Tributary Brewing

 Interview with Tod Mott of Tributary Brewing (part 1 of 3)

 Interview with Tod Mott of Tributary Brewing (part 2 of 3)

 Interview with Tod Mott of Tributary Brewing (part 3 of 3)

  Non-Flash version of the entire podcast

It seems like every week, another small brewery opens. Often times it's a journeyman assistant brewer or cellar man striking out on their own after a couple of years service in a small local or regional brewery. Their brewing education and experience can be wide ranging. There are even many who have opened or are opening breweries who have no formal training or experience beyond home brewing! Talk about a land of opportunity!

Front entrance.

But when the Tributary Brewing Company, a 15 barrel production brewery in Kittery, Maine, opened in September of 2014, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was destined to be one of the best small breweries in operation. Anywhere. The brewer/owner of Tributary is none other than Tod Mott, whose credibility, reputation, skill, and knowledge are beyond reproach. Tod was on the scene for the first big craft beer surge in the early 90s, and he's been one of the most important forces driving the quality of craft beer on the East Coast ever since.

In Sept. of 1990 Tod started a brewing apprenticeship at Vermont's Catamount, along side another New England brewing legend, Paul Sayler, who is currently at Gravity Brewing in Burlington, VT. His first full-time paid brewing job followed in 1991 at the Harpoon Brewery, then a fledgling operation. It was during his two year stint there that Tod developed Harpoon IPA, essentially planting the IPA flag on the East Coast at a time when it was only flying out west.

Olde Ale, Solstice Saison, IPA, and Oatmeal Stout.

Mr. Mott continued to journey through the New England brewing world, leading production at Commonwealth Brewing in Boston for about six years, and while there hiring former fellow Catamount brewer Paul Sayler to be head brewer at Commonwealth's expansion at 10 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Tod also did some brew time at Back Bay Brewing (Boston), Quincy Ships (Quincy, MA), and The Tap (Haverhill, MA), before landing at the Portsmouth Brewery for an 8 1/2 year tour of duty.

Heads up!

We first met Tod at the Portsmouth Brewery for an interview in 2011 and our antiquated MiniDisc recorder failed us (thanks to that, we got a much better recorder). Even if we didn't get to record it, it was an honor and pleasure to talk about beer with Tod, and learn about his great work at the Portsmouth Brewery. It was there where he reprised a recipe for a Russian Imperial Stout once called Boston Strangler Stout from his days at Back Bay Brewing. People tended to choke on that name, so it was rechristened Kate the Great!

When Tod finally got his own brewery, after almost a quarter-century of commercial brewing, he knew that he'd finally have the opportunity to brew and age his prized 12% ABV stout in the proper fashion. The Portsmouth Brewery, though with all its charms, was severely lacking in space. He had to be creative to attain the rich barrel aged characteristics of the beer -- without barrels. But the latest incarnation of the highly acclaimed beer, now known as Mott the Lesser, will enjoy a lengthly aging in actual oak barrels. One version will rest in former Pinot Noir barrels infused with port. Another is an apple brandy barrel infused with apple brandy. And a third is a Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel which is infused with Jamaican rum. He's still looking for one more barrel in which to age the rich stout -- an Islay whisky barrel. Another benefit of a bigger brewery for this beer is that he'll release it not once a year, as was done at the Portsmouth Brewery, but twice -- in April and October.

When asked about the name of the brewery, it turns out that Tod's partner Galen came up with the name while the two were rafting in the Colorado River. She also gave the brewery it's motto: "One tributary leads to another", which certainly has been the case with Tod's brewing career.

We sampled all four of the brews on tap during our visit, plus a special bottle of a barrel aged version of the Olde Ale. The Olde Ale was brewed with a very special and rare heritage malt, Chevalier Malt. Only 4 metric tons of it were made by Crisp Malting for just four select US breweries. But when one of those lucky brewer's (Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery) couldn't fit it into his busy brewing schedule, an opportunity arose for Mott to get some. Lucky for Tod he has malty friends in strategic places!

