed consumer that hasn’t explored much of the craft beer spectrum and lends itself as a time to educate said person.

Tim Schoelen from Mustang had this same issue as we discussed before our podcast. He quickly answers with another question, “What do you typically drink?” Tim is trying to pry out of the customer what their drinking habits are and not roll our eyes and think, oh great, another Bud Light drinker. Like any business, tap rooms give breweries a chance to have a one on one with the consumer and introduce them to possibly their new favorite beer. I see it happen a lot at Marshall Brewing where customers ask the same questions.

They give a well marketed description of the beer style and how it might compare to the “big beer” most are used to consuming. The one issue is all of these beers are low point. The same consumer may have a similar experience at a bar, but the element of control is lost in an employee that is not trained to sell one particular product.

We are lucky there are several bars that care in product and presentation of beer and can only hope this continues as the public comes more online with the nuances of quality craft beer.

I’ve poured beers for some events over the past summer and it’s rather funny to see 2 different spectrums of consumers. Both times I poured Prairie beers. Once at their tour where they served farmhouse style saisons, some spiked with Brett like Vision and others hopped like Americana. Of course you get 3 free beers so we want to try them all right? Not really. Some people just can’t do sour beers, others will only do sours, haha.

At a public tasting for a liquor store I poured Standard and Bomb. Most patrons were familiar with Bomb and imbibed gratefully despite the high heat in June. Not many knew of Standard, a dry hopped farmhouse beer. One lady even commented,

“Oh, I don’t like hoppy beers.” to which I replied that you may be surprised by the taste. Sure enough she was willing to try and absolutely loved it. This continued throughout the day and I’m sure garnered new interest in the farmhouse style.

It’s great to see Oklahoma coming along with unique styles of beer in the market. Next time you feel we are losing a potential consumer, reach out and educate when you can. If nothing else you found someone to hear your debate on why craft is better than big beer.

Thanks for reading.

by Brian Welzbacher


fall Festival Season

begins in oklahoma.

big or small we have

the details and

exclusive insights

to them all. get your

pretzel necklaces and

lederhosen ready!

55 Beers. Yeah, you heard me. This September 4- 12 in Choctaw, Oklahoma you can choose from 55 beers from domestic to all traditional Paulaner, Ayinger, Wiehenstepher and Warsteiner Oktoberfest beers. Expect to see Choc and Left Hand Oktoberfest for craft offerings.

The Old Germany Restaurant has been celebrating with live authentic German music, cuisine and vendors for the past 25 years!

They draw in over 50,000 people over 9 days to the event. Why not enjoy Labor Day a little different this year. Admission is only $5, Parking is FREE plus activites to keep the kinders occupied. Go grab a Bavarian pretzal and Schnitzel Sandwich, rock out to live German polka and enjoy the start of Fall! Prost!

Check out their website: oldgermany.com

Weekend 1:Friday, September 4th: 5 PM to MidnightSaturday, Sept. 5th: Noon to MidnightSunday, Sept. 6th: Noon to Midnight

Week 2:Monday (Labor Day), Sept. 7th: Noon to MidnightTuesday, Sept. 8th: 5 PM to MidnightWednesday, Sept. 9th: 5 PM to MidnightThursday, Sept. 10th: 5 PM to MidnightFriday, Sept. 11th: 5 PM to MidnightSaturday, Sept 12th: Noon to Midnight

September 4-12Choctaw Creek Park


McNellies Harvest Beer Fest 2010 when it was in its infancy. Oh how times have changed.

Since their inception they have been the largest craft beer bar with the most taps in Tulsa. So when the first Harvest Fest came around it was shocking the small turnout that the first couple of years turned out. I recall meeting Anthem for the first time and being introduced to new beers I would never try before.

This event has certainly grown over the years along with the craft movement and budding of local breweries. McNellies always supports local and brings their A game with rare releases, new beers from outside OK market and special surprises.

They offer 2 sessions to help your liver sample over 100 beers from 40 breweries. You’re allowed to do both sessions if they feel you haven’t gone overboard. A 2 hour window allows you to grab some food from McNellies Group vendors and rehydrate.

Another festival that has gained so much ground over the past few years is the Oklahoma Scot Fest. A culmination of highland games, Scot Rock, traditional Scotish fare and vendors.

