Little Dipper Brewing Company
Your Favorite Neighborhood Beer
Gary and Mike’s vision of interesting and diverse beers come to fruition here at Northwood’s Little Dipper. Both are longtime residents of the Battle Ground/Brush Prairie area , engineers by trade, dog lovers, and respected in many aspects of the beverage industry. Gary owns Ethereal Meads and Mike is a seasoned engineer with experience in selling stainless kettles for brewing of all kinds. Next time you’re in, check out the Brewhouse and see what’s currently brewing. If you happen to catch Mike and Gary at work, feel free to stop and chat.
LITTLE DIPPER HISTORY
Northwood and its Little Dipper Brewing Company have never aspired to be a large production brewery. We happily retooled an abandoned 2 barrel Nano-system in order to make some great neighborhood beer under our own roof. We found a team of passionate brewers already tending bar and waiting tables here in our pub. The group that launched our brewing vision consisted of Sherman Gore, Richard Tiffany and Jason Bos, – The Brothers Cascadia. This talented trio produced an array of tasty brews to please our thirsty patrons – including our first and most beloved Village Idiot Imperial IPA. Not only were the Brothers brewing great beer at the Little Dipper, they were also laying plans to establish their own brewery and in early 2017 Brothers Cascadia Brewing Company opened its doors in Hazel Dell were they have been making critically acclaimed beer ever since. We are grateful for this special “family tie” and you will always find a Brothers Cascadia brew on tap at Northwood!
LITTLE DIPPER BEERS
This is an incomplete list of the beers we’ve made to date
Bourbon Barrel Need of the Many
Vulcan Imperial Stout 12% ABV 60 IBU
Explore the dark reaches of specialty grains. A federation of Kiln Coffee, Chocolate and dark Carafa malts are the primary coordinates as you step through the aromatic portal of toasty sweetness and discover a strong, rich stout where notes of chocolate, caramel and vanilla are launched into Warp Drive as the already intense and complex malt is engaged with whiskey and wood.
Northwood Night Sky Amber Lager
American Stout 5.5% ABV IBU?
A smooth and elegant light copper amber. Lightly roasted malt richness with just a touch of bitterness from a gentle hop addition that satisfies and then refreshes with a clean crisp finish. Medium body.
Red Sweater Winter Warmer
Winter Ale 7.9% ABV IBU?
Tasty and comforting winter ale just in time for the holidays. Cozy up to the big roasted malt body knitted with generous hop character and threads of citrus and spice. Try on the Big Red Sweater – you won’t want to take it off!
The Village Idiot
Imperial IPA 10% ABV 102 IBU
For our first IPA we didn’t want to disappoint. A massive imperial IPA with heavy handed hop additions, this beer has a very clean, resinous like bitterness. Flavors of pine, grapefruit and citrus dominate the palate while a light malt backbone provides the stage for this hop bomb. We have triple dry hopped this beast of a beer to acquire the beautiful, citrusy aroma that we wanted. When this beer is on tap be careful to not become the next “Village Idiot!”
Kochab the Guardian
Old Ale 7.2% ABV 47 IBU
Kochab is the brightest star in the bowl of the “Little Dipper” and only slightly fainter than Polaris (the North Star). It is also referred to as one of the Guardians of the Poles as it shared the title of “North Star” over 1000 years ago. Our hail to this old star comes in the form of this Old Ale. These beers tend to be tilted toward a maltier balance. Deeper in color than brown ales and with somewhat significant alcohol percentages.
“It should be a warming beer of the type that is best drunk in half pints by a warm fire on a cold winter’s night” – Michael Jackson
Our Old Ale has a deep, subtle aroma with notes of vanilla, oak and roasted malt. This leads into a complex sweetness that is characterized with vanilla, spice, rye, oak, caramel and a slight creaminess. We brewed this beer to pair well with bourbon. So enjoy it on its own or alongside your favorite whiskey.
Summertime Kolsch
Kolsh 6.2% ABV IBU?
The Northwood Summertime Kölsch is technically not a Kölsch, since by German beer law a Kölsch can only be brewed in the German city of Cologne (Köln, in German). OK, we’ll call it a Kölsch-style beer and we’re quite happy we brewed it here at Little Dipper Brewing Company in Battle Ground USA! This is a beautifully refreshing golden ale, wonderful for summer days. Its lovely light color, grainy, malty aroma, and delicate balance of fruitiness, malt and light hop flavors, with a brisk, clean, finish will refresh and inspire you.
The joy of Kölsch is in its subtlety. This smooth journey of sensations that might seem unremarkable individually, adds up to an extraordinarily pleasant taste ensemble. Its clean, restrained malt flavors and light hop bitterness are not meant to overwhelm but instead blissfully satisfy summertime thirsts.
Ursa Woofus Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Pumpkin Ale 9.5% ABV IBU?
With 36 lbs. of pumpkin in a 2 barrel mash, this brew is definitely pumpkin-forward, but there’s so much more! A tantalizing blend of honey, maple syrup, and Belgian candy sugar deliver a delectable compliment to the rich pumpkin and malt without cloying sweetness. Judicious use of Magnum and Simcoe hops harmonize with pitch perfect bitterness. At 9.5% ABV, Ursa Woofus is a howling good fall sipper and may just make you want to bark at the Little Dipper!