Lompoc Brewing Company’s C-Sons Greetings Ale: Replicator
Dear Replicator, I think I found my favorite holiday beer even though most people wouldn’t think this is a beer style for winter. Last Thanksgiving we drove up north to Portland, Oregon to spend the holiday with relatives. I had a free day to check out some of the brewpubs in the city and happened upon The 5th Quadrant. All the beers were good but the standout was their C-Sons Greetings Ale. Wow, what a beer. They call it a double IPA — hoppy yes, but malty too. It went well with the turkey and I hope you can get some details so I can try to duplicate it.
Kevin Telford
San Diego, California
I certainly agree that this is not your average mid-winter beer. From personal experience I can tell you that since its release 11 years ago it has become one of the most sought-after seasonal beers here in Portland. The brewery even schedules a special release party for it every year.
While you found this beer at 5th Quadrant, it is really brewed by Lompoc Brewing Company, which has five locations – 5th Quadrant, Oaks Bottom, Hedge House, Lompoc Tavern and The Sidebar, which is
right around the corner from 5th Quadrant. 5th Quadrant has the only brewing system and supplies beer to all of the other outlets.
Lompoc Brewing has a rich and colorful history in Portland. The Lompoc family of pubs began as the brainchild of local homebrewer Jerry Fechter. In 2000 he teamed up with Portland publican Don Younger of Horse Brass Tavern fame, to purchase the Old Lompoc Pub (where Jerry had installed the brewing system with a mish-mash of locally sourced equipment four years earlier in a small 440 square foot space at the rear of the building). During the first few years, production was maxed out at 300 barrels per year. In 2004 the Hedge House Pub was added and annual production reached 1,089 barrels, an outstanding feat for a brewery that size.
Looking to expand again, Jerry and Don found a suitable building close to a high bicycle traffic corridor in north Portland and the 5th Quad-rant was opened in December of 2005 and the following year a new seven-barrel brewhouse was built inside to complement the original brewery production. Given the growth, Jerry could no longer manage the business and brew the beers too. Seeking a new head brewer, they found Bryan Keilty brewing at McMenamins’ Cornelius Pass Road House. A Los Angeles, California native, Bryan began homebrewing in 2003 while living in San Diego after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Following the trail of great craft beers, he moved to Portland in 2006. His first job was bartending with the McMenamins organization but with his brewing background he quickly moved up the ranks. Jerry and Don hired him to brew at the original, small brewery at Old Lompoc Pub for a year and then he was promoted to Head Brewer at the much larger 5th Quadrant facility.
Expansion continued over the years, including two more pubs, a barrel aging room and limited 22 ounce bottling. In March 2011, to keep up with growing demand, the seven-barrel brewhouse was upgraded to a 15 barrel system and soon thereafter all brewing production was shifted to 5th Quadrant.
Bryan continues to supply the demand along with the help of two assistants. Production is projected to reach 3,400 barrels this year and their beers are now distributed throughout the Northwest.
Unfortunately, we all lost our good friend and industry legend Don Younger who passed away in January of 2011. Jerry now is the sole owner of the growing Lompoc Brewing Co. A portrait of Don, painted by local beer writer John Foyston, hangs above the fireplace in The Sidebar Pub and we toast him often.
The C-Sons Greetings Ale began as and offshoot of the very popular C-Note IPA. That beer was first brewed in 2001 at 8% ABV. It was then toned down to 6.9% for two years. It was revived back to its original strength for Christmas of 2003 and 50% more hops were added to the original C-Note recipe. The name comes from the liberal use of “C hops.” Because of the amount of dry hops, the nose is amazing and flavor profile can best be described as strong but well balanced.
Bryan offers these tips for successfully brewing this beer: If your water is somewhat soft, add gypsum to increase the hardness and accentuate the hops. Also, allow the beer to condition for at least three weeks for the flavors to fully develop — longer if you can wait.
