A transatlantic collaboration beer decades in the making and a dream come true for Icicle Brewing.
It’s not every day that a brewery in Leavenworth, Washington gets to collaborate with an esteemed, 400-year-old brewery like Hofbräu München. For the unaware, Leavenworth is a Bavarian-themed town nestled beneath tower peaks, on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. It is a popular destination for family vacations, weekend getaways, outdoor adventuring, and beercationing. Although Icicle Brewing does not focus entirely on old-world beer styles, it does call Leavenworth home, so the Bavarian connection is strong.
Icicle Brewing is about to release Gipfelbier Helles, a collaboration beer brewed in Leavenworth with special guests from Germany’s Hofbräu München. The release party happens on Thursday, May 9 (5:00-10:00) at Icicle Brewing’s taproom in Leavenworth. They’ll tap the first keg at 5:00. Expect to hear the alphorns blaring and live traditional music cranking. The festivities include commemorative custom glassware, stein-holding competitions, family-friendly activities, and other fun stuff to kick off Maifest. AND because one party is never enough, they’ll do it again at München Haus the next day, May 10th. Gipfel is the German word for summit, so Gipfelbier is a beer to enjoy when you reach a summit.
GIPFELBIER HELLES LAGER
Gipfel: the German word for summit, so Gipfelbier is a beer to enjoy when you reach a summit.
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 18
Hops: Perle, Hallertau, Mittelfruh.
Malts: Weyermann Pilsner, Vienna, Carafoam.
Distribution: Away from the Icicle Brewing taproom, in limited supply, Washington’s beer lovers will see Gipfelbier Helles distributed across Eastern Washinton and west of the Cascade Mountains in King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Kitsap, Mason, Jefferson, Clallam, and Island counties. It will be available in 16-ounce cans and on draft.
Behind a great beer, a great story
It’s a story that dates back to the 1990s when Pam Brulotte was backpacking across Europe with her sister, Debbie. That’s when Pam, now one of the founders and owners of Icicle Brewing, first visited Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany. “It was the first time I had a fresh Helles Lager and it was delicious,” recalls Pam.
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She didn’t forget that beer or that experience. It’s not a stretch to say it helped direct the coming decades of her life. Fast forward to 2003 and you’ll find Pam and her husband in Leavenworth adding a beer garden to their restaurant, München Haus. Wanting to lend the place an authentic German beer garden flavor, they served Hofbräu alongside a selection of local, Washington-brewed craft beers. Icicle Brewing didn’t exist yet. As München Haus grew in popularity, it sold more Hofbräu, which attracted the company’s attention. It was not unusual for Hofbräu representatives to visit Leavenworth.
“When we started Icicle Brewing Company in 2011, we decided to still serve Hofbräu at München Haus alongside Icicle Brewing beers so that we retain our authentic Bavarian beer garden experience,” says Pam. “I have many memories of spending time with the late Fred Schumacher, past (and first) President of Hofbräuhaus of America, and also Rudi Seider, the HB International Export/Franchise Director.”
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“Through the years I have been back to Bavaria for Oktoberfest and other events with my family and when we first built our brewery I would joke that I would love to do a collaboration brew with Hofbräu knowing that this was probably never going to happen. Well, after several years of bringing this up and getting to know more and more people at Hofbräu, the idea started to evolve from a pipe dream into reality.”
Pam says she was thrilled her dream came to life. “When Mia (CEO/co-owner at Munchen Haus) and I visited Oktoberfest in 2022 we sat down with Rudi and solidified plans. Our brewers began meeting with the Hofbräu brew crew over Zoom to solidify the recipe for a Helles Lager brewed under the Reinheitsgebot regulations. We did a test batch at Icicle Brewing and sent that off to the Hofbrau team to sample. Then, in March, Dr. Michael Möller (Director of Hofbräu Brewery), Steve Ksycki (CEO of Hofbräuhaus of America), and Chandler Wilson (HB Sales) came to Leavenworth to brew with us.”
Beer lovers across the state of Washington now have the chance to enjoy the results of this trans-continental collaboration. Gipfelbier Helles goes on tap this Thursday, May 9th at Icicle Brewing’s taproom in Leavenworth. It will see distribution across Washington state in cans and kegs.
To learn about other recent beer releases, visit our New Beer Releases page.
