OK Beer Brand is Back: Elk Valley

In the early 2010s, Elk Valley beers made the rounds and won awards at national beer festivals as homebrew. At the time, craft beer enthusiast and Oklahoma native John Elkins was simply passionate about making beer he loved and found that others enjoyed it too.

With staple recipes like Magic Juice, a juicy and hazy double India pale ale; Tenkiller, a smooth, light lager with a hint of corn; and Latte Nemesis, a big imperial coffee stout, Elk Valley became a crowd favorite as craft beer was starting to trend in Oklahoma. Despite the success of these and many others, Elk Valley made the hard decision to close its taproom in OKC at the end of 2022, halting production. Since then, the team has been working on plans to see the beer revived.

Today, we are excited to announce that Oklahoma beer company, New Story Brewing in Tulsa, OK, has acquired the Elk Valley brand. In collaboration with founder John Elkins, New Story is working to revive many of the classic recipes, returning them to local bars, restaurants, and stores across Oklahoma soon.

‘We are honored to help revive a classic Oklahoma beer brand like Elk Valley,’ said New Story President James Schellhorn. ‘We all have fond memories of Magic Juice and so many other Elk Valley beers! The idea of combining our resources and taking part in sustaining such a quality, local brand was just too good to pass up. We’re excited to honor the original recipes and bring back the beer we all fell in love with.’

The idea of consolidating and sharing resources in the food and beverage industry is not new. Ghost kitchens and breweries are becoming more common across the US, allowing new products to be added more easily and legacy ones to have new opportunities to thrive. Elk Valley will be a product of New Story but will live on as a staple of Oklahoma craft.

According to James, Elk Valley beers should be reentering the market by the end of 2023. Fans of the brand are encouraged to look for updates coming over the next couple of months on their website https://newstorybrewing.com or Instagram @elkvalleybeer.

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What’s Malted Matters.

Beer’s traditionally made with just four simple ingredients: water, grain, hops, and yeast. While it might sound simple, the quality and consistency of each part are key to making a solid, consistent brew. “At New Story, we want to design our beers to a high standard and more consistent base, which is why we were drawn to Proximity Malts in Monte Vista, Colorado,” – said Head Brewmaster Jordan O’Dell.

Nestled in the heart of the San Luis Valley, halfway between Denver and Albuquerque, Proximity works with local farmers there that have been growing exceptional quality malting barley and other grains for generations. Proximity is a family-based, private maltster that has a track record of providing sustainable, high-quality malted grains to breweries and distilleries.

We’re excited to partner with Proximity because sourcing here not only helps continue to sustain farming in our region but leverages some of the most advanced processes to select and roast grains, which we can trust to build our recipes on.

“We are a young company in a legacy industry, inspired to exceed standards with better customer service, transparency, and a more sustainable model by providing direct delivery and owning the entire process! We are very excited to work with New Story to be their support for years to come,” said AJ Gambino, Proximity Senior Sales Manager.

New Story will install a 30 ft silo at its new brewery facility in downtown Tulsa later this fall, relying on Proximity to source one of its most important ingredients. “While malting takes simple, high-quality grain through a complex process, the outcome that mattered most boiled down to quality, relationship, and consistency,” said James Schellhorn, New Story Brewing President.

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New Story. New Brewery to Tulsa.

New Story Brewing is excited to announce its partnership with W Design, a Tulsa-based architecture firm, today. “We’ve been working hand-in-hand with Shane Hood, project lead, for six months now and are pleased to release our new look to the world finally,” said New Story Brewing founder James Schellhorn.

The plan is to revitalize a turn-of-the-century rail-side warehouse facility, which sits at the historical crossroad of Greenwood and 4th St, in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. “This property is such a rare find and really an ideal location for our brewery,” said James. “The revitalization of dormant or private buildings in downtown Tulsa is an opportunity to infuse them with the spirit of our dreams, passions, and stories. Beyond physical restoration, these public spaces hold the power to transcend their architectural boundaries, becoming catalysts for social cohesion, economic growth, and cultural vitality – places where Tulsans will come together to celebrate, explore, and create lasting memories,” said Shane Hood of W Design.

The property will boast a spacious outdoor deck, bar, and game area, providing an ideal view of the downtown skyline under a west-facing sunset. Inside, its +11,000 sqft facade will include a full taproom, restaurant, and a brewing facility ready to make thousands of barrels of beer annually.

With design work nearly complete and permits submitted, New Story is gearing up for a busy summer, with hopes to open the taproom in late fall! Until then, the New Story team is working on a plan to start beer production and distribution early, so look out for taps in your favorite bar or restaurant later this summer.

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