Categorized under: Opening-new

Craft Brewery opening in Oklahoma

If you find yourself lost in Tulsa-Oklahoma, go check out Marshall Brewing Co. Eric Marshall will be opening a craft brewery this month. Here’s his story…

Sean
2Beerguys.com

Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It!!

Marshall Brewing

Sat November 3, 2007
Old World flair draws favor for brew master

By Trisha Evans
Business Writer

Craft beer enthusiasts get ready to drink your fill. The state’s third commercial brewery will begin production soon, and it’s serious about flavor.

After studying brewing all over Germany, Tulsa native Eric Marshall aims to put Oklahoma on the map for craft beer.

“I decided if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. I’m going to go to Germany and learn it the old-world style,” Marshall said.

Marshall has a degree in international business and is fluent in German. After doing theory work in Chicago, Marshall studied brewing in Munich and apprenticed at a few local breweries in Germany.

He fell in love with the culture of beer while studying in Germany during his junior year of college. The goal of his second trip was to learn the science of beer.

“I’m not going to be the average home brewer who takes the leap into a professional career. I’m going to learn the science of it and do it right,” he said.

He learned what lautering, grist, wort and diacetyl mean to a brewer and how to extract sugar from the barley. He also learned the correct ratio of malted barley, yeast, water and hops and how it varies according to the type. Controlling temperature is key in a consistent product, he said.

But it’s not all science, there’s a little math to beer making. “There’s a formula for determining how much sugar you want, which in turn, determines how much alcohol is in your beer,” he said.

All in all, Marshall said he’s got the job he’s always wanted and he’s confident the product also will be a hit.

“The beer industry on a whole is going down, but the craft beer industry has just skyrocketed. It’s the fastest growing segment in the adult beverage industry,” he said.

According to the Brewers Association, craft beer sales grew 31.5 percent from 2003 to 2006. So far this year, sales have increased 12 percent over 2006.

Julia Herz, spokeswoman for the association, said the industry taken off for two reasons. Craft beer is getting better, and Americans are choosing to trade-up.

“Craft beer offers different choices, different beer styles, bigger flavor, bigger mouth feel, higher in alcohol, just more diversity in the taste,” she said.

Krebs-based Choc Beer has also felt the industry spike. Business doubled last year and will nearly double in 2007, said owner Joe Prichard.

The American beer drinker is looking to craft breweries for that flavor, Marshall said, and he promised to infuse a little German flair to the Marshal Brewing Co beer.

Lagers take longer to make and are usually more delicate, but Marshall said he plans to brew lagers, too. Licenses pending, Marshall hopes to begin brewing by December, with his two first beers, a hoppy India Pale Ale and “Belgian-inspired” American wheat available by January or February.

Marketing will emphasize how the beer is local and fresh.

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