I first discovered Logboat Brewing two years ago, about one year into their existence. If memory serves it was the Centennial Beer Festival in St. Louis and I walked away after sampling “Snapper” thinking it was one of the finest IPA’s I’d had in a long time. I made a mental note to remember that something very exciting was going on in Columbia, Missouri with this new brewery “LongBoat.”
Soon, I was bringing home “Snapper” as my go-to IPA as well as its American cousin “Lookout” and after a few closer looks at the cans, I finally realized they were not “Longboat” but “Logboat” and after good chuckle at myself, I knew I had found something special.
Brewery-o-graphy
Logboat Brewing Company is made up of Judson Ball, Andrew Sharp, and Tyson Hunt. The legend will be told that the three were not going to win any Grammy awards as a band, but their jam session did accomplish one important thing. It gave them a reason to drink beer.
“During our jam sessions we would always have a couple beers and talk about styles we liked and didn’t,” said Ball. “We soon began brewing our own beer. It didn’t take long for us to realize we were far better at making beer than playing music.”
Jam sessions became brew sessions and that is where the wild idea to start a brewery was born. The trio knew that would need a professional brewer to lead their crazy dream.
“We somehow convinced Josh Rein to get on board and help us get off the ground,” said Ball. “After 4 years of writing a business plan, figuring out financing and finishing construction we were finally ready to share Logboat with Mid- Missouri.”
In April they celebrated 3 years of business and since have opened distribution to the St. Louis area.
How Logboat got its name
As most Missourians know, both the river and the state is known as “Missouri” have a lengthy history. The state lies on territory once inhabited by the Missouria, Osage and Illinois Indians. In the language of the Illinois, Missouria meant “one who has dugout canoes,” or “people of the wooden canoe.”
“The dugout canoes were synonymous with log boats and it made sense for us to choose Logboat as our name. A more recent historical figure whose legacy influences each of our worldviews is Mark Twain. The native people of Missouri and Twain symbolize for us the history, spirit, and sense of truth in what makes Missouri so wonderful,” writes the brewers on their website.
Made In The USA
During the exploration of equipment manufacturers to supply Logboat with their tanks, they wanted very badly to support an American company. They soon found Metalcraft Fabrication, now MCF Craft Brewing Systems, out of Portland, OR. Contacts were made, conversations were had, and before they knew it Tyson, Andrew, Judson, and Josh were on a plane to Portland to visit Metalcraft, meet with their team, design their brewhouse and put a down payment on what would become the single largest purchase in their lives.
“We brew all of our beer on a 30 barrel, 3 vessel brewhouse and currently have 10 fermentation tanks (3 – 30bbl FVs & 7 – 60bbl FVs) and 3 conditioning tanks (2 – 60bbl BBTs & 1 – 30bbl BBT),” said Ball.
The Beers
Logboat Brewing features a robust menu of beers falling into four categories — Year Round, Seasonal, The Delta Series and the Fretboard Coffee Series.
Fretboard Coffee Series
The natural and popular collaboration of a local brewery and a local coffee house is growing nationwide, and in Columbia, Missouri it was a natural combo as the town’s two most popular beer and coffee houses came together. Fretboard Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery and cafe based in Columbia, Missouri.
COFFEE MAMOOT
4% ABV | 10 IBU
English Mild Ale with Coffee
Available November – December
Mamoot is a brown ale’s laid back brother. BUT…with the addition of GROUND CONTROL coffee beans roasted by our good friends down the street at Fretboard Coffee, the perfect breakfast beer!
Subtle notes of blackberry jam, coffee, and bittersweet cocoa add to the toasty finish. This brew is mahogany colored and full flavored, despite the relatively light ABV.
SNAPPER IPA WITH COFFEE
7.2% ABV | 68 IBU
Beer drinkers enjoyed the addition of Fretboard Coffee to Mamoot so much that Log Boat decided to partner with them for an entire series! Next on the list was SNAPPER!
“We know what you’re thinking, “hops AND coffee?” Well just take our word, it’s pretty wonderful.”
