Salty and sweet, popcorn is a perfect taste and texture companion to a well made beer. Test our favorite pairings, or BYOP (that’s bring your own popcorn) and explore your own!
IPA + Jalapeno Cheddar Popcorn
India Pale Ale lovers know that hop bitterness and heat goes hand in hand. With Nolan‘s rotating hop additions in each release, you’ll get a kick out of this pair combining white cheddar popcorn with a punch of jalapeno pepper.
Lager + White Cheddar Popcorn
JOGR is our top pick as a refreshing low cal favorite to wash down white cheddar. This palate cleanser is a perfect match for salty and savory crisp white cheddar popcorn.
Belgian Style + Caramel Corn Popcorn
Smooth but subtle caramel and a dry finish make Cadence, or big malt in Jude make these Belgian Style favorites a complementary pair. Who knows you might just nurture your inner child with each bite!
Declaration + Chocolate Caramel Crunch Popcorn
Declaration is an Imperial Stout with aromas of smooth dark fruit and roasted malts. Declare a day done well with this pairing of chocolate caramel crunch popcorn and this beer’s notes of coffee and bitter chocolate.
Brewed as part of Reformation’s year-round portfolio of Belgian-style ales, Jude is billed as a “modern” take on the classic derived from the Trappist monastery at Westmalle.
It pours a hazy gold with a soft white head, and at 9.2-percent alcohol it’s dangerously easy to drink. Floral aromas and fruity and herbal notes mix with a sweetish malt flavor and a distinctive Belgian yeast character from esters and phenols that bring out hints of clove and banana.
When it comes to culinary pairings, you can’t get much tastier than a cheeseburger. A juicy patty topped with a slice of cheese — is there anything better? So imagine our delight to find out that Sept. 18 is National Cheeseburger Day. A whole day set aside to celebrate one of our favorite indulgences? We’re in. Keep reading to find out how to pay homage yourself.
ReformationBarrel Aged Jude debuts today, alongside a new era for Georgia craft breweries. Today, you can finally buy a pint directly from the brewery.
Woodstock, Georgia is home to Reformation, who started aging Barrel Aged Jude over 9 months ago. The Belgian-style tripel has been resting in fresh bourbon barrels since late December.
This unique version of Jude has been aged for over nine months in bourbon barrels, with 9.2 percent ABV the beer is described as having notes of bourbon and oak atop a balanced malt sweetness and clean, citrus finish.
Reformation Brewery’s Belgian Style Dubbel, Cadence, was awarded Bronze at this year’s 2017 US Open Beer Championship. Rick Roberts, organizer of the competition, even stopped by to enjoy a glass at our Woodstock Keeping Room on a recent visit. Cheers to great beer and classic styles!
Declaration and Cadence take home Bronze at the 2017 Best of Craft Beer Awards! Two delicious Reformation OG favorites that continue to impress both judges and beer drinkers alike. Come on by and let us pour you a taste on your next visit!
The 4th annual ‘Best of Craft Beer Awards’ were held last weekend in Bend at the Mount Bachelor Village Resort, where 245 medals were awarded out of 1,755 entries from 245 breweries. This event has quietly become one of the larger pro beer awards in the country… {read more}
“It pours dark, with tan head, and pops with a mix of cocoa and coffee, but not too much. You’ll get notes of mild chocolate, dark toasted malt, and, yes, some smoke. The good dry quality to it allows for a clean finish without the heavy tail of some porters. And according to the folks at Reformation, pair this one with a sweet and smokey barbecue, maybe some grilled beef, or even salted caramel and chocolate. They also recommend listening to Eddie Vedder singing “Just Breathe” as you enjoy a can of Stark. I tried this—it’s a solid suggestion.”
“Reformation Brewery out of Woodstock, Ga. employs 10 people and is redefining what local beer should be. “We built our entire business model on this concept of enjoying well made beer as a gift and sharing that gift with others,” said Spencer Nix, CEO of Reformation Brewery. And Nix wanted to enjoy the process. Many breweries obtain a lot of capital and skip to the largest equipment they can afford, but Reformation did the opposite and started with a few investors and opened a production brewery on a 1-Barrel Brewhouse. They’ve since scaled that equipment to a 3-Barrel Brewhouse, a 7-Barrel Brewhouse, and recently installed the first High Efficiency Brewing System (HEBS)in the State of Georgia.
