So folks, today is National Beer Day! Apparently this is the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition.. but if you look online, there's a ton of different days associated with this repeal.. but who are we to argue with a beer holiday!? Just accept it, raise that pint, and celebrate!
(Also, here on the east coast we're trying to get Session Beer Day to trend.. not only is this a growing segment of craft beer, but technically at the beginning of Prohibition's repeal, beer could only be 4.0% or lower - session beer has different standards depending on who you ask, but the majority draw the line at 4.5% ABV - so why not make it a two-fer?!)
The only thing to make celebrating National Beer Day even better would be not only to imbibe in the joyous drink, but to help produce more of the magical beverage for all you consumers! I spent my day at the brewery with the Backlash people helping get fresh batches of our Belgian IPA and Imperial IPA ready for distro! Now THAT is American, people
Professor Fritz Briem (Schlossbrauerei Au) - Piwo Grodziskie
A sour, smoked wheat ale at 4.0% ABV. So not only does this sound pretty dang neat, but it's clearly a session beer too! They use smoked beech malt and a partial sour mash to achieve this.. it's a gratzer ale.. another unique German beer that's regaining some popularity. Hazy orange wheat pour with a normal white fluffy head.. there's a touch of the sour in the nose with cracker wheat tones. A little bit of honey and a faint grassy hop note round it out. Now.. this is nothing what I was expecting.. it's neither that smoked nor that sour. Then again, we are talking under 5% here.. I guess the amount of smoked malt needed would hinder the ABV but why not that sour!? Granted, it's very easy-drinking, and probably true to the style.. but doesn't quite live up the name. The taste was basically the same as the nose, malt-forward.. a tad sweet, a tad smoked, a tad sour. There really wasn't much to the finish either.. Nothing stand-out here, but cool to try a new style!
4 Hops
Thank god I was able to enjoy some fresh-from-the-tank Double IPA and Belgian IPA at the brewery! You also can't let National Beer Day end once you get home, can you!?
a 6.5% ABV Belgian Pale Ale with an AMAZING bottle. Literally, besides the back, that keyhole image is all that's on the bottle... killer. A massively fluffy white head atop a hazy orange body.. a dry crisp aroma.. biscuit and cracker malt with touches of honey, lemon and orange zest. Hints of earth and a little funk layer themselves underneath. Dang this is bubbly and dry! This seems like a Belgian champagne-style beer. More light, acidic citrus here.. mixing with a touch of crisp malt sweetness.. there's some grapefruity hops and a hint of apples. The finish is slightly spicy from the Belgian yeast with the right about of grassy hops and sweetness to make you crave another. Very well balanced, unexpectedly crisp and bubbly.
- - 7 Hops!
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