We are Kurt and Rob Widmer, co-founding brothers of the 30 year-old craft brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewing. AMA.

Kurt and Rob, I just finished my AMA, it good to see the brewery a few weeks ago, your folks were great, glad we made real progress on spent grains.

Thanks for all of your support for craft brewing!

How would you respond to people that vilify craft brewers who enter into partnerships with SABMiller and InBev?

The quality of our beer actually improved with the distribution agreement with AB. We talk about vilifiers as flat-earthers.

You guys have the best IPA on the planet. It's always in my fridge. Rock on Widmer brothers!!

Thanks!

What is your favorite Widmer beer, and what is your favorite beer from another brewery?

Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. Drinking it now! From another brewery, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale -- I've got a soft spot for it.

http://imgur.com/9KBsNEE

Like a lot of people growing up in Portland, Widmer Hefe got me into craft beer so... thank you! I have also have a few questions:

Have you ever considered bottling your Alt year round?

How much brewing actually goes on at the Rose Garden brewery?

Do either of you have a brewery in town that you like thats not your own?

What's your opinion of the name for the new transit bridge? (Tillikum Crossing)

We did bottle Alt at one point as a seasonal. We brought it back as part of our 30 Beers for 30 Years series http://30beersfor30years.com/

We brew everyday at the Rose Garden. We brew a ton there.

I like Breakside's Dekum pub.

Should have been Cascadia Crossing!

What do you do with all the spent grains after mashing?

Feed lots and lots and lots of cows.

What would your advice be for someone looking to start brewing from home and feeling a little overwhelmed?

We both started as home brewers. I'm doing some one-gallon batches at home now, in fact. Here's a great resource from Chow: http://www.chow.com/food-news/55536/how-to-brew-small-batch-beer-in-your-kitchen/

We all know the old joke about American beer and canoe sex but craft brews seem to be changing this. Where do you think America ranks the beer super powers? Thanks

The US is #1 with Portland being the epicenter of beer.

You guys got anything special planned for OBF this year? Is there another brewery you'd like to do a collaboration brew with? Firestone Walker perhaps!?

Special, yes - bringing back Widberry for OBF this year! We've got you covered.

Damn I missed it!

Maybe I can get one last one in:

Why did you guys get rid of Drifter? It was the perfect Pale Ale. While I've taken a liking to Alchemy, it just doesn't compare.

We were sorry to see Drifter go as well. The signature of Drifter, Summit hops, has made its way into other beers and fortunately, we've learned a lot from that beer.

Are you ever going to brew Deadlift IPA again? It was my favorite!!

Probably - it's got a new name, Nelson Imperial IPA. We love it too.

Hefe with or without lemon?

With, if it's a fresh lemon!

I love your beer and your brew pub! But what is your favorite brewery besides Widmer and why is it your favorite?

Logsdon. The brewery and the house are on the slopes of Mt. Hood. It's where I want to live.

Nice choice! Would love to see a collaboration between you two!

Been there. Brewed a pale ale with Logsdon earlier this year.

Do you believe microbreweries are generally better in quality than a national beer?

More flavorful, but not necessarily better quality.

Do you provide recipes for any of your beers (for homebrewers to try?) Do you use your own in house yeast strains?

We don't actively provide recipes for homebrewers to brew but there are a bunch of clone recipes out there from homebrewers. And yes, we do have house yeast strains.

Gentlemen, the world would love to see you can.

We do. Really big cans with handy handles. http://imgur.com/CxikOhk

And I am a loyal customer of said cans. However... :) I would buy MORE OF YOUR PRODUCT if you started canning. For real. So would my wife.

EDIT: Because..and let's be honest here..Widmer Hef isn't notorious for it's amazing shelf life in the bottle.

Not convinced that cans would help shelf life that much, but it's something we've considered in the past. It's not out of the question.

With such a large concentration of breweries, what makes the Pacific Northwest such a great place to brew beer?

Beer drinkers. Awesome beer drinkers.

Has to do with the fact that hop production in the Yakima and Willamette Valleys is so high. Only the Hallertau in Germany has more hop production area. Because they're local, hops are fresher when they go into the vats, and that improves the taste.

Of course, I'm an avid Oregonian beer drinking, so I necessarily have a bias.

Bull Run water helps too I think.

Yes, absolutely.

I remember your W'09 fondly. Any chance of a reissue?

Sweet. We'll be brewing this one again as part of the 30 Beers for 30 Years series. Look for it soon.

Is x-114 coming back?

Yes. It's part of our 30 Beers for 30 Years Series. Get your Citra fix with Citra Blonde Summer Brew this summer in the meantime.

What are your favorite stouts, porters, or black ipas besides your own? What do you think about the black ipa trend?

I think Left Hand's Milk Stout is awesome.

Are you guys releasing Marion berry hibiscus gose again?

No plans at the moment, but you never know.

