Category Archives: News

North Coast Brewing Co. News

Old Rasputin Wins Gold at the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival

Posted on December 20, 2012

North Coast Brewing’s Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout won Gold at the 2012 Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival. The international event, in its 21st year, took place over two weekends in September and October, and saw a record number of more than 1,500 beer entries, from which Rasputin stood out, placing at the top of the Porter/Stout 6% och över category.
Rasputin Bottle with Stockholm Beer Fest Logo
Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is produced in the tradition of 18th Century English brewers who supplied the court of Russia’s Catherine the Great. This ground-breaking beer seems to develop a cult following wherever it goes. It’s a rich, intense brew with big complex flavors and a warming finish. We’re gratified that the judges in Stockholm agree.

Visit our Rasputin Distributor in Sweden: Great Brands AB

Click here for a printable PDF of this press release.

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Neon Signs Now Available!

Posted on December 19, 2012

North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin Neon SignJust in time for holiday celebrations, we have added nine neon signs to our store! Pick them up at our store in Fort Bragg, or find them in our online store here.

Posted in Acme Ale, Brother Thelonious, Le Merle, News, Old Rasputin, Old Stock Ale, PranQster, Red Seal Ale, Scrimshaw | Tagged | Comments Off

North Coast Brewing on the News in New Hampshire

Posted on December 14, 2012

Some friends in New Hampshire sent us a clip from a radio show where they mentioned our Red Seal Ale and Brother Thelonious. Enjoy!

Click here to download the mp3.

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We’re Proud to Announce the Release of Baritone Monk: The Claire Daly Quartet, A CD Benefitting Jazz Education

Posted on December 14, 2012

Baritone Monk CD Front

We’re proud to announce the release of our new CD, Baritone Monk: The Claire Daly Quartet performing the music of Thelonious Monk, featuring Claire Daly on baritone saxophone, flute, and vocals; Steve Hudson on piano; Peter Grant on drums; and Mary Ann McSweeney on bass. 100% of sales proceeds from the CD are donated to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz to further international Jazz education programs.

• Click here to listen to music clips from the CD
• Click here to purchase online

“Claire Daly’s marvelous tribute to Monk’s music reminds us of that special affinity, of Monk’s penchant for the lower frequencies and the big, full sound he expected from his ensemble. Monk’s music is notoriously difficult, though you wouldn’t know it from this recording. Daly’s superb quartet combines a mastery of Monk’s less-recorded repertoire with the casual joy of a jam session. Pianist Steve Hudson avoids Monkish clichés, displaying his own unique style to great effect. Bassist Mary Ann McSweeney plays with a profound sense of melody, swing, and harmonic imagination, and unlike so many young bass players she is not afraid to explore the instrument’s lower register. Peter Grant, a long-time Daly collaborator, gives the band its driving pulse but with a subtlety that allows all voices to be heard. Finally, there is Claire Daly, whose breadth of styles, enormous tone, and distinctive phrasing place her among the very best of contemporary baritone players.”
—from the liner notes by Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (2009)

Your support of this CD supports Jazz education. Click here for a printable version of this flyer.

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Old Rasputin is Beer of the Month in LA Times

Posted on December 11, 2012

North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin pourOld Rasputin is featured as the Beer of the Month in the LA Times! Here’s what they said about it:

Old Rasputin is a Russian imperial stout, meaning that it’s very dark (it pours nearly black with a very high tan head) and alcoholic (9% by volume), but you taste very little sweetness. That’s because of a bitterness level toward the top of the IPA range, though it doesn’t register in the palate as bitter, rather as a dryness cleaning up after all the malt.

Don’t think of it as you would a sweet stout; its overwhelming taste impression resembles dark coffee. Like coffee, Old Rasputin could be comfortable with most traditional American foods, even steak and eggs with hash browns.

Style: A broad-shouldered, super-dark brew ready for anything.

Click here to read the whole review | Download this as a printable PDF

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North Coast Grand Cru and Le Merle Win Awards at Brussels Beer Challenge

Posted on November 6, 2012

Le Merle Wins Gold Medal at Brussels Beer ChallengeJudges awarded a gold medal in the “Pale & Amber Ale: Saison” category to Le Merle Saison Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale in the Brussels Beer Challenge this past weekend, ahead of Belgian brewers!

Judges also awarded the North Coast Grand Cru a bronze medal in the “Specialty Beer: Brut” category.