Lompoc Brewing Company’s C-Sons Greetings Ale clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.078 FG = 1.016 IBU = 96 SRM = 13 ABV = 8.6%
Ingredients
14.25 lbs. (6.5 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) crystal malt (75 °L)
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) flaked barley
4.2 AAU Centennial hop pellets (first wort hops) (0.4 oz./11 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
3.75 AAU Sterling hop pellets (60 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
9 AAU Nugget hop pellets (60 min.)
(0.7 oz./20 g at 12.8% alpha acids)
6.5 AAU Chinook hop pellets (40 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 13% alpha acids)
1.75 AAU Crystal hop pellets (40 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 3.5% alpha acids)
5.75 AAU Cascade hop pellets
(20 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5.75% alpha acids)
10.5 AAU Centennial hop pellets
(0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hop pellets (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial hop pellets (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Crystal hop pellets (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Chinook hop pellets (dry hop)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup of corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Mix all of the crushed grains with 5.5 gallons (21 L) of 172 °F (78 °C) water to stabilize at 154 °F (68 ºC) for 60 minutes. Slowly sparge with 175 ºF (79 ºC) water and add the first wort hops to the kettle. Collect approximately 6 gallons (23 L) of wort runoff to boil for 60 minutes. While boiling, add the hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrient as per the schedule. During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize your fermentation equipment.
Cool the wort to 75 ºF (24 ºC). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 68 ºF (20 ºC). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. Gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Add the dry hops for three days and then remove or rack off the dry hops. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week and then bottle or keg. Allow the beer to carbonate and age for three more weeks and enjoy your C-sons Greetings Ale.
Lompoc Brewing Company’s C-Sons Greetings Ale clone
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.078 FG = 1.016 IBU = 96 SRM = 13 ABV = 8.6%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Muntons light,
unhopped, liquid malt extract
1.3 lbs. (0.59 kg) light dried malt extract
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) 2-row pale malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) crystal malt (75 °L)
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) flaked barley
5.25 AAU Centennial hop pellets
(first wort hops) (0.5 oz./14 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
4.5 AAU Sterling hop pellets (60 min.)
(0.6 oz./17 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
10.2 AAU Nugget hop pellets (60 min.)
(0.8 oz./23 g at 12.8% alpha acids)
6.5 AAU Chinook hop pellets (40 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 13% alpha acids)
1.75 AAU Crystal hop pellets (40 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 3.5% alpha acids)
5.75 AAU Cascade hop pellets
(20 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 5.75% alpha acids)
10.5 AAU Centennial hop pellets
(0 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 10.5% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Cascade hop pellets (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Centennial hop pellets (dry hop)
1 oz. (28 g) Crystal hop pellets (dry hop)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Chinook hop pellets (dry hop)
1⁄2 tsp. Irish moss (30 min.)
1⁄2 tsp. yeast nutrient (15 min.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast
3⁄4 cup of corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Steep the milled grain in 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of water at 154 ºF (68 ºC) for 30 minutes. Remove grains from the wort and rinse with 2 quarts (2 L) of hot water. Add the malt extracts and first wort hops to the wort. Bring to a boil and boil 60 minutes, adding the Sterling and Nugget hops once a boil is achieved. While boiling, add the hops, Irish moss and yeast nutrients as per the schedule. During the boil, use this time to thoroughly sanitize your fermentation equipment. When the boil is done, add the wort to 2 gallons (8 L) of cold water in a sanitized fermenter and top off with cold water up to 5 gallons (19 L).
Cool the wort to 75 ºF (24 ºC). Pitch your yeast and aerate the wort heavily. Allow the beer to cool to 68 ºF (20 ºC). Hold at that temperature until fermentation is complete. Gently transfer to a carboy, avoiding any splashing to prevent aerating the beer. Add the dry hops for three days and then remove or rack off the dry hops. Allow the beer to condition for an additional week and then bottle or keg. Allow the beer to carbonate and age for three more weeks and enjoy your C-sons Greetings Ale.
