Short Break in the Action

Owing to some recent minor surgery (successful, thanks), I won't be sampling any beers for the next few weeks. In the meantime, here are a couple items to consider...

1. Just before my surgery, I found a lovely bottle of rauchbier or "smoke beer" -- a German regional speciality. I've already confessed my love for smoky, peaty, malty beverages, so this seemed like a natural. I'd want to try another before writing a proper review, but the town of Bamberg just made its way onto my future itinerary of Germany...

2. I spent six years in Wisconsin (and three of those working at a law firm where Miller Brewing was one of our major clients) but never managed to take a tour of the Leinenkugel's brewery in Chippewa Falls. Miller bought Leinie's back in 1988, with part of the deal being that Leinie's could still be creative at the old brewery (Original and Light are now brewed in Milwaukee, across from the old Pabst brewery). They've added some flavorful (Creamy Dark, Northwoods) and not-so-flavorful (Honey Weiss) beers to the line-up over time, with the infamous "Big Butt Doppelbock" being introduced, dropped, and revived again. Now, however, I'm afraid that Jake and the boys have gone over the top.

Example A: Apple Spice Beer. To be perfectly clearm I enjoy hard cider, particularly good dry British ciders. US brands generally don't have the same crispness or tartness, even when they claim to be ciders. But this is something else -- a beer that has apples added to the mash. And if Berry Weiss is any indication, this is doomed to be a sweet, almost syrupy beer.

Example B: According to a local enthusiast, Leinie's is thinking about rolling out a new seasonal brew this spring -- orange spice is the current thinking. If true, I'd guess that it will taste something like a Blue Moon... meaning that it will be a hefeweiss with more coriander in the mix, or even a Belgian witbier.

The irony, of course, is that Miller used to have the premier witbier brewed in the United States (and by some opinions, the world) -- Celis White. After a quick splash of distribution (taking Celis from Austin, TX to finer grocery and convenience stores all over the midwest), the Miller hotshots decided that Celis wasn't pulling its weight and stopped brewing the beer. About three years ago, some folks in Michigan bought the recipe from Miller and begain making Celis White again -- from all accounts, the recipe still holds but the distribution is very limited.