Past, Present and Future of StormBreaker Brewing
image from Zzeppelin for the Oregon Brewers Guild
2020 was the sort of year that can break a brewery, even the strong ones were tested and in the most optimistic terms some will come out stronger for it. StormBreaker Brewing of N. Portland is one of the few who rolled with the punches, and while wounded, still came out triumphant.
StormBreaker co-owner Dan Malech says it was a real challenge to keep the business afloat, and their staff employed, while still turning out high quality beers. Some would argue that StormBreaker’s beers were better than ever in 2020.
“We learned so much about ourselves, our employees, our business, and our community,” says Malech. “Looking back on a year that seemed to last a decade, we are very pleased with how we navigated the storm that was 2020. Even breaking it if you will.”
StormBreaker recently had a moment to reflect on last year while looking ahead to a better one, and have highlighted many of their first releases coming out this month and next as well as the accomplishments of the last one.
“We were able to be more creative than we have in the past which added the various styles we put out this year. The challenges are far from over. However, as we looked back on what our small brewery was able to accomplish, beer-wise and otherwise, it does put a smile on our faces.”
Investment in their two pubs on N. Mississippi Ave. and in St. Johns neighborhood for expanding outdoor seating paid off big time, it was, and continues to be a lifeline for the business. So was home beer delivery, StormBreaker was one of the first to jump on to this new service model and recognize that online sales and direct to door service is here to stay. The next investment to the future success is to purchase their own canning line, the mobile canning services that the majority of breweries rely on are essential now more than ever, but also an added cost that may be effective in the short run but expensive in the long run.
StormBreaker’s 2020 by the numbers:
1,212 was the last batch of the year, and it was of Big City Brown Ale.
229 batches of beer brewed in 2020
59 Different beers/styles
32 new recipes
7 Fresh Hop Beers
47 Unique Beers in Cans
7 New Hazies
10 Wine Barrels filled with Winter Coat 2020
1 Peach Rye Barrel filled with Tones of Homes Cream Ale
1 Peach Rye Barrel filled with Real Talk Saison (to be inoculated with Brett later)
1 BarnStormer Barrer filled with Figure it Out Imperial Stout
2020 StormBreaker firsts:
First Dessert Style Beers: Black is Beautiful, Bourbon Pecan Pie, Chili Chocolate Churro
First Smoothie Beer: Holy Forking Shirt Balls! (2021 release)
First Pilsners: 3 New Zealand and a Czech style that will be ready in 2021
First Kviek Beer: Norwegian Samuraii
First Whiskey Release: Barnstormer collab with Stonebarn Brandyworks. They distilled our World Cup Gold medal winning Imperial Red into an amazing whiskey over 3 years!
First Cream Ale: Tones of Home
First Cold IPA - Liquid Hot Enigma (2021 Release)
First GABF medal: Silver for our ESB
First Time winning 4 medals at Oregon Beer Awards: Gold for ALTerior Motive, Silver for Opacus Stout, Bronze for both Hazy...So Hot and Safety Meeting
New for 2021 Beer Releases:
Opprobrious Porter - Just Released
ABV 6.3% IBU 30
Hops: Cascade, Centennial, Nugget
We gave auto correct the "opportunity" to name this beer. We came up with the recipe. Chocolate Biscuit aromatics, followed by a semi-sweet, full bodied robust porter.
Holy Forking Shirt Balls! (Vegan Smoothie IPA) - Just Released
ABV 6.5% IBU 30
Hops: Amarillo, Loral, Lotus, Meridian, Samba, Vic Secret
This is a Vegan Smoothie IPA with strawberry and banana. Not your traditional milkshake IPA or smooth IPA as it has no lactose to keep it Vegan.
Stretching The Truth (Non Collab Saison) - 1/29 Release
ABV 6% IBU 29
Hops: Kazbek, Styrian Golding, US Golding
A Not Collab with our friends at Wood Boss Brewing out of Denver, CO. We brewed this saison without them, but we talked to them about it.
Liquid Hot Enigma (Cold IPA) - 1/29 Release
ABV 6.3% IBU 65
Hops: Cascade, Chinook, Enigma, Lotus, Samba
A cold fermented IPA with Enigma, Lotus, and Samba hops. Tropical bouquet of pineapple, stone fruit, and tangerine. Hops provide pinot gris, orange, and vanilla flavors. Together they create both something familiar, and something entirely new.
Bad Janet (Vegan Fruit Smoothie Sour) - 1/29 Release
ABV 6.5% IBU 30
Hops: Amarillo, Cascade, Loral, Meridian, Vic Secret
The sequel. This tart smoothie combines tropical hop profile with mango, vanilla, and fork it...more mango. Producing a delicious distraction from the bad place known as 2020.
Editors note: to separate their smoothie beers from Milkshake beers that use lactose, Stormbreaker is relying on a small amount of vanilla instead.
Barrel Aged Tones of Home (French Oak Barrel Aged Cream Ale) - Early Feb Release
ABV 5% IBU 21
Hops: German Northern Brewer, Saaz
A pre-prohibition style cream ale finished in a French oak barrel from our friends at Stonebarn Brandyworks that held rye whiskey with peaches for 2 years.
When I Froot Sour Ale with Dark Sweet Cherries - 2/8/21
ABV 5.2% IBU 32
Continuing the saga of our Kettle Sour series, with Dark Sweet Cherries this time!
Long Titles for Short Stories - 2/8/21
ABV 5.6% IBU 28
Hops: Kazbek, Tettnager, Hallertauer Mittelfruh
Overwhelmingly balanced. Hops provide nuanced and complex flavors of floral and sparkling lemon. A liquid brevity showcasing how to use less to achieve more.
Looking forward, StormBreaker is brewing the Oregon Brewers Guild collaboration beer for Zwickelmania for release in mid-February. That will be followed by the next in their Dessert Beer series, which will be a Mounds candy bar-inspired beer with coconut and chocolate. Look for it in mid to late February.