CARLSBORG — It was a case of two creative neighbors meeting, one a Carlsborg microbrewer, the other a Sequim chef.
Add a Dungeness farmer’s oats, some vanilla and anise, and a new home brew was born — Alder Wood Smoked Oat Stout.
“I actually met him and saw his hops growing in his yard,” said Gabriel Schuenemann, co-owner and chef of Alder Wood Bistro, recalling when he first talked to microbrewer Tom Martin, who now is licensed at the county, state and federal levels to brew beer for sale to restaurants.
Schuenemann said he encouraged Martin to seek his licensing to serve it at the restaurant he and his wife, Jessica, have owned and operated for nearly five years.
New brew on Tuesday
Alder Wood Bistro, 139 W. Alder St., Sequim, will feature the new brew on tap beginning Tuesday.
Taking the oats in the beer, which were grown at Nash Huber’s Dungeness farm, Schuenemann rolled them with an Italian oat crimper, smoked them using some of the same fresh alder wood he cooks with, and suggested the herbal mix to Martin.
Schuenemann was looking for a warm, slightly spicy beer that reflected the holiday season.
Martin brewed and aged the rich chocolate-colored creation inside the tiny garage he converted into a microbrewery on Grandview Drive just west of the Dungeness River.
The two men tasted the final product Friday for the first time, and they said it exceeded their expectations.
“It has a nice thick head, and the oats give real body to it,” Schuneman said, tasting two batches, one with more vanilla and another with more anise.
The vanilla gave the beer a subtle but warm sweet aroma and a creamy, rich and flavorful finish.
Asked if he hopes to sell his beers to other restaurants, Martin said, “It would be good, but I don’t plan on growing real fast.”
Local brewery
Martin also is the owner of Fathom & League Hop Yard Brewery, one of the Pacific Northwest’s newest commercial breweries.
He has sold Fathom & League ale at McPhee’s Parkway Grocery, 717 S. Race St. in Port Angeles, and the Alder Wood Bistro.
“It’s been a lot of fun working with him,” Martin said of Schuenemann.
Martin also brews Mastodon Scotch Ale, a reference to the mastodon unearthed on the former Manis farm in Sequim, and Discovery Stout, named for the HMS Discovery.
He has also brewed a summer beer, Krabbin’ Kolsch.
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau last week approved the formula and labels for the newest beer, Martin said.
Schuenemann said he and his wife have long supported the buy-local concept, especially when it involves the region’s farmers who bring meat and vegetables to their restaurant’s diners.
They buy local beef from Clark Family Farm and pork from Nash’s among other local sources.
Martin voiced satisfaction Friday with his newest, which was sitting in three five-gallon barrels.
“I think this is going to be pretty popular,” Martin said with a smile.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
