November marked the two-year anniversary of the Sawtooth Brewery, located on 600 N Main Street in Ketchum (in the Clarion building). Although these guys don’t need an excuse to party, this milestone is truly reason to celebrate.
Before Sawtooth Brewery opened its doors in 2011, Ketchum didn’t have a microbrewery to call its own. In a mere two years, it has built up a loyal following and become an integral part of the community— providing beer at events and offering Ketchum residents the opportunity to participate in Idaho’s booming craft beer culture.
Master brewer and co-founder Paul Holle was extremely pleased by the turnout. “The party was great. There were a lot of beers, music was great, and the weather was perfect. Last year was 8 degrees. We’ll take the 28 that it was this year.”
The idea of throwing an anniversary party came up a year and a half ago as a way to “celebrate being open, to throw a party for Ketchum to say thank you, to showcase what the brewery can do and what is possible,” Paul explained. Plus, he pointed out, “Ketchum loves a good party.”
And that it was. The party ran all day (noon to 11pm), with two bands—locally-grown Old Death Whisper and Montana-based Off in the Woods. There were three pouring stations, games including giant Jenga, Cornhole and Hammerschlagen, and 32 beers to select from.
The beer is a large part of what makes this event so unique. With seasonal brews like the Out Cold Winter Ale with Cocoa Nibs & Raspberries, they use this event to introduce barrel-aged beers. Barrel-aged beer, as its name suggests, involves aging the beer in a spent whiskey barrel. During this process the beer absorbs some of the flavor of the spirits and wood. These beers are often described as having bold flavors and charred oak, cherry or vanilla notes.
Although traditionally this barrel-aging technique is used with dark-style beer like the Sawtooth Brewery’s Out Cold Winter Ale or Chair to Nowhere Imperial Stout, they also introduced some more adventurous barrel-aged beer made from Barley Wine (Oak Aged End of the World Barley Wine) and IPA (Oak Aged Tandem Double Rye IPA).
The brewery also showcased their signature firkins. A firkin is a unit of measurement as well as the size a kind of keg used for cask conditioning. Often referred to as “real ale,” firkins are naturally carbonated. Since the beer is put in a sealed cask before the fermentation is complete, the gas produced by the fermentation process is absorbed into the beer. The result is a softer, more natural carbonation. Unlike regular beer, firkins are not pasteurized. Because they contain active yeast, the beer continually evolves, usually resulting in incredibly fruity and flavorful brews.
Many of these ideas come from hanging out in the craft beer world, Paul explained. The brewing community is known for its congeniality and collaboration. Unlike other more competitive industries, Paul feels that “everyone in the brewing community wants everyone to make great beer. They work with each other. They don’t hide stuff and aren’t cutthroat. It’s a really open community.”
The enthusiasm Paul brings to his brewing rubbed off on the crowd at the Anniversary Party. People were having a great time dancing, talking, eating from the guest food trucks and tasting an incredible array of beers. One patron remarked on what a privilege it is to get to taste all of these unique brews. “It’s just something you don’t get without a microbrewery,” she shared.
As the evening progressed, groups gathered around Hammerschlagen, a game that dates back to German Oktoberfest in the early 1800s and consists of a tree stump, a hammer and some nails. The goal is to drive your opponents nail into the wood faster than your competitors using a straight arm and the wedge-shaped back end of the hammer. Although rumors were circulating that the Alaskan version of this game involves throwing the hammer in the air, catching it, then hitting the nail, Ketchum witnessed the tamer and probably safer lower-48-states version. As cheers and the sound of mugs clinking began to interrupt the game, it became clear that people were enjoying these unique brews and having a great time.
The celebrations on November 9th, may have been extra festive as the brewery’s aficionados learned that the Sawtooth Brewery is going to start bottling 22 ounce bottles, and hope to make them available in local grocery stores by the second week of December. Moreover, we also learned that they are working on finding investors to help build a new facility—a 15-20 barrel brew house in downtown Ketchum.
Working out of a larger production space will allow them to can their beers, play with more barrel aging, distribute statewide and grow the brand to meet the demands of the state. Seeing what unique and innovative work they’ve done in their current space, I can’t wait to see what will come out of a larger facility and what they have in store for next year’s third anniversary party.