Since starting in 2014, the company has gone from zero paid employees to ten and saw $700,000 in sales in 2015. But its impact on people and the community is what fuels their business and has launched them into the new phenomenon of “beer tourism.” The brewery has drawn visitors from as far away as Michigan, and theKeeping Room welcomed 12,000 visitors to its downtown Woodstock location in its first year.
So why start a brewery in Georgia? “Because it’s home,” Nix says. “Home to a growing population relocating from other parts of the country. Home to great small communities where small business thrives. Home to world-class resources the city of Atlanta attracts. And home to where I’m from, and all meaningful adventures start at home.”
The Cherokee county community is raising a toast to a local business in celebration of their hard-work and accomplishments. Reformation Brewery has been recognized as one of Georgia’s “Small Business Rock Stars,” a program that recognizes outstanding, unique and impactful small businesses in the state of Georgia. Created in 2013, the program is a joint effort of the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) and the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Companies with up to 50 employees were considered for uniqueness and innovation, as well as for their involvement with their local economic developers and state resource providers.
May, 2015 Co-founders Nick Downs, Spencer Nix, and Lead Brewer Paul Hamill.
New Beginnings
In May of 2015, Reformation Brewery in Woodstock, Georgia installed and started operation on a High Efficiency Brewing System (HEBS).
Developed in Australia by iDD Products, the HEBS uses 40% less water and up to 20% less grain than conventional brewing systems, paying off as both a cost-saving measure and an important step toward preserving the Etowah River Watershed, from which the brewery draws its water supply.
With the help of a hands-on tutorial from the system’s creator, Jeff Gunn, and some guidance from Chris Anderson at Coachella Valley Brewing Company (California) and Scotty Morgan at Rocks Brewing Company in Sydney (both of whom also brew on a HEBS), the new system is helping meet increasing demand for Reformation Brewery beer in Georgia.
Lightening the Load
The third brewing system for Reformation over the last year, the HEBS raises capacity from 3-7 barrel production to approximately 17.5 barrels. The High Efficiency Brewing System provides the ability to turn over the brewing cycle five times in a 13-hour day, lightening the load in more ways than one.
“For me, the biggest benefit is time. Knocking hours off our brew days allows me to spend more time with my family. And the malt is augered in and exits on a conveyor belt which means no shoveling out the mash tun. In Georgia summers, that is a big deal.” — Co-Founder and Brewmaster, Nick Downs
Nick adds that the increase in production with fewer resources translates into more affordable beer for the consumer. “There is a lot of pressure on grain and hop process year to year,” Nick notes. “Because of the HEBS, we use less grain and can keep our prices in check.”
COO Bjoern Jembsy is also pleased with the change. “I also love the ability to run many small batches fast thus enabling variety without it becoming too expensive. This has the added benefit of giving our brewers some of their lives back!”
Innovation
The new system also provides opportunities for innovation, opening up the possibility of using unmalted grains to provide unique flavor profiles. And with more time to explore future styles, the brewers can also focus on improvements to the existing lineup.
Although the technology isn’t new–iDD HEBS creators point out that “macro brewers have had access to this technology for nearly 45 years”–issues of cost and scale have previously been prohibitive for smaller breweries working on a limited budget.
With only eight iDD HEBS systems currently in operation in the US (and only 12 worldwide), Reformation Brewery is proud to be among the few taking this innovative step. Co-founder and CEO Spencer Nix says the decision to move to the new system was both practical and personal. “I love that the HEBS aligns with our value of moderation. It helps us maximize resources, freeing us to balance more out of life. Quality of life translates into quality of beer.”
Meeting Demand
“We’ve struggled to meet demand in this first year. It’s a good problem to have,” Spencer admits. Increased capacity and shorter brewing cycles with the HEBS mean more Reformation beer in the market.
And for Reformation enthusiasts like Cheryl, the return of their favorite beer to local taps is welcome news. “I’m thrilled that more restaurants will be carrying Providence soon, so I can enjoy my favorite craft beer on tap when I’m out.” (Cheryl Francis, Marietta, GA)
The new system will also help Reformation meet their goal of bottling “Commons” (22 oz bottles) which will be made available exclusively in the Keeping Room. Spencer Nix says they also hope to be able to offer 12 oz bottles in 6-packs and 12-packs by the end of the year.
