Fannin Chief Whitepath
Fannin’s Chief Whitepath, a White IPA with lemongrass and lime leaves. (Photo: Fannin Brewing Co.)

Fannin Brewing Company has the enviable location of being in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Right where outdoor enthusiasts love to start off their adventures, Fannin is a great stop before (or after) a trip to the mountains. With that in mind, owner Tom Fennell has canned two easy drinking, year-round beers – Blue Ridge Lager and Chief Whitepath IPA. We talked to Tom about how Chief Whitepath got its start.

Tell us about the development of this beer. How did you come up with the recipe?

I was actually inspired by one of our fellow Georgia breweries, Three Taverns.  I had their White IPA and thought this is great and different.  I experimented with both a Belgian and one that uses Kolsch yeast in the tasting room.  The consensus was that people liked the Kolsch yeast version.  I added lime leaves and lemon grass as my own twist on it.

For those that don’t know, what’s a White IPA?

It is really a marriage between two styles, a Belgian Wit and an American IPA.  I think Deschutes may have brewed the first one.

(NOTE: The White IPA was developed in 2010 as a collaboration between Deschutes Brewery and Boulevard Brewing. You can read more about it here.)

For those not used to the style, the word “IPA” may scare some people off. But the IBUs are moderate, and the wheat presence mellows it out.

Exactly.  Its really the best of both worlds.  IPA for the hoppy lovers and wheat for that great summertime hot weather feel.  My version at 66 IBU is pretty tame.

Why does that style work well with lemongrass and lime?

Because of the summertime feel citrusy really works well.  It really works well with the wheat, plus the two main aroma hops Mosaic and Calypso.

Did you develop this as a good easy drinking “outdoors” beer?

Really a year round one, but on a hot day it definitely is a thirst quencher.

Who was Chief Whitepath and why did you name this beer after him?

Chief Whitepath was a real Cherokee Indian Chief in North Georgia.  There is a small community up here named Whitepath and I like to name the beers after places up in North Georgia.

What’s coming up next for Fannin?

I’m really excited about starting a Barrel Aging program.  I’ve toyed around with a few but I’m going to get a bit more serious about it.  This fall/winter I’ll will roll out Moonlight Harvest aged in Woodford Reserve barrels.  A chocolate rye porter I’ve made for a while, but this year aged in the barrel.  I’m also going to put my Imperial Pumpkin in a Woodford Reserve barrel and then a new beer called Cherry Mitten in a rum barrel.  Cherry Mitten is a strong scotch ale with Michigan Cherries, Vermont Maple Syrup and Vanilla Bean.  Cherry Mitten, Michigan the mitten state……okay, you can call me Captain Obvious now!!

Look for the cans of Chief Whitepath and Blue Ridge Lager in stores now.

Aaron’s Take:

I’ll be honest up front: White IPAs are generally not one of my favorite styles. That being said, this really is a refreshing beer, and one I enjoyed after a long, hard day of barbecuing outdoors (it’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it). This is a beer that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone. And if you’ve got a friend that’s scared of IPAs, you may want to introduce them to this one, as the bitterness won’t blow them away.

 

https://beerguysradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Attachment-1-600x600.jpeghttps://beerguysradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Attachment-1-150x150.jpegAaron WilliamsBeer ReviewBrewery ProfilesDrink This BeerBeer,brewing,drink this beer,fannin brewingFannin Brewing Company has the enviable location of being in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Right where outdoor enthusiasts love to start off their adventures, Fannin is a great stop before (or after) a trip to the mountains. With that in mind, owner Tom Fennell has canned two easy drinking, year-round beers...Cold beer, hot conversations, stupid jokes.