Click here to view some truly delightful images of the judging process by photojournalist Olivier Vin.

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Old No. 38 Stout Recipe: Stout-Soaked Porterhouse with Beer Butter, from Better Homes & Gardens

Posted on October 4, 2012

Stout-Soaked Porterhouse with Beer ButterThe October 2012 Better Homes & Gardens issue has a whole spread on cooking with beer, including a recipe they recommend making with Old No. 38 Stout!

Here’s what they say about their recipe for Stout-Soaked Porterhouse with Beer Butter:

“Marinating the porterhouse steak in stout beer infuses it with bold coffeelike flavor, while our tarragon-and-stout butter adds a perfectly savory topper. Use your extra butter over hot vegetables.”

Stout-Soaked Porterhouse with Beer Butter

Makes: 2 to 3 servings
Prep 35 mins
Marinate 4 hrs
Broil 12 mins
Stand 5 mins

1    Porterhouse steak, 1-inch thick (about 1¼ lb.)
1    12 ounce bottle stout beer (Guiness)
1    tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1    tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2    teaspoons dried tarragon, crushed
½  teaspoon salt
½  teaspoon ground black pepper
1    shallot, finely chopped
2    teaspoons olive oil
½  cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Place steak in a self-sealing plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Set aside 2 tablespoons beer; in a small bowl combine remaining beer, mustard, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon of the tarragon, the salt, and pepper. Pour beer mixture over steak in bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours, turning occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, cook shallot in hot oil 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in reserved 2 tablespoons beer. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes. In a small bowl combine softened butter, shallot mixture, and remaining 1 teaspoon tarragon. Transfer to waxed paper, shape into a log. Wrap and freeze.

3. Preheat broiler. Drain steak; reserve marinade. Season steak with additional salt and pepper. Place steak on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat to desired doneness, turning once, broiling 12 to 15 minutes for medium rare (145 degrees F) or 15 to 20 minutes for medium (160 degrees F). Transfer to platter. Tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes.

4. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes (Do not overcook; marinade can become bitter).

5. To serve, slice steak into portions. Drizzle with some of the marinade reduction, and top each with a slice of frozen butter. Makes 2 to 3 servings.

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Old Stock Ale Vertical Tasting in Smithsonian Mag

Posted on September 14, 2012

Old Stock Vertical Pairing in Smithsonian photo by Alastair BlandFrom a great article by Alastair Bland in Smithsonian:

“In a dark cellar at North Coast Brewing Company, the beer bottles endured the slow crawl of time. Years plodded by, the Chinook salmon industry crashed, whales migrated past going north, then south, then north again, and one American president replaced the next—until finally, on a recent afternoon in August, five aged bottles of Old Stock Ale saw daylight. I was lucky enough to be there, along with the brewery’s owner, Mark Ruedrich, and the company’s two brewers, Patrick Broderick and Ken Kelley, for a very special event: a vertical tasting. In a vertical, the drinkers taste multiple bottles of progressively older vintages of the same beer (or wine) in order to observe how the beverage grows and matures (or, if it happens to be the case, deteriorates) through the years. We started with the 2012 Old Stock Ale, and we noted the 12-percent alcohol beer’s bright and fresh youth, with its sharp and brassy scents of prunes and sherry. Then we stepped back three years and found in the 2009 bottle a fudgier, thicker version of the last. Next, we re-entered the George W. Bush era and tasted the 2007. The sharp, vibrant esters of the beer’s younger days had softened into something bittersweet, with distinct notes of marmalade. We dug deeper still into the strata of the years, back to 2005. The beer was a shade darker now and with a slight tartness of acidity in the rich layers of flavor. Now, think back: Where were you in 2003? I was just entering a long and homeless stint of trekking through Baja California, when I could live on a dollar a day but didn’t know a pilsner from a porter—and when Ruedrich and his brewers were just putting caps on the fourth vintage of Old Stock Ale. Opened nine years later, the beer gave off a heavy, bready smell thickened with notes of molasses and whiskey. In the mouth, it was soft and creamy. And we went back further still, into another era of modern society—when the Fort Bragg salmon industry was still afloat, and when people everywhere could still walk through airport security with their shoes on and, no doubt, with a bottle of wine in their carry-on. And with just the slightest hiss of escaping gas, the 2001 Old Stock came open—a creamy, thick, velvety beer of time-reduced carbonation but still delicious and alive. “Is there a point where this beer peaks?” I asked. “We haven’t seen it yet,” Ruedrich said of the Old Stock, which was first released in 2000. Want to have your own private vertical tasting of Old Stock Ale? Aged cases of this remarkable beer will soon be for sale, Ruedrich promises. Watch the North Coast Brewing Company’s website.”

