Thanks to Shaggy for writing this press release about the new Smoker Stout. This is an excerpt from what he wrote.
Sawyer Paddles and Oars™ in conjunction with Caldera® Brewing Company of Ashland, Oregon celebrates Sawyer’s 40th anniversary with a special edition brew: the SMOKERS STOUT! Named after the largest, toughest oar in the Smokers™ brand line, this limited release 20 keg batch is a salute to all of our faithful Sawyer™ and Smokers™ oar customers out there rowing the rivers of the world. Smokers Stout kegs will be distributed to pubs & eating establishments throughout the Rogue Valley, ready for enjoyment after the first week of January 2008.
What’s the connection between Sawyer™ and Caldera® you ask? Since Caldera started brewing in 1997, Sawyer Paddles and Oars has supplied Caldera with the Ash hardwood scraps that become the tap handles for Caldera brews throughout Oregon. The same Northern White Ash is used to make our Smokers brand oars. Smokers oars are found on rivers around the world, from the Futaleufu in Chile to Cherry Creek in California, and fishing waters all over the country.
At Sawyer we realize that one of the biggest influences to our oar sales is through word-of-mouth and from the experiences of the men and women rowing with Smoker and Sawyer oars. So to those rowers: We thank you, we appreciate you, and we raise a glass to you! …Salute!