tion area of the brewery where small-batch experiments are being developed on a regular basis. In fact, the ideas behind the experimental brews can come from just about anywhere. “Sometimes, one of us will be eating something and think ‘I wonder what this would taste like in a beer?’ Then we just go talk to the brewer and he figures it out.” Food seems to be a running theme with their experimen- tal mixtures. “We like to eat! So that’s where a lot of the inspiration for our beers come from. But sometimes we just like to see what we can do. For example, one of the beers we are releasing next month is our most hops-per- barrel beer ever. We just want to see how much hops we could put in a beer and not be overpoweringly bitter. We did eight pounds of hops per barrel.” Has your tongue curled up into a frightened ball in the back of your mouth yet? Not to worry. The brewers at Mispillion River have the answer. “We source from the traditional places where the various hops come from, to maintain that authentic quality.” “Here’s the thing,” Bigelow explains. “We used Vermont Ale Yeast for that beer. And the way Vermont Ale Yeast works is it generally tones down bitterness in a beer. It makes it very juicy. So, the beer is not very bitter at all. You actually get more flavor from the hops than you do the bitterness from them.” If that isn’t unique enough for you, Mispillion River Brewing is quite famous for their “Golden Stout.” It’s not your average heavy tar-colored traditional stout. In fact, many first-timers assume it is being sold in the wrong category when they raise their pint and the golden color catches the light. “It is the color of a Budweiser, and it tastes like choco- late, coffee and has the texture and feel of a milkshake. It is the weirdest, mind-boggling beer you will ever try. So that’s one of those experiments that we’ve become known for.” But wait! There’s more! Want a beer you can dump over the head of the Super- Bowl-winning coach on the sidelines? Or perhaps sip slowly while you’re peddling away on the stationary bicycle at the gym? Your electrolytes will thank you for this next experimental brew. “Yeah. We made a sour beer with Gatorade. We used the blue Gatorade and made a sour beer out of it. It’s one of my all-time favorite beers… I would drink it and go for a run. It’s amazing!” Hmmm. A new target consumer group for marketing purposes? Bigelow laughs, “Actually, the gym down the street did start sending people our way when they heard about the beer.”
Reining the conversation back to more traditional brewery matters, she points out that future expansion will come in
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2018
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