New lager created for after fishing, and saving fish
Heirloom Rustic Ales Longear Lager raises money for Trout Unlimited, Arkansas River
With a glass of cold bright golden lager, a hot-from-the-fryer breaded vegan chicken sandwich and a load of hot, crispy fries from The BeetBox truck in front of me at Heirloom Rustic Ales I was more than happy with the texts my would-be interview dropped.
Brewery owner Jake Miller let me know, “still on a water quality Zoom, I’ll be out soon ... Give me 5 more minutes.”
I happily replied, “No problem!” with a pic of my meal attached.
I was there for the new beer, mostly. Most who take a hint from this column likely will be focus on the brew, too. But with Heirloom owner Jake Miller there’s a little more to it. He also the new Conservation Chair for the local Oklahoma Chapter 420 of Trout Unlimited, and the brew in front of me, dubbed Longear Lager, was created in cooperation with the group and $1 from each $13 four-pack sold will go directly to Trout Unlimited for conservation efforts for the Arkansas River, and specifically for developing planned operations around the new Zink Dam, which are yet to be finalized.
It’s a hometown brew for a hometown conservation effort.
Full disclosure here: I am a new member of the TU420 board (at least in spirit, I managed to miss my first meeting). The group is also member organization of the Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma and I also do some work for that group’s non-profit CCO Foundation.
But I’d be writing this one anyway.
My contact with Miller goes back to November 2019, when he dove in and promoted Trout in The Classroom with a Trout in The Taproom aquarium right there in the brewery. We also fished the Arkansas River in July and he showed me the spot where I hooked into my first fly-rod Arkansas River striper below Zink Dam. He mentioned this idea for the beer and the conservation effort back then and I told him to let me know soon as it launched.
Covid-19 created some hurdles for the new brew, but it finally launched this month.
I’m no beer critic, but this is one I’d feel safe recommending to anyone.
“Basically I wanted to brew a beer that would be my ideal dream beer after a 10-hour day on the Arkansas,” he said. “I think fresh lager is about the best beer experience you can have.”
The 4.2% beer definitely is a good one to throw down the gullet after a day of hard physical work. It’s bright, I’d say, and has a little bit of a floral hint to it. I like a lot of Heirloom’s brews, but this one will definitely be my first request next time I’m there.
I also have to note that the Longear sunfish is Oklahoma’s most beautiful creature and that artist Jessica Roux created a label for these cans that fits every definition of the word “keeper.”
“I think a fresh lager is about the best beer experience you can have,” Miller said.
Miller admits his interest in the Arkansas is somewhat selfish but defends that with solid logic that holds for most who have conservation concerns.
“Good conservation efforts have a place, a home in mind,” he said. “It’s places where people want to make sure their kids can see it and that they can continue to introduce their friends to it. If I were to take you to the Arkansas River in three years and we couldn’t find any fish it would break my heart.”
Anglers have grave concerns about the new Zink Dam and how its operation might impact water quality and fish. Biologists and other experts are teaming up to pay attention to the issue in what, so far, has been a somewhat an informal effort, Miller said. But water quality testing, public information campaigns and getting a seat at the table with Tulsa City officials in planning dam operations is the goal, and that takes money.
Miller’s approach is not confrontational with development, he said. He just wants Tulsa and the river to be the best it can be.
“I think we can do a lot for businesses along that river but also be good stewards of the fishery,” he said. “I’m a conservationist that also believes the river should be developed in the sense of having more bars and restaurants and other businesses. I think the more people we get walking beside that river the more special it becomes for more people, which is important.
“I think conservation and development can co-exist and have been preaching that narrative ever since we got involved in this.”
Miller has married his fly-fishing and brewing passions throughout his life. He brewed in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a stone’s throw from premier salmon and steelhead streams. He followed that up with a gig in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
“There is something pretty special about throwing flies to snook,” he said. “It’s similar to stripers in a way. If the fish are hungry and you throw something that looks like something that swim it’s going to get crushed.”
The Arkansas River is an under appreciated fishery that could be an economic engine, he said. He has had 50-fish days on the river with his fly rod and not caught one hybrid or striped bass that weighed less than 8 pounds.
“I’ve had days where I’ve gone through 10 flies and it wasn’t because I lost them or bent a hook but because I caught so many fish they were just too mangled,” he said.
The angler has the world-class fishing location background to make the comparisons, and he believes in the Arkansas.
“The Arkansas is the reason I can live in Tulsa and not go insane,” he said. “Opening a business (in 2018) has been the most stressful thing I’ve done in my life and going through a pandemic on top of it... That river has brought me more peace on earth than any place, ever.”
“I don’t think we’ve even touched the economic possibilities from a fishing standpoint,” he said. “The fish in that river have never gotten a break. If we can operate that dam properly we could have an explosion of game fish, and fishing nationwide has a huge economic impact. There are so many wins and possibilities for everyone with a properly managed Arkansas River.”
WHERE CAN I GET SOME?
Heirloom Rustic Ales is located just off Highway 412 in north Tulsa at 2113 E Admiral Blvd. They have Longear Lager (and many other offerings) on tap and in 4-pack cans.
Also available at:
Biergarten Wine & Spirits at 807 E A St, Jenks.
Ranch Acres Wine & Spirits, 3324 E 31st St., Tulsa
Check with Heirloom for locations in Oklahoma City at (918) 292-8757 or info@heirloomrusticales.com