Q & A with Josh Erickson from Pelican Brewing Company

Okay so a couple months ago I told you about a new brewery coming to Louisiana called Pelican Brewing Company which will be based out of Mandeville. Well recently I was able to get some answers to some hard hitting, important questions I had from owner Josh Erickson. Enjoy!


BB) Do you have an official release date for our beer and what beers will you be brewing?

JE) Unfortunately no official release date yet as there are too many unknowns (some out of our control) for us right now to pin down a particular date (distributor contracts, legal permits, etc). So instead we are giving folks a "window" for availability, and that window is sometime in the first Quarter of 2012 (Jan - Mar). Can you tell I work in the Software Industry? :) About our beers, one of our initial release brews will be called Voo Ka Ray IPA. It's an Imperial IPA that utilizes a "late-hopping" technique that gives it lots of hop flavor and aroma without being overly bitter. Our other initial release brew is called Old 504, and it's a Vanilla Coffee Robust Porter. My wife Jamie, who is the better more reliable half of PBC, came up with this recipe, and every time we get a compliment on it, she makes sure and reminds me who came up with it! I take it with a smile because I know as a team, we can make some great brews for all to enjoy!

BB) Who will be distributing your beers?

JE) We are still in negotiations with multiple distributors, so stay tuned for this answer! I can tell you that the distributors we've talked to are all very excited about Pelican Brewing Company and the craft beer scene that's gaining momentum in our area. This gets us even more excited and motivated to get our beers to the public ASAP!!

BB) Who's hotter? Daisy Duke or Wonder Woman?

JE) This one much harder. I mean how cool would my kids be if Mom dropped
them off at school in an invisible plane, not to mention Mom at a PTA
meeting with a lasso. However, DD has a close place in my teenage heart,
that no super heroine can replace, so DD with the win.

BB) What issues have you faced trying to start up the brewery? Have you found the states three tier laws restricting?

JE) I would say that because we love this business and have a passion for brewing, that any "issue" we face while opening a brewery, to us, looks more like an "opportunity" (at least that's what I tell myself when something comes up :)). So some "opportunities" we've faced would include suppliers, government officials, etc, that won't even bother talking to you until you're completely legal or have followed certain steps in the exact order that they see fit. But let me say these have been in the minority, the majority of our experiences have been great and most everyone has been helpful along the way in getting us going! About the 3 tier laws, we haven't found this to be restricting yet, but we might have a different answer for you a year from now. :)

BB) What is your brewing background? Homebrewer? School trained?

JE) I come from a home brewing background. If you count Mr. Beer, my first beer was brewed back in 1998. Since then, my brewing took a back seat to my wife Jamie and I raising our 4 sons (she did way more than I did :)). Once our boys got older, I started to get back in to home brewing, especially since now I had 4 new assistant brewers!! All my "training" comes from my own experiences and University of Google, or more specifically Home Brew forums, a GREAT resource for anyone looking to get into brewing beer.

BB) Hall & Oates or Air Supply and why?

JE) H&O, that was easy, only because the Kiss I can't resist.

BB) What beers do you enjoy when not drinking your own?

JE) I enjoy many types of beers and will try anything at least once. But if I were to give you what I enjoy from most to least, I'd go... 1) My friend's home brews, 2) Any/all local craft beers starting from the smallest guy to the biggest guy (in that order), 3) The rest of the craft beer section at the store. :) I really don't enjoy one particular brand over another, and will mix it up all the time based on my patented system mentioned above. As far as styles go, I would say IPAs are my favorite, with brown ales, porters, and stouts duking it out for 2nd place.

BB) IPAs and Sours are the HOT beers in the craft beer drinking world right now. Will you be brewing any?

JE) IPA yes (as mentioned above), Sours, not YET. While some of us "hard-core" craft brewers are finally acquiring that sour beer taste, with the limited number of taps we'll have available initially (because of our small size), we had to go with our 2 favorite brews as our initial releases. Once we get bigger, we can take more risks and see if we can convert the masses over to Sours!


Thanks to Josh for partaking in this Q and A! Be on the lookout for their beers to hit shelves sometime next year!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha