Randy Sprecher
Decider chats with the revered Milwaukee brewer
In his quest for perfection, Randy Sprecher has been making incremental changes to his award-winning beers and sodas since opening his Milwaukee-area brewery in 1985. His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed; last summer the New York Times named Sprecher's root beer the best in the U.S. Preaching quality over quantity, Sprecher has not only inspired the area’s top chefs to create cuisine formulated with soda and beer, but he also works tirelessly to convert the average beer drinker into a more educated Joe Fourpack. Decider recently talked to Sprecher about his one-man mission to improve the public’s taste in beer.
Decider: Sprecher Brewing Company has partnered with chefs at some higher-end restaurants to do beer tastings and educate foodies about pairing beer with their favorite dishes. Is beer the new wine?
Randy Sprecher: It is. In fact, it has gone beyond that. You mention pairing beer with food, but actually beer is becoming part of the recipe as well. Chefs are realizing the great collage of flavors coming out of the craft-beer industry and starting to use our beers in the formulation of their recipes. Some of our stronger products such as Black Bavarian, Imperial Stout, Scotch Ale, and even our Abbey Triple really carry over nicely into the flavor and aroma of the food. We are now finding that there is plenty of room for soda pairings and soda in food, too. At high-end restaurants here in Milwaukee, like Dream Dance at Potawatomi, Chef Jason Gorman came up with a Sprecher Root Beer Cured Venison Rossini that is really, “Wow!”
D: You also sell cheese in your retail shop. It seems like a similar battle getting people to appreciate cheese beyond cheddar.
RS: Yeah, people usually go into the market and say, “What can I get for a buck a pound or $1.99.” The good stuff can get a little expensive, but you gotta remember that a little bit goes a long way. Like good beer, you are supposed to sit down and enjoy the flavors. And it’ll help you consume fewer calories. You’ll probably spend the same amount of bucks or maybe a little bit less and not drink two six-packs. [Laughs.] Instead a couple bottles of different things that you can pour in small amounts, warm them up, and get the whole experience.
D: All of your sodas are designed to "hold a head," just like beer. How does that affect the taste?
RS: The aroma is more in the head, because of the separation of the liquid that occurs in the foam. On draft it’s easier than in the bottle, because you can dial up the gas content. The best draft we have that does things like that is the Orange Dream. I just can’t get it to you in a bottle like that. On draft you can taste the orange juice, the rind of orange, everything that we try to get into that product.
D: You already use a lot of local ingredients in your beers and sodas. How will American consumers becoming more conscious of their carbon footprints affect the brewing industry?
RS: We’re hoping to sharpen that focus. We’ve got a small group that’s working on even more homegrown ingredients—more hop experiments in the state of Wisconsin and hopefully some organic barley. These aren’t just readily done. It is difficult to do. The hops are particularly difficult. We are looking at this as another tool to offer something uniquely different.
D: With all of the changes in beer-company ownership, how can Milwaukee retain its title as Beer Capital Of The World?
RS: I think we’ll always be looked at as a beer city. The per capita consumption around here is still pretty darn big. Despite the economic situation people still need to get groceries, a haircut, and beer. [Laughs.] And so, no matter what happens out there—we’ll see what happens in ’09—but so far here at Sprecher, we haven’t seen a big drop in consumption or orders for our beer. It’s not exactly growing, but it’s holding its head up.
