USA, OK: Oklahoma’s Quapaw Tribe launches Downstream Crafted Brewing Co.

The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma pushed the envelope last year by unveiling its new multimillion-dollar meat processing plant and has raised the bar even higher by opening its own craft brewing company, Joplin Globe reported on January 4.

The processing plant was the first USDA-inspected processing plant to be located on tribal territory and operated by a tribe. Now, the tribe will be exploring new ventures in the beer sector.

On January 4, tribal employees announced the launch of their new Downstream Crafted Brewing Co. and debuted two of their craft beers that were brewed in-house at Downstream Casino Resort.

Four silver and copper brewing tanks gleamed behind a wall of glass in the casino’s Legends Sports Bar. Lucus Setterfield, food and beverage director, said the tribe’s newest endeavor corresponds with the tribe’s vision of living off the land to create a farm-to-table experience for its customers.

The tribe has pursued numerous agricultural undertakings over the years, including bison, greenhouses, beehives, a coffee roasting operation and the meat processing plant.

“Whenever we decided to expand Legends Restaurant, we had the idea of wanting to be able to brew our own beer,” Setterfield said. “Even though it adds to the things we already do, agriculturalwise ... being able to take some of those things and continue with that process and being able to tell people what we do here, where the products come from and that we have control over the things that we are putting on the table and feeding to our guests.”

Setterfield said the renovation of the sports bar to house the tanks cost about $400,000 and that the brewing system was approximately $90,000. The project has been in the works for about 18 months. The main reason behind the brewing company was to offer a one-of-a-kind experience to the area, he said. Global BeerCo, of Reno, Nevada, designed a computer-controlled brewing system that could be housed in a small section of the casino’s sports bar without having to create a large brewery warehouse.

“Whenever you’re in here eating, you’re also able to order a beer, see where the beer is being made and have some information about it,” Setterfield said. “All of this is so that we can continue to do what we really like to do, and that’s educate our guests. We like to be able to talk about the things that we do here to make sure that they know this isn’t just a casino, but it’s also a place that you can get something unique.”

Each of the four tanks in the system can store up to 250 gallons of beer, or about 2,000 pints, Setterfield said. The process from beginning to end takes seven to 10 days. The alcohol will be stored in kegs in the tribe’s warehouse and will only be served at Downstream Casino Resort, he said.

The two in-house craft beers developed by the tribe are called Flat Rock Red and Craft House Kolsch. Setterfield described Flat Rock Red as having a sweet taste like an American red ale. He characterized the Craft House Kolsch as having more of a hops flavor. Jesse DeLeon and Michael Williams are the two lead brewers of the Downstream Crafted Brewing Co. and are ecstatic about the opportunity.

“As it grows, we’ll grow,” Williams said. “It’s exciting. It’s an adventure to us.”

The craft beer will also be used in the restaurant’s cooking, and the tribe said it will continue to create ale recipes by using ingredients from its coffee roasting facility and honey from its beehives.

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