Last Call with BrewDad is back and this week I have Cody Morris from Epic Ales. If you ever have a chance stop by his place and you will find some of the most interesting beers you have ever tried. So sit down grab a beer lets see what Cody has for us.
71. What was your first beer you ever drank?
As a child I always loved beer, growing up in Seattle in the 80s that meant sips of my dad’s canned Rainier.
82. What was your first Craft Beer you ever had and what did you think?
We lived pretty close to the Red Hook brewery when it was in Fremont. I preferred it over the canned lagers that were a mainstay in the house. It wasn’t until I was in college that I started spending that extra buck on a 6 pack of craft rather than the 12 pack of cans, that I really began to pay deeper attention to beer.
3. How did you get start in brewing? Homebrewer? Etc??? What was the first batch you ever made?
I had some roommates that made a few batches of mead, I thought it was interesting but wished they made beer instead. A few years later, I made a friend with a guy who homebrewed in his previous home but didn’t have a big enough kitchen, so we started in my rental. I got hooked, within a few months, we had brewed about 10 batches. When I finished college, I tried to get a job brewing but the only gig I could find was working at the Cellar Homebrew. I was there for quite some time, then bounced around in food/wine related jobs for a bit. After awhile I formed the concept of Epic, borrowed some money and here I am.
The first batch I ever made was an ‘English Bitter’, I was an all DME, some hops and the London strain from Wyeast. It was very rough, but being the first batch I loved it.
4-1. What is your favorite beer you have ever made? And why?
Boy, that’s a tough one. Generally my favorite is the freshest out of the brewery. A lot of times, the newest beer will also reflect what I’m craving beer-wise. Right now it’s the SAD Winter Beer. It’s basically a brown ale fermented with a Lager yeast, specifically the Urquell strain.
What I love about it is how dynamic the flavor profile is, it starts toasty and nutty in the nose, then you get that semi-sweet toffee, biscuity malt in the beginning. Then it finishes crisp, dry, surprisingly light with a lingering hoppy bite. It’s a really nice break from all the heavy winter warmers and stouts that dominate the beer-scape this time of year.
I’m sure whatever new recipe I brew will become my favorite.
5c. If you had to live for the rest of your life with only drinking one beer and not one of your own. Who and what beer/brewery?
That’s another tricky one to answer. I suppose it’d depend on where I am. If I’m on a beach or at the longest baseball game on earth and its super hot out, I’d got with Jever. It’s my ideal Pilsner, super dry, grassy and clean. I could drink it all day.
If I’m trapped in a cabin with no heat or food, I’d go with this year’s bourbon aged abominable. I’m pretty sure you could survive on that one and it’d be wonderfully complex the whole time.
If I had ultimate freedom and could go anywhere and do anytime, I’d have an Orval. Such a universally well done and interesting beer.
6d-1. What is your favorite beer style?
I’m not very good at saying my all-time favorite, so I’ll cheat. Pilsners on a sunny day, stouts on a rainy day, a funky sour after the sun sets.
67. If you could create a whole new style of beer what would it be?
Albino Stout. It’d be creamy, dense, very pale, lightly fruity and grassy. It’s a recipe that’s been kicking around in my head. I plan on brewing it soon.
998. Favorite sport and team?
Baseball is my favorite, I can ramble about it almost as much as beer. Tragically, I like the Mariners. Luckily, I always root for underdogs so my fandom is rarely in conflict.
9. What is your ultimate session beer?
I used to brew this beer at home at was made with barley, wheat, oats, Golding hops, and a fruity tart Belgian yeast. ABV was 3.1. I’d like to make that again for the pub this summer. Commercially, I really like Little Chief from Snipes Mountain.
A) What music do love to listen to while brewing?
I generally listen to KUOW during the brew and switch to intense electronic music when clean up comes. I also like to do themed ‘brews’, when I do the pumpkin pie Gose, I listen to every Smashing Pumpkins album in order. I also listened to Christmas music while brewing the Xmas Partytime!!! For the 4th of July beer, some Sousa will be blaring.
420. What is the craziest ingredient you have added while brewing?
Probably Oyster Brine. But I think doing the SoDo sours are way more insane. You simply have to trust the micro fauna in the brew house. You don’t even know what’s there.
24. Favorite hop(s)
I really like the Bobek, Nelson Sauvin, Saaz and Crystal. Prefer earthy/grassy/spicy to citrus.
13 What is your go to liquor?
I don’t really drink liquor all that much. I like Mojitos and gin and tonics. I’m rarely disappointed with mid-tier tequila or rum, so that’s where I tend to go.
77. Favorite Movie(s)
I don’t watch a lot of movies, so that’s hard for me to say. I really like the Dollars trilogy. With Good, Bad and the Ugly being my favorite.
15. What is your favorite movie Quote?
I think it’s commando, but there’s this scene where Arnold shoots a guy and he flies into a toilet that explodes. He then says ‘you’re flushed’. I could watch that scene forever.
0. Are you on twitter (@Twitter name) what is your favorite twitter #hashtag?
I go by @epicales. I don’t really do the hash tag thing.
17. Morning person or Night person?
Night in the winter, morning in the summer.
44. What is your favorite Hot sauce?
I love Pickapeppa, though it’s not very hot. Green Tabasco is pretty great. Wasabi mustard is another favorite.
17. If you could ask me BrewDad one question what would it be?
What’s your favorite beer? All time fav for me is Back Butte Porter.
