

Todd Ashman Returns to Flossmoor



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:: July 22, 2014 Edition ::



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I caught up with our friend Todd Ashman last week after hearing he’d be



Imperial Eclipse took gold at the Great American Beer Festival in '98—like, years before there was a barrel-aged category—and when Ashman left Flossmoor back in 2003,



After ten+ years, Todd heads back to





(©Anneliese Schmidt Photography)



The Eclipse brand will be staying put this time. Todd mentioned that, for various reasons, its price point just wouldn’t be viable in that market. His departure from FiftyFifty he said was amicable, though, and mentioned he’ll be flying back to help with barrel vetting, blend configuration, and the release of that upcoming batch.



"The focus really going forward should be more with Alyssa Shook, cuz she’s really the one that’s been technically brewing the beer for the last two years,” Todd said, emphasizing her role as Head Brewer. The Director of Brewing Operations spot he leaves behind at FiftyFifty is the same one that he will be assuming at Flossmoor, overseeing a brewing staff and helping to steer their production facility's opening.



He hinted at 8,000–10,000 bbls/year capacity, and a huge barrel room: aiming for an eventual gallery of maybe 2,000. "Four high and 100 long, if you can imagine."



Things to look forward to? While Eclipse will be staying in NorCal, Todd obviously is still Todd. Expect barreled imperial stouts and barleywines on the horizon after he gets moved in. (He brewed a batch of the base barleywine back in December, which appeared as a collab.) Also: a better bottling line, and far-broader distro.



Todd further mentioned a not-so-little certain something he left behind in Truckee—though he was unsure when it would appear. The base beer is eight Plato higher than Totality, Eclipse's base. The barrel it’s aging in had held part of the recently released 20-year Rip Van Winkle bourbon. Code name: "Pappy Masterpiece."



Todd summarized, "I assure you it will be epic."





– Ken Weaver









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I caught up with our friend Todd Ashman last week after hearing he’d be heading back to Flossmoor Station . Todd’s one of the OGs of barrel aging, first crafting Imperial Eclipse Stout at Flossmoor around 1997. (Back then: Jim Beam bourbon.)Imperial Eclipse took gold at the Great American Beer Festival in '98—like, years before there was a barrel-aged category—and when Ashman left Flossmoor back in 2003, Eclipse came with. At FiftyFifty, where Todd landed in 2006, Eclipse grew to include a futures program and barrel + wax variations into the double digits.After ten+ years, Todd heads back to Flossmoor . "The situation will be entirely different,” he noted, “where I’m not just some upstart, pain-in-the-ass brewer."The Eclipse brand will be staying put this time. Todd mentioned that, for various reasons, its price point just wouldn’t be viable in that market. His departure from FiftyFifty he said was amicable, though, and mentioned he’ll be flying back to help with barrel vetting, blend configuration, and the release of that upcoming batch."The focus really going forward should be more with Alyssa Shook, cuz she’s really the one that’s been technically brewing the beer for the last two years,” Todd said, emphasizing her role as Head Brewer. The Director of Brewing Operations spot he leaves behind at FiftyFifty is the same one that he will be assuming at Flossmoor, overseeing a brewing staff and helping to steer their production facility's opening.He hinted at 8,000–10,000 bbls/year capacity, and a huge barrel room: aiming for an eventual gallery of maybe 2,000. "Four high and 100 long, if you can imagine."Things to look forward to? While Eclipse will be staying in NorCal, Todd obviously is still Todd. Expect barreled imperial stouts and barleywines on the horizon after he gets moved in. (He brewed a batch of the base barleywine back in December, which appeared as a collab.) Also: a better bottling line, and far-broader distro.Todd further mentioned a not-so-little certain something he left behind in Truckee—though he was unsure when it would appear. The base beer is eight Plato higher than Totality, Eclipse's base. The barrel it’s aging in had held part of the recently released 20-year Rip Van Winkle bourbon. Code name: "Pappy Masterpiece."Todd summarized, "I assure you it will be epic."