Photo courtesy of Gilded Goat Brewing Co
Frequently, in our social media posts, we use the hashtag #graintoglass. Yes, it’s indicative of what we do at Root Shoot, and what we hope to continue doing in ever-more meaningful ways. And yes, it’s also a marketing strategy, a communications ploy along the lines of #supportlocal that will catch both the attention and the hearts of potential customers and nudge them toward supporting us.
But sometimes, #graintoglass is a hoppy IPA sipped on a sunny patio on a warm summer evening; or a milk stout in front of a wood stove in the dead of winter. Sometimes, it’s a cold pilsner on a rafting trip, or a fruity Saison at a music festival.
And sometimes, the best times, #graintoglass is an entire brewery, an entire farm, an entire local ecosystem that is working just the way we imagine it should.
Those times are the time we spend with The Gilded Goat Brewing Company in Fort Collins.
We grew up with the Gilded Goat.
As a business at least. Craft beer aficionados that we are, even we didn’t grow up making the craft brewery rounds as kids.
As adults starting a small business, however, we jumped in feet first around the same time as owner and head brewer of the Gilded Goat, Charlie Hoxmeier and, over the years and through the blood, sweat, and tears of running a business, what started as a straightforward partnership has evolved into a close friendship and - we still pinch ourselves thinking about it - the perfect example of what we hoped the Grain to Glass movement would be.
The Gilded Goat opened the doors of its first location, a mid-town Fort Collins brewery in 2017, just a year after Root Shoot began malting, and they started sourcing malt from us right away. Earning the support of a new client is always an honor. Earning the support of The Gilded Goat…well, it was downright flattering.
The Gilded Goat is owned by Charlie Hoxmeier and his family, and to say that Charlie knows his stuff…well, it’s sort of like saying that Root Shoot likes beer: it’s an understatement egregious enough to be embarrassing.
A microbiologist by training and a CSU Fermentation Sciences professor in his “free” time (or maybe he’s a brewer in his free time and a professor by trade, we can’t keep it all straight, nor do we know how he manages it all) Charlie used to work for the CDC, possesses a deep understanding of things like biochemistry and microbiology and is actually paid to teach people, university students specifically, how to become brewers.
He is, to put it mildly, a rather well-informed dude.
And he makes unbelievably good beer.
Charlie Hoxmeier (center) and the GG crew. Photo courtesy of Gilded Goat Brewing Co
So when he chose us to supply a significant portion of his malt, we knew his standards were high. Supporting local choices is great, but it will never work if that local product isn’t as good - or better - than everything else on the market. With folks like the Gilded Goat in mind, we strive daily to live up to those standards. The grain from our fields got straight into our malting drums, and then into Gilded Goats fermenters to end up as a Nokhu IPA, or a Poudre Pils.
But with Charlie’s connections to CSU, there’s another aspect to Grain to Glass that, to be honest, we didn’t even consider when we were first starting up and just hoping that we would make it, but that now has become an important part of our connection to the community.
Education.
Charlie’s role as a Fermentation Sciences instructor has allowed us to become involved in bringing up the next generation of brewers. Every semester, he brings his students to the malthouse for a firsthand experience of malting and a glimpse into life on a family farm. For the Grand Opening of CSU’s new Fermentation Science and Technology facilities this year, we sponsored a Poster Project for some of their students who completed research and presented on the science of kilning. And our own Alex Moss, who runs the bagging line at the malthouse is a graduate of Charlie’s program and came to us at his recommendation.
Grain to Glass:
A small business supporting a local farm.
A local farm supporting small business.
Both businesses supporting education.
Beer in your glass; grown, malted, fermented, and poured all within the same small community.
The beer. We didn’t forget the beer.
Just this past month, The Gilded Goat opened its second location, a beautiful little spot in Old Town, so now we have not one, but two locations to grab their brews at, and their brews truly are some of our favorites. We, personally, are huge fans of the Tangerine Nokhu IPA. In fact, if you like hoppy beer, The Gilded Goat has an amazing IPA flight. Try it side by side with their sour flight like we did last visit, and you’re in for a sensory treat.
We know what we like, but what would the real pro say? We lobbed the very unfair question of “What’s your favorite Gilded Goat beer?” to Mr. Hoxmeier himself and, much to our delight, rather than dodge it like so many brewers, he answered! Albeit with a disclaimer that picking one’s favorite beer is a bit like picking one’s favorite child. But everyone has a favorite child…right…?
Lightfoot Coffee Pale Ale. Photo courtesy of Gilded Goat Brewing Co
My personal favorite is our Lightfoot Coffee Pale Ale. The orange, citrusy El Dorado hops blend perfectly with a custom lightly-roasted Ethiopian coffee from Harbinger Coffee here in Fort Collins. The coffee provides the classic coffee aroma you expect, but the flavor is full of violet, black tea, and white peach. All of these flavors are supported by Root Shoot’s Genie Pale malt and Double Honey malt. Each aspect of this beer, the craft malt, local hops, and craft coffee, shines through.
Sold.
If you’re ever in Fort Collins and want to see what the Grain to Glass movement looks like for us, swing by The Gilded Goat. Chat with the bartenders. Try their beer. Look for the subtle flavors of locally grown malt. And check on Charlie. Chances are, he’ll either be in the brewhouse concocting something great, or behind the bar cleaning glasses and slinging beer.
Photo courtesy of Gilded Goat Brewing Co
Wherever he’s at, chances are, he’ll be wearing his Root Shoot hat. In six years, we have never seen him without it. It’s a small gesture of loyalty, but one that makes us smile every time.
So rather than hats off, we say hats on to you Charlie and The Gilded Goat! Whenever that cap gets a little worn, we’ll have a new one waiting for you! We’re happy to have the Gilded Goat as part of our community and among the crew of supporters keeping the #graintoglass movement flowing.
Cheers.