Read the whole article here.

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North Coast Brewing Extends Its Long-Term Partnership with the Monterey Jazz Festival

Posted on September 7, 2012

Terence Blanchard at the Monterey Jazz FestivalSupport Jazz with us at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Sept. 21–23, 2012!

North Coast Brewing will be the Official Beer of the Monterey Jazz Festival through 2014. Now in our seventh year of partnership with the Monterey Jazz Festival, we are the longest continuous financial supporter of the Festival. A strong supporter of Jazz education, we have also been a longtime contributor to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, making donations for every case of Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale sold.

“The guys on the management team here at North Coast have been hardcore Jazz fans for decades, and traveling to Monterey to take part in the Jazz Festival has been a much-anticipated annual highlight for us for the past seven years,” said Doug Moody, Senior VP and Director of Sales. “It’s been a privilege for us to be associated with both the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and to be able to contribute in some measure to this American art form.”

“Monterey Jazz Festival is honored to extend our long-standing partnership with North Coast Brewing, whose commitment to the art of Jazz is admirable. Our organizations share similar values and we are proud to exclusively offer their award-winning craft beers to our patrons,” said Chris Doss, Managing Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

The Monterey Jazz Festival celebrates the legacy of Jazz and expands the boundaries of and opportunities to experience Jazz through the creative production of performances and educational programs. The Festival, now in its 55th year, is the world’s longest continuously running Jazz festival.

In addition to partnering with the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, North Coast Brewing is also a supporter of other Jazz organizations, including the Redwood Jazz Alliance, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the American Jazz Museum, the Oregon Coast Jazz Party, and We Always Swing.

Click here to view a printable PDF of this press release.

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Old Rasputin in Wired Mag

Posted on July 12, 2012

North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, 12 oz bottleOld Rasputin was recently featured in Wired Magazine’s “Recommendation Engine: 5 Bold Dark Brews for Beer Geeks” by David MacNeal:

Perfect for: Proving your fortitude.
Geek factor: Russian imperial stouts had high alcohol content to survive 18th-century shipping times—and this one, with its 75 international bittering units (vs. Coors Light’s 6.8 IBU), could make a czar flip his ushanka.
9% abv, $9 (4 x 12 oz.) | North Coast Old Rasputin

Read the whole article here.

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Le Merle featured in Bon Appetit

Posted on June 14, 2012

NCBC Le Merle 375 ml“What begins as floral and effervescent, like a chilly white wine, finishes with a fruity fullness.”

Read the whole article from Bon Appetit here. | See our print PDF press release here.

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Flipper Tappin’ Jazz Fundraiser

Posted on May 24, 2012

SealNorth Coast Brewing Presents Jazz in Support of Sea Lion Research

In support of sea lion research being conducted by the University of British Columbia in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium, North Coast Brewing is presenting two benefit Jazz events in June at Cory Weed’s Cellar Jazz Club, 3611 West Broadway Street, in Vancouver, BC.

Cory Weeds Quintet: A Tribute to Cannonball Adderly
Saturday, June 2, 2012 | Cellar Jazz Club | $17
Featuring: Cory Weeds (alto sax), Chris Davis (trumpet), Brad Turner (piano & rhodes), Andre LaChance (bass), and Roy McCurdy, original Cannonball Adderly drummer (drums)

100% of the cover charge will be donated to sea lion research at the Open Water Research Station. Co-presented by The Cellar Jazz Club and The Hard Rubber New Music Society. For more information, visit: http://cellarjazz.com & http://www.coryweeds.com

The Claire Daly Quartet: The Music of Thelonious Monk
Sunday, June 3, 2012 | Cellar Jazz Club | $15
Featuring: Claire Daly (baritone sax & flute), Steve Hudson (piano), Mary Ann McSweeney (bass), and Peter Grant (drums)

