Glass Reunion: Class of '88 Collaborative Barleywine from Rogue, Deschutes, and North Coast

The Class of ’88 brewers at Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon. From left to right: Cam O'Connor of Deschutes, John Maier of Rogue Ales, Patrick Broderick and Ken Kelley of North Coast.

1988 was apparently a good year to start a craft brewery. Across the country and especially here on the West Coast, a number of new breweries opened this same year. Known as the Class of ’88, breweries such as Deschutes, Rogue, North Coast, Grand Teton, Boulevard, Great Lakes, Goose Island, Vermont Brewery & Pub, and Wynkoop are among the most notables to open for business in 1988.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their respected brewhouses, Rogue (Newport, OR) , Deschutes (Bend, OR), and North Coast (Fort Bragg, CA) are releasing a special collaborative barleywine series to the delight of beer enthusiasts. Here’s some details from Rogue regarding this highly anticipated release:

The highly anticipated Class of ’88 collaboration barleywines will be available in limited release starting Tuesday, April 9th at the Rogue Distillery & Public House on Flanders Street in Portland, Oregon.

The Flanders location is one of just a handful of pubs where all three barleywines will be available side-by-side. The other locations include Rogue Public Houses in Eugene, Oregon and San Francisco, California on April 16th, and at the Deschutes Tap Room in Bend, Oregon and the North Coast Tap Room in Fort Bragg, California. Rogue’s version of the Class of ’88 barleywine will be available on draft and limited edition 22oz serigraphed bottles on April 16th at The Green Dragon in Portland, Oregon and Brewers on the Bay and the Rogue Ales Public House – Bayfront in Newport, Oregon.

1988 was a milestone in the history of craft brewing in the United States. It was the year that Fred Eckhardt published The Essentials of Beer Style, the book that became the reference manual for craft brewers. It was also the year that saw the founding of three influential craft breweries – Deschutes Brewery, North Coast Brewing Co. and Rogue Ales.

To mark the 25th Anniversary, brewers from the Class of ’88 met in February to brew a collaboration barleywine based on Eckhardt’s guidelines. Visiting all three breweries, they changed the recipe of malts and hops at every stop. The result is three barleywines that are a unique and distinct interpretation of a classic style.

Rogue Ales & Spirits is an artisan varietal brewery and distillery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America’s first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has won over 1000 awards for taste and quality and is available in all 50 states and 32 countries. Since 2008, Rogue has remained committed to saving the terroir of Oregon hops and barley, one acre at a time, by growing their own.

About The Author

Angelo

Angelo grew up in Maine and is proud to call New England his original home. Cascadia is now his home. He fell in love with great beer in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. He has been a correspondent for the Portland Tribune's Guest on Tap column, LivePDX.com, and has been featured in publications such as Beer Northwest and PDX Magazine. Angelo also has a great interest in independent music, and has been a booker and organizer for shows around the Portland under the name Pop Tomorrow! Angelo garnered much knowledge regarding beer from his experiences homebrewing, working at Belmont Station, Pyramid Brewing, Upright Brewing, By the Bottle, Beer Revolution, Olde Depot Public House, Falling Sky Brewing, Cascade Brewing, and from many many knowledgeable, passionate, and loving people along the way. It is Angelo's mission to bring "infotainment" and "edumation" to the readers of this website. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to contribute, please contact me at angelo@brewpublic.com

One Comment

Joy Campbell April 3, 2013

Happy anniversary to the Class of ’88! Mmmm… barleywine… my all-time FAVORITE…

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Angelo