Coffee Snapper will be released in very limited quantities. So make sure to stock up when you can.
The Delta Series
Like most professional brewers, the beer they produce is usually beer the brewers themselves want to drink. And it’s only natural that eventually, brew-artists will look for new ways to express their creativity. For Log Boat, the Delta Series is the result of that creativity being unleashed. Debuting this past fall, Delta is now made up of four unique beers.
HALLER-TANG
The first beer in Delta Series! Inspired by the flavors of traditional German lagers and meshed with the brightness of American Pale Ales, Haller-Tang is brewed with European sourced ingredients. Pilsner and Munich malt provide a solid, well-rounded foundation. Noble Hops are used in the kettle, giving a floral, slightly peppery hop flavor. A newer variety, Huell Melon, is used in the dry hop to give this beer a bright fruit forward nose reminiscent of our beloved pale ales.
MR. MOOT
Mr. Moot is the world class award winning Mamoot’s great grandad. The elder Moot has notes of dark fruit, toffee, and chocolate with a quite pleasant medium bodied finish. Hang out with Mr. Moot around a fire this winter and throw on some Sturgill!
JERK ALERT
8.5% ABV | 85 IBU
Double IPA
Available July – September
This Limited Release Double IPA starts with a simple malt profile to both compliment and also stay out of the way of the hops. Speaking of hops, this one is loaded up with nearly 3 pounds of hops per barrel Galaxy, Cascade, and Chinook. Bright fruit and flower aromas are followed by a juicy flavor and a gentle pine resin finish.
The Seasonals
Logboat really only have 2 true seasonal beers, Bear Hair Belgian Blonde and Dark Matter Wheat Porter. These are the only 2 that last 4 months. All of the others are usually 60BL batches and brewed once.
“There is no real philosophy when we talk about seasonal or delta series beers. We just talk about flavors we like and what we’re in the mood to drink. And I think our brewers do a wonderful job translating that into the finished product,” said Balle. “We are all very proud of every single beer we produce and will always continue to push the limits of our creativity. We just like to have fun with it.”
DARK MATTER
DARK MATTERDark Matter is dosed up with wheat malt to give it a smooth, subtle breadiness and extra body. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavors meld like thermonuclear plasma. We enjoy drinking Dark Matter while eating brownies, cranking M. Monoceros on the stereo, and thinking about portals.
Pairs well with candy bars, pudding, and peanut butter cookies. Smoke a brisket and pour a Dark Matter, victory!
JUPITER’S MOONS
8.3% ABV | 80 IBU
Available April – July
Jupiter’s Moons is a double red ale with quite a bit of piney, citrusy notes from the abundance of hops and a hefty malt bill. A firm bitterness smacks your jowls while caramel sweetness refreshes your tongue.
Pairs well with a wide range of foods from chicken to seafood, burgers and spicy food. Pecan Sandies would be a great choice while consuming this beer.
BEAR HAIR
6.5% ABV | 30 IBU
Available March – May
Bear Hair is a Belgian-style Blonde Ale with a hazy, straw-colored hue. Our yeast provides a light, refreshing citrus character, and a spicy finish.
Pairs well with herb cheese, shrimp cocktail, and bratwurst. Light dishes like fresh fish and chicken would go great with a Bear Hair as well.
ALIEN GOLD
8.5% ABV | 10 IBU
Barrel Aged Strong Ale
Available December
Alien Gold is a Belgian Style Ale aged in Burgundy Oak barrels with Rainer Cherries for 1 Earth year inside the third dimension. We only brew a small batch so make sure to grab some when you see it!
FLYBYE
5.5% ABV | 22 IBU
Farmhouse Ale
Available June – August
Brewed for our 2nd anniversary, Flybye is a farmhouse ale fermented with yeast sourced from the Wallonian region of Belgium. It has bright citrus notes and a subtle, funky phenolic character to the aroma. The flavor is fruity citrus with a slight grain sweetness and a crisp, dry finish.
We liked this beer so much that we decided to make it in 2017 and CAN it!!! Look for it on shelves March – May 2017.