100% of the cover charge will be donated to sea lion research at the Open Water Research Station. This event is the opening night for a tour of the New York-based Claire Daly Quartet in preparation for recording a follow-up CD to North Coast Brewing’s 2009 Brother Thelonious Quintet. With sales of both CDs benefitting the education fund of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, North Coast Brewing is able to combine its support of Jazz education with their new effort to provide support for and bring awareness to the research of Steller sea lions being conducted by the University of British Columbia in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium at the Open Water Research Station in Port Moody, BC. For more information, visit: http://cellarjazz.com & http://www.clairedalymusic.com

For both events:
Cellar Jazz Club
3611 West Broadway Street
Vancouver, BC V6R 2B8
604 738-1959
doors open at 6:30 pm
set times: 8 pm & 9:30 pm

About the Open Water Research Station program: Since 1993, researchers at the University of British Columbia’s Marine Mammal Research Unit have partnered with the Vancouver Aquarium to study the mysterious decline of the Steller sea lion population in the North Pacific. This is an ambitious project to discover the reasons behind the mysterious disappearance of 80 percent of the world’s Steller sea lions and what it could mean for the ocean ecosystem.

The Vancouver Aquarium is a non-profit society dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life.

The University of British Columbia is one of Canada’s leading research universities and is consistently ranked among the top 40 in the world. The university attracts 54,000 students from across Canada and 140 countries around the world.

Click here to read this as a printable PDF.

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Save the Date: Chef John Ash Returns to North Coast Brewing April 25, 2012

Posted on April 24, 2012

Brewmaster Dinner with John Ash
6 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2012 | Fort Bragg, California
Sequoia Room, North Coast Brewing Co. Taproom and Grill
SOLD OUT

Pears Poached in North Coast Brewing Old Stock AleCelebrity chef John Ash is returning to North Coast Brewing for another memorable dinner benefiting the Mendocino Music Festival. Ash, a well-known restaurateur and educator, will once again work with Brewmaster Mark Ruedrich to prepare a menu demonstrating the delicious synergy between North Coast Brewing beers and Ash’s exquisite offerings. In a continuation of its long-term support of the arts, North Coast Brewing will again be the presenting sponsor of the Mendocino Music Festival, now in its 26th year.

All proceeds benefit the Mendocino Music Festival, www.mendocinomusic.com

Click here for a printable PDF of the press release.
Click here for a PDF of the menu.

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North Coast Brewing Sponsors Exceptional Vocal Group Ensemble VIII

Posted on April 20, 2012

Ensemble VIII, May 2011North Coast Brewing has announced its sponsorship of Ensemble VIII, an exceptional vocal group performing masterworks from the Baroque and Renaissance eras. This is an extension of the brewery’s support of music education and performance through the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the annual Mendocino Music Festival, and other venues.

Upcoming Concert:
“The House of Tudor—English Polyphony of Tallis, Sheppard, and Byrd”
Friday, May 11 in Austin, TX and Saturday, May 12 in Dallas

Ensemble VIII is under the direction of Dr. James Morrow, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas in Austin, and is comprised of eight nationally known singers who gather from throughout the country to perform. Founded in 2011, Ensemble VIII has plans for national tours and the release of recorded concerts. Most recently, the group presented Handel’s Messiah in its entirety, accompanied by period instruments—a unique program for such a small choral group. Reviews have been remarkable. Watch for the release of recordings soon. Tickets for concerts available at www.ensembleVIII.org.

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Otsuchi Recovery Fund Commemorative Release

Posted on February 29, 2012

North Coast Brewing Old Stock OtsuchiThis month we are releasing a special edition of Old Stock Ale to benefit our sister city, Otsuchi, Japan. When the 2011 tsunami struck northern Japan, Otsuchi was one of the hardest hit communities, and this charming 800-year-old city was leveled with an unimaginable loss of life and property.

CBS recently devoted a 60 Minutes episode to the Otsuchi disaster and interviewed Ken Sasaki, catalyst for the sister city program. Sasaki made it clear how important the Fort Bragg sister city relationship has been in helping to give Otsuchi the encouragement to rebuild and to maintain their “Never give up” attitude.

The people of Fort Bragg have sent over $250,000 to help, but more importantly, they sent their love. As a continuation of this support, North Coast Brewing makes a donation to the Otsuchi Recovery fund for every bottle of Otsuchi Old Stock Ale sold. North Coast Brewing invites you to enjoy this bottle with friends & celebrate the recovery of Otsuchi.

To read more on the sister sister relationship between Fort Bragg, California and Otsuchi Japan, visit www.otsuchi.org

Click here for a printable PDF of this release.

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