If you’ve never been, this is the year to go. Test your fests of strength in the Highland Games or Tug o’ War. They have comedians as well as Will Rubright and Dick Hardagain who put on one of the best whiskey tastings you’ll ever witness. Naturally they’ll have American, Scottish and Irish beers available as well.

September 18-20River West Festival Park

October 3McNellies Downtown Tulsa

Session 1: 12pm - 3pm

Session 2: 5pm - 8pm

Tickets at ticketstorm.com or McNellies Tulsa locations$30 advance/$35 week of event


Come celebrate Oktoberfest the Roughtail way. In addition to the all the regular Roughtail beers you can score at the Taphouse, the following special-releases will be available at Roughtoberfest:

-Oktoberfest-Hoppy Oktoberfest-Schwarzbier-Doppelbock-Hefeweizen-Weizenbock-Little Blue Pils-Pumpkin Latte Stout

The weekend will also feature:

-Growler fills of Pumpkin Latte Stout and Oktoberfest-1/2-liter and 1-liter steins for purchase and fill with select beers-A stein-hoisting contest-A costume contest (David Hasselhoff costumes will be considered)-Cornhole-German music-Brats and pretzels

(From Roughtail Facebook Event page)

One of Tulsa’s festivals that has come along in its young days is First Draft benefitting the Tulsa Press Club Scholarship program. Led by Tom Gilbert of the Tulsa World this is another exclusive event to try out numerous new beers released for fall/winter. In its 11th year, this festival now features over 50 beers from Oklahoma. With several new breweries online like Elk Valley and Iron Monk the value continues to increase each year.

As this is a fundraiser, First Draft receives some high quality items for auction. A majority of them are mystery bags of craft beer and other dontations from local breweries. There is also ballpark food available to soak up all that beer and Okie Crowe will be selling beer soaps and local crafts.

For only $50 you’ll receive a souvenir glass, delicious ballpark fare and tasting over 75 beers for about 4 hours. Generally one of the best beer tasting values in the state. VIP will allow you access 30 minutes before the event as well as a special section with limited beers and food.

October 9-11Roughtail Taphouse

October 16ONEOK Field


LINDE OKTOBERFEST TULSAOne of the most revered Oktoberfests in the country, Tulsa has put on its annual Bavarian fueled fest for 37 years. Spared at no expense they fly in authentic bands to keep us dancing into the night. The German-American Society cooks up the best schnitzel and kartoffelpuffers (potato pancakes) in my opinion. Most importantly the beer selection has grown to fill our Mas Krugs (liter mugs) with Oktoberfest style beers along with Marshall Brewing’s quaffable dunkel. (Be careful, it’s that good.)

They offer a family fun atmosphere with carnival rides, unique vendors selling steins, apparel and collectibles. I recommend getting a couple chicken dances in early, fuel back up on sausage and schnitzel, imbibe a Marshall Oktoberfest and finish with a strudel from Helmuts. (Oh, and they will sell out of strudel so get it early.)

Fun Fact: “The dance was reintroduced in the United States in 1981 during the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oktoberfest. They wanted to demonstrate their love through dance in costumes, but there were no duck costumes available anywhere near Tulsa. At a local television station, however, a chicken costume was available which was donated for use at the festival, giving the “Chicken Dance” its name.“

Sourced from: Mills, Russell. “Services schedule for Tulsa’s ‘Mr. Oktoberfest,’ Josef Hardt”- KJRH

No doubt you’ve had one of their sausages at Tulsa Oktoberfest or one of the many other festivals that take place throughout Oklahoma. Siegi’s Sausage Factory is throwing its 3rd Oktoberfest at their shop on 81st and Sheridan. There is live music, dancing, stein hoist competition, Marshall Brewing beer as well as favorite Oktoberfest imports.

The traditional German market and restaurant has been making sausage for over 30 years and is a family run business. It only made sense to have their own Oktoberfest in South Tulsa with the wide variety of sausages, schnitzel and beer they serve daily.

One big draw is that they have a raffle where the top prize has been a private tour of the Marshall Brewing Co. brewery.

