White Birch, New Hampshire’s first nano-brewery, is entering the Washington, DC market via Hop and Wine. You may have seen a few bottles at Churchkey thanks to to DC’s notorious grey market, but they’ll soon be available at finer stores, bars, and restaurants as well. With three initial releases in our area, I figure it makes sense to do this SAVOR-style.
Name: White Birch Brewing
Location: Hooksett, NH
Type: Production Brewery
Longtime homebrewers Bill and Ellen Herlicka founded White Birch Brewing in 2009, starting with 15 to 20 gallon batches. By 2010 they were up to about 3 barrels (or 93 gallons) per day and are currently closer to 7 barrels per day.
Crown of Gold (Rye Pale Ale / 4.2% ABV)
From the brewery: English malts, toasted rye for spice, American ale yeast, and whole leaf Cascade hops. Sounds like a winner to me.
Hop Session Ale (American IPA / 5.1% ABV)
Somewhere between a mini-version of an American IPA and a hoppy red ale or American amber, this is the only year-round release the DC market is going to see for the time being. Citrusy West Coast hops playing nicely with caramel malts, finishing with some of that resin-y dryness you kids love so much.
Hop to Wit (Witbier / 5.2% ABV)
Puns! Witbiers aren’t known for being particularly hoppy, but this one is, with an additional juicy kick that comes from grapefruit peel and pink peppercorns (traditional witbiers opt for orange peel and coriander). Let’s thank and reward them for not calling this a white IPA.
Note that White Birch is skilled with hopping, and is coming in at the lower end of the alcohol by volume and gravity spectra, the latter a wise choice given DC’s current weather. All three beers will be offered in 22 oz “bomber” bottles, are naturally carbonated, bottle conditioned, and unpasteurized. If you’re ahead of the curve on this, let us know what you think of White Birch in the comments.
