Brewmaster’s Corner

Meet Brewmaster Colby Cox

After launching their first beer just 5 years ago, Roadhouse Brewery has emerged as one of the leading microbreweries out of Jackson Hole. This summer, they will open a pub and brewery on the Town Square. If you want a real local experience off the beaten path, visit their HQ at Craft Park, 1225 Gregory Lane, where they will pour you a taste. Brewmaster Colby Cox joined forces with restaurateur Gavin Fine in 2012 and they have made quite a name for themselves with extreme brand ambassadors and more than a 12 pack of different beers, some with irreverent names. Roadhouse Brewing offer free tours daily at 5 p.m.

 

Q: What is your most popular brew?  

A: We are as fascinated with the eccentric styles of the “old world” as we are with the American spirit of innovation in craft beer.  Our portfolio of beers could probably be described as a beautiful cross-breed of tradition and creative innovation.  This contrast lends to a split in popularity, with Belgian fans gravitating toward our bottle-conditioned, 9% ABV Avarice and Greed Belgian-style golden, and hop heads finding a plethora of options, including Loose Boots, our seasonal après IPA brewed in partnership with Stio, and Wilson, our staple west-coast style IPA dry-hopped with a variety of strains collaborating for a citrus-forward hop punch.  Sometimes we do fu$&ed up stuff like dry hop the hell out of a Belgian Strong Ale with super-dank American hops to create a high octane “West Coast Style Belgian Strong Ale” which simultaneously confuses and delights everyone.  Or, we may sour an Imperial Stout in a barrel with lacto, pedio, and brett.   Sometimes it works out really well, (and sometimes it’s a complete disaster), but our desire to push ourselves into unexplored areas of brewing is what makes us who we are.

 

Q: Are some of the flavors like sweet potato porter seasonal experiments or do you stick with the same brews year-round? 

A: We are enormous advocates for healthy experimentation. Our tasting room has 10 taps, with 6 being rotating handles. We pride ourselves on our curiosity and passion when it comes to brewing Roadhouse beers, with the final focus being the overall experience of the beer. This includes the food it is designed to be eaten with, the environment we project its presence in and the friends it will be shared amongst.  Some beers currently on rotation are Tower of the Castle (sweet potato porter), Obscura (imperial stout aged on French oak with chocolate, cacao, raspberries and cherries) and A Live One (fresh-hopped beer). We likewise have some eccentric beers on deck; next up is Siren Song, our 15% ABV keg-conditioned Belgian specialty which will be available in its inviolate state as well as aged in rum and red wine barrels.  Our commitment to innovation can best be demonstrated by the fact that all of our brewers are required to continue their home-brew practice, regardless of their status or role in the production brewery.

 

Gavin Fine, Co-Founder: RBCo Co-Founder Chef Gavin Fine draws his inspiration from all over the world. He has earned the attention of the James Beard Foundation and his Fine Dining Restaurant Group boasts 5 restaurants, a catering company, specialty grocer, artisan ice cream brand and butcher shop in Jackson Hole. His presence in the development process can be felt in the complexity of experience in every beer created and the pairings that follow.

 

Colby Cox, Co-Founder and Brewmaster: RBCo Co-Founder Colby Cox ignited his passion for craft beer working on the bottling line at Dogfish Head Brewery when he was 16,  and grew his interest in small-batch brewing for many years as a competitive home-brewer.  As a serial entrepreneur, he focuses on brand leadership, innovation and disruption in all his pursuits. Despite owning a commercial brewery since 2012,  he continues to label himself a home-brewer, and brings his passion and creativity for making great beer to everything he touches at Roadhouse.

 

About Roadhouse Brewing Co. (www.roadhousebrewery.com) Jackson Hole, WY

Drawing inspiration from ancient Belgian brewing techniques as well as forward- thinking American styles, Roadhouse Brewing Co. is the brainchild of award-winning home-brewer and entrepreneur Colby Cox and locally renowned chef/restaurateur Gavin Fine of Jackson Hole’s Fine Dining Restaurant Group. Roadhouse beers evoke both the past and future with unusually complex flavor profiles that reveal themselves slowly and decisively, all while encapsulating their ‘Live Deep’ mantra, the passion for the outdoors inspired by Jackson Hole’s natural beauty and the local way of life. The initial bottling selection will include Avarice and Greed: a bottle-conditioned Belgian strong ale; Wilson: an India Pale Ale; Trout Whistle: an American Pale Ale; and Family Vacation: a Blonde Ale; as well as large format specialty and barrel-aged bottles and rotating draft beers like their Loose Boots: an India Pale Ale they refer to as an “Aprés IPA,” best enjoyed slope-side. RBCo is excited to announce their expanded distribution into Wyoming state-wide, Montana and Idaho, with additional markets outside the Rockies slated for 2018.