If you enjoy the Oktoberfest atmosphere but want to avoid the heavy crowds this is the perfect place.

Be sure to grab a Marshall Beer Brat that is made of freshly ground pork and marinated in Marshall beer. Also available in local grocery stores if you can’t wait for October.

October 22-25River West Festival Park

October 16-17Siegi's Sausage Factory


What you’ll need:

2-5 lb. Rack, Bone-In Short RibKosher Salt2 Fresh Carrots, chopped coarsely3 Ribs Celery, chopped coarsely1 Large, Yellow Onion, chopped coarsley1 Bay Leaf3 Garlic Cloves, crushed2 Sprigs of Rosemary1 Small Bunch Thyme1 T Black Pepper Corns1 6-pack Craft Beer, something you enjoy, but nothing too expensive

Beer and food are meant to be enjoyed together. Here you may find recipes, restaurants and reviews of just that.

craft food

We’d love to share your recipes or how you use beer in

cooking.

Send us recipes and pictures to [email protected]

(This recipe can be increased or decreased depending on how many pounds of Short Rib you have available.)

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or shallow pot capable of holding all of the meat over medium heat. You can do this while chopping your vegetables. After your vegetables have been coarsely chopped and your aromatics have been assembled, pat the short rib dry with paper towels. Coat the meat with oil and make sure to season liberally with the Kosher Salt on every side. Add a thin layer of canola oil to your heavy bottomed pot and increase the heat to medium-high. The oil should shimmer and appear to have ripples.

Carefully place the Rack meat side downing the pot, the bones should be facing you. Sear the meat until golden/brown. The meat should not stick as long as your pan is hot enough. You can slide it around on the flesh side and give it a really great crust by exposing it to new, hot areas of the pan. When the flesh looks how you want it, sear each lip of the rack by holding the rack with tongs, once again, sliding it around along the surface. There should be a nice fond, brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan, created by the meat.

Remove the meat and reserve on a cooling rack if possible. Add your Carrot, Onion, and Celery to this same pot and decrease the heat to medium. Sweat the vegetables until they’re begging to soften and become aromatic. Add the meat back to the pot along with all other ingredients.

For a braise you want to cover 2/3 of the meat with liquid. You can use as much of the beer as you’d like for this, and can use it in combination with stock, broth, or water as well. I would only assume you’re down to 5, maybe 4 beers at this point. You can substitute water for anything left. The meat and vegetables will create an intense broth you can reduce or thicken for a sauce.

Place in an oven at 250 F for at least 4 hours. You want the meat to move when touched, but be careful to be gentle or it will all fall apart. Allow to cool in the pot with the liquid over night. Pull out of the braising liquid gently, cut in between each bone to portion, and strain liquid for reheating. Reheat in a warm oven in a bit of braising liquid with the rest being used for a sauce.

Marshall Oktoberfest Braised Short Ribsby Chef Trey Winkle


Senator Stephanie Bice was kind enough to discuss the latest news of

her SB383 and thoughts on beer tourism.

How did this Craft Revolution come about?

Bice: Well, as you know in the State of OK we have 2 strengths of beer. The 3.2 is considered low point that can be sold in grocery and convenience stores but must be sold separately from full strength beer which is sold warm in retail packaged liquor stores. The challenge is that many of the craft beers, because of the way they are made need to be chilled due to quality and freshness purposes.

Unfortunately in the state of OK, our retail stores are unable to chill any of these products. This is problematic for two reasons. One, it prevents breweries from coming to the state because they have concerns about quality and freshness issues. Second, from a consumer’s position, it is very inconvenient. You can go out and buy a couple dozen low point that are chilled at a convenience store but you can’t buy a craft beer at a liquor store that is cold. The idea of bill 383 was born from the craft brewing community that has blossomed over the past 5 years and the craft beer drinkers that find it frustrating that you can’t go to the store and buy a cold beer and drink in the comfort of your own home.

When I filed the original bill, it would have allowed for package stores to refrigerate high point. What happened with many of convenience stores and grocery stores across the state said, “Wait a minute, if they’re all the same cold beer we don’t want to sell any of this low point because it won’t be as popular.”

