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Massachusetts-based brewer Chris Lohring has a lot to celebrate these days. Notch Brewing is about to hit its third anniversary, low ABV brews are getting a lot of (controversial) attention in the craft beer industry, and Session Beer Day is around the corner. I was lucky to get in touch with Chris last week to pick his brain about the state of Notch in 2013.
Notch is best known for its Session Pils. For beer fans that aren’t familiar, what exactly is a session beer, and why did you pick this style to focus on?
Session beer is a term for beers with moderate to lower alcohol but with great flavor, and built for multiple pints. This is far from something new; session beer has been brewed for centuries.
The Session Pils is my version of the Czech pale session lager (called Světlé Výčepní Pivo). It is the Czech’s default pub beer, served in 1/2 liter mugs, and it’s expected you’ll be having more than two. My kind of beer.
How has the response been from the beer community?
Depends who you ask. On the consumer side, it runs from enthusiasm and embracement of the beers, to pure confusion and animosity towards what I am doing. Brewers told me I was crazy 3 years ago and now those same brewers are putting out session beer. Glad I could raise the craziness level.
You brew out of the Ipswich Ale and Kennebunkport breweries. What’s it like working out of someone else’s facilities?
It’s a series of concessions. But so is running your own brewery, which I did for 10 years. The biggest concession is that scheduling is pretty fixed. When I ran my own facility with my own production schedule, I could change on a dime based on demand. Otherwise, it’s getting an understanding of how one brewery is suited for certain styles and using it to the best of my ability.
Why Massachusetts?
Listen to the Modern Lover’s song Road Runner! Seriously, I have spent the better part of 15 years trying to get Massachusetts to take pride in their local beers, and maybe it’s just that challenge, because we still have a long way to go in that respect. I was born here, and it pains me to see any consumer buy a beer from San Diego, when there are equally good or better beers from New England. Funneling money to the West Coast is not good for local brewers or retailers.
Tell me about Session Beer Day.
It’s my man, Lew Bryson, who came up with the day. And I am fully embracing it. We’ll have an event that day, April 7th, and our theme is small beers, big glasses, bought in rounds. Using stemmed glassware that day will be grounds for verbal hazing.
Your last cask series was a coffee milk stout. Any plans for #5?
Yes, it will be back to British session beer – most likely a modern day British IPA, at about 3.7%.Not sure when, but hoping to brew it before summer. I love cask beer as much as session beer and the two together are unbeatable.
You’re about to celebrate the third anniversary of Notch. Looking back, is there anything you would change about the past three years?
Wow, that is a hard question. I used to get wound up about those who felt what I was doing had no chance, or I’d take issue with those who were calling 7% ABV session beer. It’s wasted time, really. I’m just focused on making my fans happy, and hopefully adding a few along the way. There’s the Replacement’s line that I think about – “The ones who love us least are the ones we’ll die to please.” There’s a lot to learn in that line.
Cover and Interior Photo Credits: Melissa Pocek (http://melissapocek.com).
