14 Cannons' Nic Bortolin on the Brewery's Fifth Anniversary, GABF Lagers and a Tropical Yeast That Tastes Like Hops

In Batch 324 of Craft Beer Republic, Nic Bortolin, co-owner and head brewer at 14 Cannons Brewing in Westlake Village, California, joined Greg and Flex ahead of the brewery's fifth anniversary party and a trip to the Great American Beer Festival. Nic talked through four new anniversary beers, the lagers 14 Cannons entered at GABF, and a new yeast from Berkeley Yeast that gives off hop-like tropical flavors on its own.

14 Cannons' Award-Winning Lagers

Greg is drinking Marooner Märzen, an amber lager that Nic says has won four medals at the San Diego, Los Angeles and California craft beer competitions, and a favorite at the 14 Cannons taproom. Nic is drinking K-17, the brewery's Czech dark lager, which had just won gold at the San Diego International Beer Competition.

Four New Beers for the 14 Cannons Fifth Anniversary

For the October 15 anniversary party, 14 Cannons canned Lost at Sea, a barrel-aged version of the Märzen lagered in new French oak with a medium-plus toast. It's the brewery's most requested beer for cans, and the first time it went into them.

The lineup also included Banana Bread, a beer Nic brewed with his punk and ska band, the Scuba Kids, named after the band's most-streamed song, plus a nitro coffee stout made with California Coffee Republic. The Scuba Kids headlined the anniversary concert in the alley behind the brewery.

Nic Bortolin's First Hazy IPA and Berkeley Yeast

The biggest surprise was Nic's first-ever hazy IPA. After meeting Berkeley Yeast at the Craft Brewers Conference, Nic brewed with their genetically engineered yeast, which gives off the same tropical flavors hops like Mosaic and Nelson do. He says a sample beer they made with no hops at all tasted like one of the hoppiest beers he'd ever had. Nic brewed his batch with the same whirlpool hops as one of his IPAs, minus the bittering hops, and says it smelled like a fruit salad before it was even dry hopped.

Heading to GABF

14 Cannons entered its four core lagers at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival: Catorce Mexican lager, pilsner, Märzen and K-17. Nic's survival plan for four days in Denver is a pretzel, sausage and more beer. And when Flex asked his feelings on pumpkin beers, Nic pointed out that 14 Cannons has never made one.

Cold IPAs and the Lager Comeback

Greg, Flex and Nic agree the cold IPA craze has started to cool, with some breweries embracing the name and others calling the same beer an India pale lager. On the lager side, lagers outsold hard seltzers over Labor Day weekend according to Drizly, and Nic says 14 Cannons' Catorce Mexican lager took off after an LA distributor started placing it in 7-Eleven stores.

Eagle Park Buys Milwaukee Brewing Company

Big news in Flex's backyard: Eagle Park Brewing acquired Milwaukee Brewing Company's intellectual property, including its name and recipes, and will brew the beers in its own facility. Flex calls it great news for Wisconsin craft beer, since Milwaukee Brewing's Louie's Demise was one of the first craft beers he ever loved.

New Jersey's Brewery Rules Head to Court

Death of the Fox Brewing filed a lawsuit against the New Jersey ABC over its brewery restrictions, which limit breweries to 25 events a year, bar them from serving food or hosting food trucks, and ban selling drinks they didn't make, including water and soda. The Pacific Legal Foundation argues the rules exist only to protect established businesses.

Untappd's Best Märzens and Festbiers of 2022

Greg reads Untappd's top Märzens and festbiers of 2022, topped by New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest, with Founders Ultimate Oktoberfest at number two and Samuel Adams OctoberFest at number three. The list also included Three Floyds Munsterfest, Highland Brewing Clawhammer Oktoberfest, Spaten, Paulaner and Half Acre Lager Town.

More Craft Beer News

• Molson Coors workers in Milwaukee picket over the lack of a contract.

• A Massachusetts bill to finally allow happy hours lands on the governor's desk, likely headed for a veto.

• Naughty Pine Brewing celebrates its first anniversary with an anniversary Märzen.

Beers We're Drinking

Greg: 14 Cannons Marooner Märzen

Greg is drinking Marooner Märzen from 14 Cannons Brewing, a 5.3% amber lager that's malty without being too sweet, clear and easy to drink.

Nic: 14 Cannons K-17

Nic is drinking K-17, the 14 Cannons Czech dark lager fresh off a gold medal at the San Diego International Beer Competition.

Flex: Young Blood Beer Company I'm Calling About Your Vehicle's Extended Warranty

Flex is drinking I'm Calling About Your Vehicle's Extended Warranty from Young Blood Beer Company, an 8% New England double IPA double dry hopped with Amarillo and Citra that starts tropical and finishes with bright citrus.

Listen to Craft Beer Republic: Anniversaries & Surviving the Great American Beer Festival

Batch 324 of Craft Beer Republic features 14 Cannons co-owner and head brewer Nic Bortolin on the brewery's fifth anniversary, the Great American Beer Festival, Berkeley Yeast, Eagle Park Brewing and Milwaukee Brewing Company. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app!