Bison Wins at Drake's Duplicate Festival
By: Daniel Del Grande
7/14/2007

July 14, 2007--Today, Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro hosted their 2nd annual Drake’s Brewing Beer Festival and Washoes Tournament.  For the second year in a row, Bison Organic IPA won the Gold Medal for its interpretation using Bravo Hops, a new, exciting hop variety by S.S. Steiner.  Last year, Bison won the Gold Medal when Summit Hops were used.

Bison Brewing Company was founding in Berkeley in 1989 and today is the San Francisco Bay Area's only certified organic brewer.  Bison brews a limited release of a different single hop IPA packaged on draft and in 22 ounce bottles approximately every other month.

"The assistant brewers and the whole sales staff were really happy with our mighty tasty IPA when we filtered it.  In fact, I got a little tipsy after filter day  was over myself...and that was before my July 4 BBQ!" says Daniel Del Grande, the owner and brewer of Bison since 1997.  "The recognition at the Drake's festival is much appreciated.  Thanks to Rodger Davis and the Drake's crew for hosting the terrific event."

At the Drake's festival, hundreds of beer lovers sampled two dozen single hop IPAs, using only Bravo hops, made by breweries from around northern California. Each brewer used the same malt recipe and hops, but varied each artisianal brew because of the brewer's methods, equipment sizing, house yeast strain, and local municipal water supply.   The festival isa benefit for the Roosevelt Elementary School in San Leandro.

"It’s a great educational experience on several fronts," says Jay Brooks of the Brookston Beer Bulletin.  "First, you get to try a new hop in its debut in a commercial beer. Second, you can see firsthand how different brewers using different equipment but the same hop and the same IPA recipe can craft beers that all taste distinctively different--similar to our experience from last year when Summit hop was used at the festival."