Upright Brewing's Alex Ganum on rediscovering a classic essential beer

Everyone has that one beer – the beer that ignited your love for craft beer and sent you on a journey. This could be a basic lager or something more complex like a gueuze or lambic. In many cases, it’s a flagship from one of the pioneers of the craft beer industry. In our hyper-local craft scene where breweries often crank out several new releases every week, sometimes we overlook the classics and the staples that may have been super exciting at one point in time. These beers may feel antiquated or old man-ish compared to the latest pastry stouts or quadruple dry-hopped haze bomb, but they are still just as worthy of attention. They are also quite often the go-to beers for brewers who want a beer that is balanced, respectable, and not too much of a palate overload. In our column The Beers that Made Us, we talk with brewers about the beers that have made the biggest impact on them in terms of their personal taste and love of craft beer as well as well as how it inspired their approach to brewing. 

For the very first edition of The Beers that Made Us, we talk with Alex Ganum, Founder and Head Brewer of Portland’s Upright Brewing. Ganum has built a loyal cult following with Upright, meticulously brewing everything from saisons and farmhouse beers to innovative IPAs, classic English pub ale, and pilsners. Ganum is a unique brewer in that he places equal focus on mastering old styles as he does on pushing boundaries. Given that Upright’s offerings are so diverse, we were fascinated to find out which beer made a huge impact on Ganum and pleasantly surprised to learn it was one of his neighboring breweries just down the street! 

Beer: 

Widmer Hefe

Your first time:

AG: The first time I enjoyed one (at the now closed Gasthaus) was impactful, it definitely made me rethink what a lighter or sessionable beer can get across in terms of nuance, and how satisfying that experience can be.

What makes it special:

AG: The most special aspect for me is the ingredient expression. You taste the wheat, and feel it in the mouthfeel, which might sound obvious, but it really does show so well. Beyond that, the beer has just enough yeast character, and a surprising hop flavor that integrates perfectly. I love the herbal and citrus notes from the Willamettes and Cascades, and it's not devoid of bitterness. Hell, brewers are making beers they call IPAs with less bitterness these days, so that little bit of bite the Hefe delivers is extra welcome.

Why this beer is influential:

AG: The history of this beer precedes my arrival in Portland, so I can't comment much on its early influence. It must have been a fixture in local bars back when most joints had only a handful of taps, and you could count the number of local breweries on your hands. But consider what it would've felt like to have a lineup like the Hefe, [Deschutes] Mirror Pond, and [Bridgeport] Blue Heron to pick from at your neighborhood joint, alongside industrial lagers. Those beers must have seemed like the most flavorful things in the world in that context, and inspired countless brewers, both home enthusiasts and professionals. In that sense, it's perhaps a little ironic that two decades later, a brewer like myself appreciates its subtlety in a sea of heavily flavored products, or beers if you want to call them that. Is that too curmudgeon-y?

Why beer drinkers should pay attention:

AG: Legacy/flagship brands are threatened by modern consumerism that incredibly laps up new products with little regard for their quality. We recently lost Bridgeport, and I just enjoyed what was probably my last bottle of Mac's [Amber Ale from Portland Brewing] the other day. This isn't to say that I think Widmer is on the cusp of closing, but if you want to support a brewery that truly helped create the local industry we all enjoy now, one that has employed a ton of talented brewers who are also great people, then roll down to their dock sale counter and pick up some Hefe. I think it's also important to note that this beer in particular comes across better in fresh form, so if your last memory of it is from a dirty tapline at a dive bar, ditch that and get it at the source.

How this beer inspired your brewery:

AG: The Four, our first flagship wheat-based saison totally took its "light beer can still have hop flavor" profile from the Hefe. I think anything we've made over the years that shows an ingredient-driven profile without trying too hard to stick out has some connection to it, and I'd like to think that the majority of the beers we produce fall into that group.