Big Time and Karlsberg release Bock to Hell. A release celebrating friendship, brewers, and ideas.
image of Darko, Thomas, Roy, Audra, Markus, and Rick; sourced from Big Time Brewery but photographed by Matt Scharbach
Cooperation, alliance, partnership, combination, teamwork, joint effort, working together, coopetition. These are all words that operate in synergy with that common beer phrase - collaboration.
Often times, the word collaboration is synonymous with two breweries who share a common geography and common affection for a style of beer. Other times it's two nationally-recognized breweries coming together to release a beer in the intellection of beer-minded people. Whatever the motivation for this conjunction where two breweries produce a beer, breweries Big Time and Karlsberg (with a K) have teamed up to release a unique, international, collaboration.
Started in 1878, in the town of Homburg, Germany, Karlsberg Brewery Group is one of the largest breweries in Germany. With an annual production of well over 5 million hectoliters (or 4,260,839 barrels), Karlsberg has firmly established itself in the top 10 of Germany breweries. Meanwhile, Big Time Brewery and Alehouse is the oldest brewery in Seattle while producing less than 15,000 barrels per year. But a chance opportunity presented itself, 10 years ago, when one of Karlsberg Brewery Group's Marketing department employees - Markus Brossette - met Big Time Brewery's, Rick McLaughlin.
But the relationship and ensuing collaboration began with Markus and Rick, which was germinated when Markus tasted his first Big Time-brewed beer. Recalling his first India Pale Ale it was the bitterness that came from sipping this new style of beer. With six-months to invest in the states, Markus did in time grew to love local IPAs and today he is happy to say it's one of his favorites styles of beer to drink in the US. Through a chance meeting, Rick and Markus exchanged information and made a promise to stay in touch. As the duo struck up a correspondence sharing a love of beer before a conversation eventually was introduced with Karlsberg learning to brew at Big Time Brewery.
In speaking with the others, Operations Manager Darko Zimmer is impressed in the new styles of the Pacific Northwest when compared to Germany's restrictive Purity Law. Without hesitation brothers Rick and Roy McLaughlin took Zimmer, Markus, and Brewmaster Thomas on a tour of Seattle's breweries. After visiting numerous breweries before resting at Big Time Brewery the trio was asked which Seattle beers they liked. When pressed, naturally, Markus and the brewers enjoyed Big Time's IPA and their Dirty Couch collaboration sour. Of course, Thomas the lone dissenter still prefers a Kolsch to most of the styles in the area.
image of Karlsberg’s Thomas, Darko, & Big Times’ Roy sourced from Big Time Brewery but photographed by Matt Scharbach
Joined by Roy's assistant brewer, Audra Johansen, the group of six get up early to mill several 50-pound bags of grain needed to produce the aromatic wort indicative of breweries throughout the world. While this is occurring Big Time head brewer Roy McLaughlin explains their decision to produce a Bock beer was a reflection of the friendship between Rick and Markus and between Big Time Brewery and Karlsberg. Using locally and regionally-sourced ingredients Big Time's Bock makes use of Magnum, Chinook, Hallertau, Mount Hood hops, as well as a Bock yeast. At the same time, an exchange of brewing techniques occurs as Karlsberg brewer Thomas was intrigued by the brewing process at Big Time, while Roy learned much about the varying brewing techniques at the German brewery. Before long the aroma of boiling malt has permeated throughout the brewery and into the outside atmosphere indicating it was time to transfer the sticky wort into an awaiting bath of water, where the hops are added at increasing times.
image of Rick McLaughlin sourced from Big Time Brewery but photographed by Matt Scharbach
Throughout this process, where men and women share not just in conversation but also labors, we bear witness to what collaboration really means. Curiously, Roy opines that when he first heard of Karlsberg he anticipated a duo of brewers with a stiff disposition, acquired from years of working in a multi-million dollar brewery in Germany. Laughter, a universal response breaking all language barriers, infect each person standing as they scoop steaming mash from the Mash Tun. Soon, the brewers add the aforementioned Magnum, Chinook, Hallertau, and Mount Hood hops through the morning. Soon after, the beer is pumped into an open fermenter before the yeast is added.
Brewed during Seattle's tumultuous snow-infected week of February 4th, 2019; breweries Big Time and Karlsberg look forward to the release of Bock to Hell a German-style Bock beer in the coming days. The beer represents not just a collaboration between brewers but one between two friends, from two parts of the world.
