Brewing Beer Meets American Single Malts

Jason Parker photo credit Photomura

When Seattle-based Copperworks Distilling Company was founded in 2013, it had the distinction of being the first distillery in Washington State to brew what is essentially beer wort in a major capacity. The result is a spirit that co-founder Jason Parker describes as having a “beer-informed palate with malt expressions of a single farm, single variety malts.”

Parker and his co-owner and Distiller Emeritus Micah Nutt knew that they couldn't compete with established distilleries known for distilling spirits via traditional methods. Their spirits have consistent flavor profiles valued by consumers for hundreds of years. Also, while the craft beer and boutique winery movements in the Pacific Northwest focused on flavor, local distillers' utilized traditional methods. Given his background as the first head brewer at Pike Brewing Company in Seattle coupled with stints at other Pacific Northwest breweries along with degrees in chemistry and microbiology from the Evergreen State College, Parker felt he could contribute to a new style of whiskey made with an eye towards flavor.

Flavor First

According to Miles Munroe Master Blender for Westward Whiskey (Portland, OR), this connection between beer and American Single Malt Whiskey represents a logical step given both craft beer and single malt whiskey are made from malted barley. He adds this connection has been happening in the Pacific Northwest for so long because of this region's heritage with brewing and easy access to some of the best barley in the world. "When creating the profile of Westward, part of a new category of whiskey in the States, we thought about what could separate our style of single malt from others around the world.  A huge inspiration for that is brewing," he adds.

Tyler Pederson

Tyler Pederson, Master Distiller at Westland Distillery (Seattle, WA) notes how their relationship with PNW beer culture is more than a source of influence for them, it’s a community that they actively participate in. "We lend our used casks to our brewing friends as part of our Cask Exchange Program. This allows them a free and local supply of fresh whiskey barrels to mature their beer, and in return, we get the casks back to finish our whiskey in and explore the possibilities of new cask finishes."

Distilling Like a Brewer

Shane Armstrong

Shane Armstrong, Westland's Master Blender, reflects on how brewing informed their approach since their opening in 2010. "Our mainstay five-malt mash bill showcases the impact of different kilning and roasting levels on the final spirit. We borrowed another note from brewers in our choice of yeast – a Belgium style that adds a dynamic fruit-focused component."   

Also, Pederson, observes how the process of wort production for single malt is much more similar to the brewing industry than it is to that of American bourbon and rye distillers. "When it comes to recipe development we utilize a broad range of malt types to produce a mashbill that delivers a rich malt character with notes of biscuits and dry bakers chocolate. Also, we adapt and change their mashing techniques depending on the qualities of our malt and the desired spirit type, an approach to developing various flavor profiles that craft brewers know quite well. Also, we ferment their wort with a Belgian Saison brewers yeast, foregoing maximum yields of the classic M strain in the pursuit of more flavor complexity."

Character Rather than Efficiency

Westward Whiskey production brewing photo credit Carly Diaz

While Westward may be the fourth largest brewery in Oregon as far as gallons of beer produced each year, they lose about 92% of that volume during double pot distillation because of their spirit cuts and the way they ferment. Munroe boasts they're deliberately inefficient in some of the ways they make Westward given the choices they make to produce more character instead of total efficiency. "That's not very common in our industry, but we prefer to create great flavor every step along the way which means no shortcuts.  The goal is to make single malt that reflects our culture and the place that surrounds it," he adds. 

At the heart of their production, Westward brews an un-hopped ale that tastes well on its own before sending it to the stills. Their standard yeast is Chico, a classic ale yeast that almost all craft brewers use because of the really beautiful tropical fruit, honey, and orchard fruit notes it creates.  They ferment this yeast with their brewers grade malted barley for 96 to 120 hours at a cool temperature which yields big flavors that are clean and bright. 

In a similar vein, Copperworks is one of the few distilleries that produces a sanitary fermentation by boiling their wash for an hour. This process common in brewing drives off some of the water, which results in concentrating the sugar content and sanitizing the wash. When this wash fermented with brewer’s yeast, the end result produces clean fruity, and floral flavors instead of the sour flavors produced by traditional methods. In addition, they leave unfermented sugars in their fermenters that produce a sense of sweetness in their spirits more commonly associated with craft beers.  

Looking Forward

Westland Cask Exploration Beer Cask Finish

As the TTB moves closer to finalizing the category of American Single Malt, a growing number of Pacific Northwest craft distillers with a background in brewing have a Single Malt waiting in the wings. As these spirits mature, expect a plethora of PNW Single Malts with a brewer's touch that speaks to the flavors of the places where they were produced.