All of the Tributary beers were incredibly well made, full flavored, had fantastic aromas, and above all things were balanced. Balance is the first thing that comes to mind when tasting his IPA. It's no surprise that Tributary ranks #6 of the best new breweries of 2015 by the Rate Beer website, worldwide! Listen to the podcast for more on Tod, Tributary, and what may be trickling in from tributaries yet to be explored!

Bob, Galen, Tod, and B.R.

Tod is always happy to chat with patrons.

Growlers to go.

Tasting room.

Crazy looks from Billy, one of two brewery dogs.

Katie, named for The Great. That's her heard howling on the podcast!

15 barrel brewhouse.

CO2 blow off.

Chiller. 

Mott the Lesser's chart.

Portsmouth Brewery's Tyler Jones

Chat Noir

Interview with Tyler Jones of the Portsmouth Brewery (Flash version)
Non-Flash podcast  

In December of 2011 we interviewed Tod Mott towards the tail end of his illustrious stint as head brewer of the Portsmouth Brewery (we look forward to Tod's new brewery, Tributary, in Kittery, Maine), and this December, two years later we got to meet and speak with the man who filled those legendary brewing boots, Tyler Jones.

Assistant brewer.

Since we had already covered the Portsmouth Brewery and its sibling Smuttynose, we weren't planning on featuring them again so soon. But then it happened. While visiting Portsmouth over the holidays, which naturally means enjoying some beers at the PB, we encountered something that we never thought possible: a delicious Mint Cocoa stout! We've been sorely disappointed with previous attempts at this elusive style made by other breweries. But once we experienced Tyler's "Kringle's Krook Stout" (6.3%ABV), we knew that we had to meet this brewing genius!

Tyler, a N.H. native with a genealogy that traces back to Capt. Jones of the Mayflower, studied chemical engineering at the Univ. of N.H., which is also where he discovered homebrewing. Someone had left a homebrewing kit in a closet of his college apartment, and being of a scientific mind, he gave it a try. After some time working in his field of study following graduation, he heeded his true calling and enrolled in the brewing school at U.C. Davis, with the aim of building a career in brewing.

Bob, Tyler Jones, B.R.

Upon returning home to New Hampshire, he found that neither the Portsmouth Brewery nor Smuttynose was hiring, so he took up work at Mercury Brewing in nearby Ipswich, Mass., while keeping in touch with the Portsmouth breweries. One day head brewer Mott called Tyler and asked if he could help out in the brewhouse. It turned out to be a working job interview, and it must have gone well, because Tyler got hired. He took over for Mott as head brewer in 2012.

The cold room.

We've been enjoying both the classic (Old Brown Dog, Black Cat Stout, Dunkelweizen) and the unusual (Kvass, Thaizenheimer, Wild Thang) styles of the 20+ year old 7-barrel brewpub since its founding. And among the taps of the ol' familiar standbys we'd often see an exciting new beer. But with the recent addition of more tap lines, the brewery has been freer to explore more variety. We were not only blown away by the Kringle's Krook on cask (made with 6lbs of peppermint candies and fermented on cocoa nibs), but also were impressed by the sturdy Saison l'Hiver (7.2%ABV), a hearty Bière de Garde, a delectable 6.2% ABV Belgian Golden Sour, a malty Bock, and their Ronin, a light sessionable beer made with a grain bill of 30% rice, with added horseradish and ginger, and fermented with Sake yeast and finished with Chico yeast. And on deck -- a Gluten Reduced Saison and a Sour Brune!

The captain at the helm.

I always say, it's a good thing that I moved away from the N.H. seacoast area before the Portsmouth Brewery opened, because otherwise, I probably would have never left! And with the exciting, delicious, expertly crafted beers flowing there now, how can I stay away!

Tight squeeze in fermenter room.