The Hamburger Hunter: Buy local at Beer Valley Brewing

By Ben Plaza
Thursday, November 8, 2007 11:12 AM PST

Buying local is beneficial on many different levels. It helps the local economy, the products are generally fresher and less energy is used in the transportation of these goods, just to name a few of the benefits.

And now, just like magic, we have an opportunity to enjoy these accrued benefits ... and drink beer at the same time.

Beer Valley Brewing Company has set up operations in the industrial southeast section of Ontario. Their beers are distributed by Echanis Distributing and are available in our local grocery stores as well as on tap at one local restaurant.

Owner Pete Ricks is originally from nearby Meridian, Idaho, spending the last 20 years or so in Arizona learning the beer-making craft at several micro-breweries.

Pete knows his zymology (fermenting and beer-making) as the Hunter learned during a tour of the facility. He was bottling a 17 barrel (31 gal. per bbl.) batch. Yes, Hunter tasting and sampling was involved ... hic.

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Making hand-crafted beer is somewhat akin to cooking, actually more like baking. Precise temperatures, measurements, sterility and timing are all critical, just like in baking, as opposed to additions of a little of this or that with the making of, say, a soup or sauce when cooking.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t experiment. He works out a variety of different combinations for his desired beer, sets that recipe, goes about making it fit his taste goal. He likes our locally grown hops because they stand up well to his bolder flavors and alcohol levels.

This is the only micro-brewery and/or brew-pub (except one in Enterprise, Ore.) in Eastern Oregon, and the only one in the entire Treasure Valley bottling for off-premise sales.

He currently is making four different beers:

Owyhee Amber Ale — the mildest of his offerings. Don’t be fooled because it’s full-flavored when compared to our familiar American beer styles (Coors Light, e.g.). It’s a nice first step if one wants to try out the growing trend of hand-crafted beer.

It’s also available on tap at Brewsky’s Broiler in Ontario. Along with an Ale, you can try the best burger (bacon bleu  cheese) the Hunter has rated and feast like royalty.

Pigskin Pale Ale — Stronger flavor, hops and alcohol.

Highway to Ale (barley wine-style ale) — Again, more of everything.

Black Flag Imperial Stout — His flagship brand and not for the fainthearted. Black Flag is strong, as in Turkish coffee strong. Malty flavor and very hoppy, with the alcohol level (11 percent) three times that of regular beer.

Sporting a menacing pirate logo (go Pirates), it radiates a challenge, and definitely takes an acquired taste (Don’t most alcoholic drinks?).

Sam Adams, a nationwide craft brewer, brags in their TV ads about using a full pound of hops per barrel. Pete uses four pounds, plus eight different barley malts.

It’s doing well in the beer pubs in Boise, as well as beer-snobbish Portland. He would like to open a brew-pub here, possibly in six months to a year, depending on sale’s growth.

All of Pete’s bottled beers (22 ounces each) are available in stores locally. A fun culinary trip might be a cocktail party or dinner, sampling each beer and pairing the food to the beer’s flavors.

Buy local — drink local — kumbaya.

The Hamburger Hunter, also known as Ben Plaza, can be reached at (541) 889-5100 or by e-mail, bennyp@fmtc.com.