The brewers at Harpoon Brewery and Odell Brewing Co. brew like they own the place – because they do own the place. The pride that employee ownership brings is something worth celebrating. So the two employee-owned, independent brewers came together to brew a declaration of brewing independence. Introducing EHOP, an Oatmeal Pale Ale and a collaboration between the employee owners of Harpoon and Odell.
“We’re extremely proud to be employee-owned. Being an independent brewer is something we value deeply and believe it’s at the core of what makes our industry so great for both brewers and drinkers.” says Harpoon CEO and co-founder Dan Kenary. “We have always admired the beers and culture of Odell, and we were ecstatic when we heard that they were moving to employee ownership last year. There’s no better way to celebrate brewing independence than to brew together.”
Two versions of the EHOP beer will be released: one brewed at Harpoon in Boston, MA and the other brewed at Odell in Fort Collins, CO. Harpoon Vermont brewer Tom Graham and Odell brewer Bill Beymer collaborated on both recipes, creating two unique takes on an Oatmeal Pale Ale.
“Living in Vermont and collaborating with a Colorado brewer, Bill and I talked about geographic and cultural commonalities for the beer style and ingredients,” says Harpoon brewer Tom Graham. “We zeroed in on oats and hops. We wanted to complement the full mouthfeel of oats with a healthy dose of fruity hop flavor and aroma.”
Harpoon’s EHOP is light golden in color with a subtly tropical hop aroma and a slightly bitter finish. The oats for the Harpoon recipe – 7,000 pounds of them – were provided by King Arthur Flour, a renowned flour company based in Norwich, VT, and one of the nation’s foremost employee owned companies. Harpoon EHOP, a hop forward Oatmeal Pale Ale, will be released as part of the brewery’s limited batch 100 Barrel Series. ABV 6.6% / IBUs 32.
Harpoon along with King Arthur Flour will host an EHOP release party on Tuesday, October 18th from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT. The Harpoon version of the EHOP will be on tap along with a selection of Harpoon beers. Tickets are $20 and include two beers, Farmstead cheese and crackers, and an EHOP-inspired buffet dinner. Tickets to the event can be purchased here: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/events/2854/100-barrel-series-59-ehop-release-party
Harpoon EHOP will be available for purchase in Harpoon’s markets in October, which coincides with National Employee Ownership Month. The Harpoon EHOP will be available in 22 oz. bottles and draft (limited availability) and the Odell EHOP will be available on draft at the Odell Tap Room.
In July 2014 it was announced to Harpoon employees that they would become employee owners through an ESOP, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. A year later, in July 2015, Odell announced that they would move to employee ownership. This is the second consecutive year that Harpoon has collaborated on an EHOP beer for their 100 Barrel Series. Last fall Harpoon released a sage and thyme spiced ale brewed with the employee owners of Deschutes Brewery out of Bend, OR.
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