EHOP: Deschutes & Harpoon Collaboration Release at Great American Beer Festival

Initiating the 2015 Great American Beer Festival festivities this afternoon, Deschutes Brewery, Harpoon Brewery, Odell Brewing, Left Hand Brewing, and New Belgium Brewing came together to celebrate employee ownership. The event was held at The Corner Office Bar and Restaurant in Denver and showcased a wide range of beers from the five breweries. Each brewery brought a unique beer to the event ranging from Deschutes Black Butte XXII to Odell’s Rum Barrel Aged Stout.

Specifically of note was the Deschutes/Harpoon collaboration beer; EHOP, an amber ale brewed with thyme and sage. Both Harpoon and Deschutes are set to release individual interpretations of the style, with the Deschutes version gaining west coast distribution. The beer is an interesting take on the fall seasonal style with a culinary twist. EHOP is almost reminiscent of a pumpkin ale, with baking spices replaced by cooking herbs.

The EHOP designation is derived from the employee stock ownership program or ESOP, which both Deschutes and more recently Harpoon has adopted for their employees. Both Gary Fish of Deschutes and Dan Kenary of Harpoon were in attendance discussing the importance of employee owned corporations. A notable topic in an environment where brewery buy outs are becoming regular news.