It started with a conversation and a chance encounter.
Moke Simon dropped by Kelsey Creek Brewing one day. Now, besides serving on the Lake County Board of Supervisors, Simon is Middletown Rancheria chairman, with duties including oversight of Mount St. Helena Brewing Company. Simon spoke with Kelsey Creek brewmaster Jason Chavez, suggesting some form of collaboration.
A week later Chavez stepped into the Blue Wing, where he spotted Tim O’Meara of O’Meara Bros. Brewing Company in Lakeport.
As Chavez recalls, he turned to O’Meara and said “here’s a thought.”
The result of this chatter and chance is the Lake County Pale Ale, debuting at all three breweries this weekend.
Yes, one label produced by three different hands. The malts may vary, the yeasts may be distinct. But the hops …
Each brewery features Ivanhoe hops grown along Ogulin Canyon Road.
“We wanted to emphasize Lake County hops,” O’Meara explained. “The Ivanhoe hop has a unique character.”
The aromatic flowers from Hops-Meister Farm lend a trace of earthiness that tugs at the sweeter notes in the malt, leaving a crisper, leaner savor.
“I get a tinge of caramel,” Chavez said of his version. “It’s more like an English style.”
All three promise to be approachable and quenching. There are hints of malt and duskiness, but they decided to lean on the neat wisps of grain leavened by local hops.
The similarities end with the water, however — which does make a difference.
“Water is the main ingredient,” said Shawn Seidel of Mount St. Helena Brewing Company. “Think of Coors or Rainier, they talk about the water.”
At O’Meara Bros. the water is softer, which tends to smooth out the character of a beer. Other sources touch up the spice or maltiness.
The three brewers hope that difference encourages patrons to sample each version.
“That flavor is going to be different,” O’Meara observed. “It’s going to be fun.”
“We’re trying to promote Lake County and the breweries,” Seidel added.
They brewed batches of Lake County Pale Ale last week. As the unveiling approached this week, the three were putting on the finishing touches — fining, testing the numbers and discussing the scientific trimmings.
It’s that kind of sharing — the willingness to trade recipe secrets, to cooperate on a single label, to focus attention on a local hop source — that encouraged the three to operate breweries in Lake County.
“A lot of times your closest competitor is your best friend,” Seidel noted.
And that spirit brewed the Lake County Pale Ale, available at Kelsey Creek, Mount St. Helena and O’Meara Bros. beginning this weekend.
“I’m hoping it catches on,” Chavez said.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
