The Ale Apothecary Owner/Brewer Paul Arney Talks Ralph

We spoke with The Ale Apothecary Owner/Brewer Paul Arney about Ralph.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
I came up with this recipe after the success of our Sahati, which utilized spruce from the area outside our brewery. I had always avoided using (our high desert) juniper due to the unpleasant smell even though it has been used extensively in old-world Scandinavian brewing recipes. Upon discovering that the juniper in Norway and Finland is much different than ours, and much more similar in flavor and aroma to the fir trees outside our brewery, I chose white fir to focus on in this beer. My father was down to celebrate his 70th birthday, so after mashing the beer (our 100th brew at the time) I decided to name the beer in honor of my dad Ralph.  

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
My favorite aspect of this beer is how it literally reminds the drinker, in both flavor and aroma, of our forest after a rain. I never get tired of hearing how this beer is described as ‘Oregon in a glass’.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
This would probably not be my desert island beer, but definitely my misty mountain morning beer when outside burning a large fire.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
CItrus and pine, loamy earth and darkened stone fruit.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
A great pairing is with elk and wild mushroom gravy.

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