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Most Influential Brewer In Tampa: Greg Rapp RIP


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#1 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 10 March 2019 - 02:29 PM

I am disappointed to announce that, at least in my opinion, the most influential brewer in the Tampa Bay area, Greg Rapp, has passed due to prostate cancer. Greg has been fighting cancer for the last three years.

 

If you've ever been to Tampa, Rapp Brewing has been my number one choice brewery for people to visit. Greg started the gose trend in florida (possibly in the US) and won national awards for his classic style interpretation. More than that he was a feeder brewery for aspiring brewery owners. At least four of his employees have gone on to start their own breweries. He did it all on a 2bbl, 4 vessel, blichmann system and still managed to have 20+ taps in rotation every day. He fermented in plastic conicals that he rolled into ferm chambers. It was very basic brewing, but the beer was still fantastic. He focused on beers he loved, mainly German beers, and didn't give in to pressure to create stupid gimmick beers. The beers are balanced, well crafted, and still taste like beer. Greg was extremely giving to the brewing community. He always had a smile on his face and a beer in his hand. He will be greatly missed.

 

Rest in peace, Greg Rapp. Prost.



#2 positiveContact

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Posted 10 March 2019 - 03:34 PM

The name sounds familiar.  Raising a pint in his honor.  It's NEIPA so maybe I'll have to raise a pint of lager after to make up for it.



#3 Big Nake

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Posted 10 March 2019 - 05:50 PM

Sorry to hear it Rich.  He sounds like a great brewer and a good guy.  I have some West Coast Lager in a glass right now and I will raise it to Greg.  



#4 Genesee Ted

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Posted 12 March 2019 - 12:27 PM

Dude is gonna be rollin in his grave if he started the gose trend AND didn’t care for gimmick beers. Seems like gose is one of the go to gimmick beer bases, for better or worse.

He sounds like he was a great dude. I hoist to his honor.

#5 HVB

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Posted 12 March 2019 - 12:51 PM

Sorry for the loss of your friend.  I remember you talking  about him before.

 

 

Dude is gonna be rollin in his grave if he started the gose trend AND didn’t care for gimmick beers. Seems like gose is one of the go to gimmick beer bases, for better or worse.

 

 

I thought that as well.  Of course half those gose's made now do not even resemble what a gose should be.



#6 Big Nake

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Posted 12 March 2019 - 01:22 PM

I'll admit I thought the same thing when I read Rich's first post... he brewed Gose but didn't like gimmick beers.  That said, I'm sure the original Gose beers were meant to be "something" and then Americans got their hands on it and fecked it up for everybody.  :lol:



#7 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 12 March 2019 - 10:35 PM

Dude is gonna be rollin in his grave if he started the gose trend AND didn’t care for gimmick beers. Seems like gose is one of the go to gimmick beer bases, for better or worse.

He sounds like he was a great dude. I hoist to his honor.

 

 

I'll admit I thought the same thing when I read Rich's first post... he brewed Gose but didn't like gimmick beers.  That said, I'm sure the original Gose beers were meant to be "something" and then Americans got their hands on it and fecked it up for everybody.  :lol:

 

 

He brewed a traditional gose in every sense of the classic style. His parents were German. He brewed just about every classic style of german bier.  Gose is one of those. His was really delicious. He made 2 beers that might be "gimmicks" a peanutbutter stout and a high abv barrel aged thing that I can't hardly describe. I think he aged each batch of the high abv stuff for like 2 years. It wasn't sour though, it was like 20% abv and had a ton of flavor from all sorts of stuff, but it still resembled beer. That was his thing, you can use a non traditional ingredient, but dammit it better still taste like beer and it was still balanced.

 

Ever heard of Hunahpu day? Like 50 or 60 breweries invited to cigar city to serve beer and everyone gets bottles of CCB hunahpu. I tried to do a top beer episode on it 4 years ago and ended interviewing 50 brewers. 48 of them had some sort of ridiculous imperial stout on tap and it's 90 degrees outside. The Alchemist was there with Heady Topper and then there was Greg Rapp with a nice light berliner and a kolsch. I'd drink his beers over any other beer served that day. He just made good beer and he didn't have to bend to market influences or gimmicks to make sales. He has 40 beers on tap and most of them are more classic styles of beer. He has some dessert stouts, but mostly its tame stuff.

 

Anyway, his distributor took out ad space on 3 bill boards in the area.


Edited by SchwanzBrewer, 12 March 2019 - 10:36 PM.


#8 positiveContact

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 04:06 AM

why would brewers mostly bring heavy, high ABV beers to an outside event when it's hot?  i'd be bringing stuff like greg did or american wheat, pils, helles maybe a non-high-abv saison.