As you know craft brew scene has exploded over the past decade or so and it’s evident by the fact that many large beer companies across the country are buying small craft breweries to grow their market share. After I filed the bill, there was some excitement but also trepidation from both sides. On the flip side of that, I have a lot of people asking me about the ability to chill wine in grocery and

convenience stores because that’s not an option currently either. So, what we’re currently trying to do over the interim is to move to a single strength rather than this two tier system in place and sell wine in grocery and convenience stores.

What can we expect in 2016?

Bice: The plan of action is that we will vote on this in 2016 legislative session. There will be 2 different votes that will occur. One of them will be to put a ballot initiative together to repeal the Article 28 of the constitution. Article 28 contains all of the language that references 3.2 beer. It was written in 1959 after prohibition was repealed. Because all of this is constitutional we have to have a vote of the people to change it. The second will be to rewrite the laws the way we want to see them today.

What are concerns of local businesses?

Bice: They have made some legitimate concerns about this bill. What I try to explain to them is it is not a mandate, they can choose not to if it is more cost effective not to refrigerate. In lieu of that they could maybe sell their products at a lower price because they don’t want to pay for refrigeration.On the flipside of that, I’m not asking stores to buy huge coolers to cover 30% of the store. They may want to refrigerate say the top 10 best-selling brands they carry which would require small refrigeration that could easily be installed in their stores.

Have you discussed our issues with other states?

Bice: I have. I’m actually on a panel with the commissioner of alcohol for Minnesota as well as a couple of think tanks doing a lot of independent research. You know, Oklahoma, we’re kind of unique

unfiltered Q&A


in that most of this is constitutional and still have this 2 strength system. We’re 1 of 5 that still have it along with Kansas, Utah, Colorado, and Minnesota. I’m not looking to sell liquor in convenience or grocery stores and want to make sure we are keeping in mind that access to minors is on the forefront and we need to make sure it is limited just like it is today.

What’s your opinion on the 424 bill and local tourism?

Bice: That was introduced by Sen. Brian Crain out of Tulsa. I would have preferred that to have passed this past session but I am very supportive of that and pass next session as well.

I think craft brewing in general has been a tourism boost for a lot of states. There are states doing food and beer festivals that are generating a lot of interest and revenue to the state. It would give us the same opportunity to do some unique things like that.

This isn’t just opening up access to adults for more beer, but also an economic development initiative.

Once this bill passes, what cold, high point beer will you purchase?

Bice: My go-to beer is Hoegaarden. I would love to be able to go buy a six pack of Hoegaarden to take home and enjoy one with dinner. I also really like the Mustang Rocket Fuel and also like La Fin du Monde in the comfort of my own home.

Cans or bottles?

Bice: Bottles. No real reason, I will drink out of a bottle more than a pint glass.

Thanks again Stephanie! We appreciate you taking time to talk with us.

Bice: You bet. I may be doing some more web articles and social media once we get closer to session so be sure to look for those.

Follow and fight with Senator Stephanie Bice

Twitter: @stephaniebice


The most wonderful time for beer.

tulsawinterwarmer.com


Subscribefor FREE!

CULTIVATEcraftt

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11.07.15

06.30 pm

Celebrating 6 years of craft brew

& quality in- ight entertainment!

local FestivalsEvent Location Dates WebsiteChoctaw Oktoberfest Choctaw, OK Sept. 4-12 www.oldgermany.com

ScotFest Tulsa, OK Sept. 18-20 www.okscotfest.com

McNellie’s Harvest Festival Tulsa, OK Oct. 3 www.ticketstorm.com/venue/mcne-lliesoutdoors/tulsa/1928

Roughtoberfest Midwest City, OK Oct. 9-11 www.roughtailbeer.com

Tulsa Press Club First Draft Tulsa, OK Oct. 16 www.firstdrafttulsa.com

Siegi’s Oktoberfest Tulsa, OK Oct. 16-17 www.siegis.eventbrite.com

Tulsa Oktoberfest Tulsa, OK Oct. 22-25 www. tulsaoktoberfest.org

Hops for Hope Bartlesville, OK Nov. 7 http://www.hops4hope.org

Tulsa Winter Warmer Tulsa, OK Dec. 5 http://www.tulsawinterwarmer.com

oklahoma craft beer guide vol 1 issue 2

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