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We tried selling our beer in Canada in the 90's but the tariffs made the beer too expensive. Nothing in Canada right now.

Do you have any beer tap handles? If so please share some pics!

And send me one! My Uncle owns a small restaurant with whatever is popular in micro-brews, so I always love trying new beers and suggesting some to him.

We do have Tap Handles. And here's a photo:

http://imgur.com/hzdiRO6

whats your favorite (german) beer?

Paulaner Hefeweizen

I know you guys are still involved with a home brewing club here in Portland. Done any small batch brewing at home recently?

Yeah. I've been fooling around with brew in a bag one-gallon at home. Brewing Hefe most recently.

What are your favorite beer-food pairings?

Hefe and Tex-Mex.

I'm looking to open a brewery with my brother, his best friend and the man I hope to marry at some point. Any advice on trademarking/licensing/copyrighting struggles? I'm the only one with a business degree so I have the unenviable task of wading through all the legalities and contracts, so any things I should look out for would be greatly appreciated.

Congrats on all your success!

It's getting tougher and tougher to find names that people aren't already using. Using a family name worked for us.

Thanks for the beer stand during the Portland Marathon. haha /u/changetip 500 bits

You're welcome!

What is the hardest part of owning the brewery?

Nothing. It's all sweet!

Hey I know I'm a little late on the AMA but I just wanted to say thanks! I have a fairly decent gluten sensitivity and after trying so many different gluten free/gluten removed beers Omission Pale Ale is my absolute favorite. Kudos!

Thanks for the support -- glad you're enjoying Omission!

Isn't craft also the mac 'n cheese makers?

I gotta start using that. That's awesome!

Hey Kurt and Rob,

What is your opinion on Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier?

This is my all time favorite beer and I really wish that Widmer has something comparable.

Also, how often do you disagree with each other on company strategy decisions? Who defers to who? Anybody have veto power?

One last question: Do you guys or anybody else in the industry take beeradvocate.com seriously? Have you ever made any corrective actions to business operations after reading reviews from here?

We do have a similar beer: Brotha From Anotha Motha, our interpretation of the Bavarian Style Hefeweizen. And it's even better!

We disagree with each other 2.56 times a week. I read BeerAdvocate frequently but try not to take any of the reviews personally.

What are your favorite non-Widmer beers to drink?

Homebrew.

I just wanted to say that your Hefeweizen is my dad's favorite beer. Keep up the good work!

Best. Dad. Ever.

Bros, love the gasthaus remodel. Looking forward to more collaborations for your 30 anniversary!

I have heard rumours since the release of the $8+ Boneyard collab 22s about prices going up across the board. Are all your beer going up in price since other popular breweries are charging more than the standard $4ish for a 22? I would hope not, your new brewers are making excellent beer but affordable well made brews got you to where you are today and earned the fans you all have now and that's something you shouldn't soon forget!

The collaboration beers are special for the 30th anniversary. It takes a lot of resources to brew them, so they have a slightly higher price.

Hey guys, First off, I love your delicious beer (Upheaval is a freaking masterpiece). On a recent visit over the cascades to Deschutes they told us about how they kept cryogenically frozen strains of their original ingredients in both Hood River and San Diego to ensure their beer lived on in the event that the South Sister decides to erupt or whatever. So my question is: Do you guys have any (debatably) whacky traditions or habits like the one above? Thanks! And of course, Prost!!!

I keep the red truck in tip top condition.

http://media.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/photo/11047698-large.jpg

I just finished the Widmer sponsored "Pints and Pins" bowling league across the river at Crosley Lanes in Vancouver, WA. Thanks for everything you guys do! I still remember my first Hef around 4 years ago, it was truly a gateway for me to trying craft beer.

Great. Thanks!

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Terrific.

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I like Alpine.

I think I'm a little bit late on this, but I just want to thank you for doing this. Widmer has become one of my favorite beermakers over the last couple of years. My only question is about the Drifter Pale Ale. I haven't seen that around my area (Charleston, WV) in quite a while. I was wondering if it has been discontinued or just become seasonal? The Drifter is one of my favorite Pale Ales and I miss it a lot.

We stopped brewing Drifter early last year when we launched Alchemy Pale Ale. We were sad to see Drifter go, but hope you've had a chance to try Alchemy. Prost!

Is there an opportunity for a virtual internship?

What's a "virtual internship"?

Can I tour your brewery the next time I am in Portland?

Yes. Stop on by.

Do you have any new flavors or labels that you're planning on putting on the market soon? I'm a big fan of Drop Top, and would love to see another amber from you guys that's easily accessible.

We've got 30 Beers for 30 Years happening right now to celebrate our 30th Anniversary as well as a handful of collaborations with Oregon breweries.

When the celebration is over, how many will be kept on as a regularly available label? I'd love to see even more selection at Freddies in the beer aisle.

We're working on it. We'd like to see more beer there too.