#9 HVB

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 04:37 AM

why would brewers mostly bring heavy, high ABV beers to an outside event when it's hot?  i'd be bringing stuff like greg did or american wheat, pils, helles maybe a non-high-abv saison.

I am going to guess it is because it is Hunahpu day and Hunahpu is a big stout (a great beer IMO) and the fan bois want that kind of beer.  I may be wrong but I think Hunahpu day was this past weekend as I saw lots of picture on IG or dudes rushing to get pastry stouts.  I agree with you on the beer choice I would want to drink in that weather.



#10 positiveContact

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 04:58 AM

I am going to guess it is because it is Hunahpu day and Hunahpu is a big stout (a great beer IMO) and the fan bois want that kind of beer.  I may be wrong but I think Hunahpu day was this past weekend as I saw lots of picture on IG or dudes rushing to get pastry stouts.  I agree with you on the beer choice I would want to drink in that weather.

 

ah - I did not know that.  they should be having this in the "dead" of FL winter.



#11 Genesee Ted

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 07:49 AM

He brewed a traditional gose in every sense of the classic style. His parents were German. He brewed just about every classic style of german bier. Gose is one of those. His was really delicious. He made 2 beers that might be "gimmicks" a peanutbutter stout and a high abv barrel aged thing that I can't hardly describe. I think he aged each batch of the high abv stuff for like 2 years. It wasn't sour though, it was like 20% abv and had a ton of flavor from all sorts of stuff, but it still resembled beer. That was his thing, you can use a non traditional ingredient, but dammit it better still taste like beer and it was still balanced.

Ever heard of Hunahpu day? Like 50 or 60 breweries invited to cigar city to serve beer and everyone gets bottles of CCB hunahpu. I tried to do a top beer episode on it 4 years ago and ended interviewing 50 brewers. 48 of them had some sort of ridiculous imperial stout on tap and it's 90 degrees outside. The Alchemist was there with Heady Topper and then there was Greg Rapp with a nice light berliner and a kolsch. I'd drink his beers over any other beer served that day. He just made good beer and he didn't have to bend to market influences or gimmicks to make sales. He has 40 beers on tap and most of them are more classic styles of beer. He has some dessert stouts, but mostly its tame stuff.

Anyway, his distributor took out ad space on 3 bill boards in the area.

I assumed from your OP he brewed a traditional Gose. I just meant that it’s a popular base style for the half unfermented fruit purée/half beer crowd

#12 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 13 March 2019 - 07:15 PM

ah - I did not know that.  they should be having this in the "dead" of FL winter.

 

No shit. It's ridiculous. I don't think Hunahpu is even that much to write home about. It's a decent beer, but Marshall Zhukov is a proper impy stout without all the extra crap they put in hunahpu.

 

Not only that, it's not like the event is an "imperial stout" only style event. It's just what all the breweries bring. Plus it's ridiculously hard to get tickets, hard to become a ccb member that gets first crack at tickets, and expensive. It costs about $450 to really have a good chance at getting a ticket. Homebrew clubs used to get in for a discount because they poured beer but they dont do that anymore. Caused a lot of animosity among the clubs.

 

In reality you probably spend a minimum of $500 for the event and you get some beer and you get to sample a lot of strong impy stouts all day in 85 degree heat until you cant stand them anymore.



#13 HVB

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 04:45 AM

No shit. It's ridiculous. I don't think Hunahpu is even that much to write home about. It's a decent beer, but Marshall Zhukov is a proper impy stout without all the extra crap they put in hunahpu.

 

 

I forgot about that one.  Yes MZ is a great stout.  I do like fresh hunahpu but only fresh, once it gets any age on it forget it.  Also, my last time having it was 6+ years ago so I assume it has morphed a lot since then.



#14 Genesee Ted

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 07:08 AM

No shit. It's ridiculous. I don't think Hunahpu is even that much to write home about. It's a decent beer, but Marshall Zhukov is a proper impy stout without all the extra crap they put in hunahpu.

Not only that, it's not like the event is an "imperial stout" only style event. It's just what all the breweries bring. Plus it's ridiculously hard to get tickets, hard to become a ccb member that gets first crack at tickets, and expensive. It costs about $450 to really have a good chance at getting a ticket. Homebrew clubs used to get in for a discount because they poured beer but they dont do that anymore. Caused a lot of animosity among the clubs.

In reality you probably spend a minimum of $500 for the event and you get some beer and you get to sample a lot of strong impy stouts all day in 85 degree heat until you cant stand them anymore.

Pass lol

I like imperial stouts but only in small doses. Too sweet and rich to drink all day. I judged the NYS Brewer’s Association comp a couple of weeks back. Some unfortunate judges had to do 16 imperial stouts. Yikes!


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