Ep. 33 - John Harris of Ecliptic Brewing

A note from host John Holl
"Because of my job I occasionally get some beer sent to the house for review. It’s a charmed life, really. More so when a beer stands out among the crowd and I can be transported by a sip to a place just beyond my current field of view.

This happened over the weekend as I had a socially distanced driveway beer with some friends. After an afternoon of yard work I opened a can of Vega IPA from Ecliptic Brewing. John Harris founded the brewery six years ago after a career spent at iconic Oregon breweries.

He was at McMenamins, he was the founding brewmaster at Deschutes, and did a regatta-length shift at Full Sail.

But Ecliptic is the fusing of a hobby he has held since childhood – astronomy – and a passion career he’s had since… well. For a long time.

The VEGA IPA is the sixth in a series but the first Harris has put into 16-ounce cans. He calls it an "experimental hop playground for our curious and creative brewers to continuously source new and unique hops. Exploring the boundaries of the IPA style, the result is a fresh and distinctly different IPA with each new release. Vega IPA #6 features Vic Secret, Strata, Galaxy, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops.”

And it just blew me away with subtle soft fruit notes, like strawberry and pineapple, even some kiwi. It was juicy but had a touch of bitterness on the finish that just snapped the palate into attention.

After drinking the beer, I resolved to call Harris and asked him to be on the show. He gracefully agreed and joined me on the phone from Portland, Oregon.

We talk about recipe development, collaborations, how COVID-19 is impacting his life and business but I wanted to start out by asking him about fusing two passions into a single business and what that means for authentic when it comes to a brewery.

I hope you enjoy the conversation."

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• Host: John Holl
• Guest: John Harris of Ecliptic Brewing
• Tags: Beer, Craft Beer, Oregon, Experimental Brewing, Full Sail, IPA, Pale Ale, Special Ingredients, and Deschutes.

This episode is sponsored by:

New Holland Brewing

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