IMPERIAL MARCH
10.0% ABV | 33 IBU
Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Available May
Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial March is an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. Aromas of leather, oak, and vanilla join on the palette to enhance the toffee and coconut notes. Grab it while you can. We typically only make around 50 cases of this a year.
YEAH, BYE EARTH
6.6% ABV | 66 IBU
Belgian IPA
Yeah Bye, Earth is an American IPA brewed using a Belgian yeast strain. Aromas of pine and fruit fill your palette and the Belgian yeast strain provides some spicy/fruity flavors which are balanced well by a clean, medium bodied malt bill.
This is a very easy drinking IPA for being 6.6% ABV. Yeah Bye, Earth is great with a wide variety of foods such as pork chops, salmon lox, light cheeses and roasted veggies. Carrot cake would make a great dessert pairing with this beer
COWBOY ME
5% ABV | 16 IBU
Black Lager
Available January – February 2017
This Schwarzbier style has piles of flavor with subtle notes of chocolate and roasted flavors and a hint of smokiness from the malt. Lager yeast cleans this Cowboy up nice!
Year Round Beers
The aforementioned “Snapper” is for me the flagship beer of Log Boat Brewing and it’s no surprise it anchors their four year-round offerings. We’ll have more on this gem after a look at the other three.
LOOKOUT
5.5% ABV | 30 IBU
American Pale Ale
Lookout is a refreshing American Pale Ale with an orange blossom hop character and a clean malt body. The perfect companion for piloting a river.
Pairs well with everything. Seriously, everything. We especially like drinking Lookout at BBQs, on float trips, golf courses and while tending our gardens.
MAMOOT
4% ABV | 10 IBU
Mild Ale
Mamoot is the brown ale’s laid back brother, a perfect breakfast beer. Subtle notes of jam, coffee, and chocolate add to the toasty finish. This brew is mahogany colored and full flavored, despite the relatively light ABV.
Mamoot is great with BBQ, frog legs, and beef jerky. Mamoot and Gouda cheese is a fine afternoon snack.
SHIPHEAD
5.2% ABV | 25 IBU
Ginger Wheat
Shiphead is brewed with Peruvian ginger straight out of the rainforest. Coriander and fresh lemon zest yield citrus tang. Alien Sea Sorceress, find your glow.
Shiphead pairs great with Asian food, salads, and popsicles.
SNAPPER
7.2% ABV | 68 IBU
India Pale Ale
This easy drinking IPA is loaded up with four varieties of American grown hops. Fruity flavors of pear and peach play off of resinous, piney notes. Crystal malt complements the bitterness for a well-balanced IPA.
Pairs well with spicy food of all sorts and sweet desserts. Drink a Snapper while munching on a nice ripe cheese.
Beerography: Snapper
It’s amazing how many great things in America were born in a garage. Such is the story behind what I’m calling Log Boat Brewing’s flagship beer Snapper.
“When we were home brewing in Tyson’s garage we had an idea of what styles we wanted to do. IPA, APA and Ginger Wheat were at the top of the list,” said Ball. “We had an idea of what we wanted the beer to taste like, but being new to brewing we just weren’t getting the flavors we wanted. Insert Josh Rein. Josh came in and took the beer in a completely different direction. After many different experiments we finally all agreed on a hop combination that we loved.
Tasting Notes:
Snapper pours a hazy gold with a creamy head. On the nose, you’ll get hints of tropical fruit, stone fruit, and pine. On the tongue, you’ll get grapefruit, pine, peach, stone fruit with a nice malty backbone. A balanced 7.2% IPA that isn’t super bitter like most IPA’s.
You can expect to see a lot of new stuff from Logboat in 2017.
“We are branching out and doing several styles that we have never done before. Almost all of our beers will be available in cans, with the exception of our barrel aged series,” said Ball.
And our friends across the state in K.C. will be next joining the Logboat revolution as the brewery looks to expand their distribution footprint to there by the end of 2017 or early 2018. Fingers crossed!
