Beer of the Week: State Champ

It’s easy to see them coming. They roll deep; their calves bulging, their laughter robust. They are more than just co-workers. Heck, they’re more than family. They’re a clan bound by mutual interests and shared experiences. And their numbers span generations, growing as veterans stake out on their own, creating roster spots for newcomers. They are the brewers of SoCal’s famed brewing concern, Pizza Port. Camaraderie is the lifeblood of the craft-beer industry and no local company exhibits quite the degree of closeness as this crew. Nor does any faction seem to so open-armedly invite fermentationists from other breweries in to get a contact-high from hanging within their orbit, whether its at Pizza Port’s brewpubs, or out in the wild at industry events like the Craft Brewers Conference or Great American Beer Festival. It’s no surprise these guys make friends wherever they go–the substantial, lasting kind that carry on beyond their employment with Pizza Port–and that most of those friendships yield collaboration beers steeped in fun and creativity. This week’s featured beer, State Champ, is just such a creation. A West Coast take on a cold IPA, it was conceptualized by longtime Pizza Port Carlsbad chieftan Mike Aubuchon at his new post heading Oceanside’s Heritage Brewery & Barbecue, and refined in collaboration with a notable brewer pulling double duty at a pair of standout operations in Denver. Like many fun-fueled collabs, there’s a highly entertaining story behind the name of the beer, but I’ll leave it to Aubuchon to share that. Instead, I’ll get into the nitty gritty of this lagered hop-bomb, which boasts a bright bouquet of tangerine and peach with just the slightest hint of marjoram. Beneath its snow-white head awaits flavors of pineapple, passion fruit, mandarin orange, lemon peel and more. It’s the kind of beer one can take their time with, enjoying different sensations with each sip. It’s also an example of the good that comes from collabs, driving home a point Aubuchon or any Pizza Port alum will echo: it’s good to know people!

State Champ is a collaboration with Phil Joyce from Denver’s Amalgam Brewing. Phil is also the lead brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus. Possibly better than all of that, he was an accomplished wrestler in high school. One evening, Sebastian Sauer, a brewer from Germany’s Freigeist Bierkultur, tried to wrestle him. Phil easily double-legged him and took him down. For the rest of the night, Sebastian referred to Phil as ‘state champ’, giving us the inspiration for the name of this beer. Our State Champ is low in kettle hops, but goes heavy in the dry-hop. Brewed with lager yeast, it was fermented and lagered for three weeks. The result is a really balanced, light, hoppy, easy-drinking beer with an awesome aroma.”

Mike Aubuchon, Head Brewer, Heritage Brewery & Barbecue