September 2009 Archives
Lakefront seems to get the majority of the press (and love) when it comes to Milwaukee-area craft beers. Sprecher is rightfully known for its sodas, especially its root beer and the most biting (and tasty) ginger ale I've ever had. But Sprecher also makes some fine, complex beers, with its Black Bavarian at the head of the class.
Characteristics: Dark black-brown color that is completely opaque; heavy body with low to medium carbonation; opens smooth with a slight bubbly bite before moving into dense roasted chocolate malts with an espresso finish. There's also a hit-and-miss sugar element through the middle.
Minor Gripes: Black Bavarian doesn't have enough balance once it warms up a little -- I'm guessing it was engineered to be rich and flavorful when consumed ice-cold. And the 6% ABV sneaks up a little.
Bottom Line: Although Black Bavarian is a lager, it's closest in spirit and flavor to a deep porter as opposed to a schwarzbier. It's not a session beer, but it's a good change of pace and one that's not often available where I live these days.
Rating: 6 / 10
Links (and some context) saved up over many months... this time, mostly from the treehugg(er)ing side of the tracks.
- Sierra Nevada takes the green initiative to create ethanol from brewing waste materials and install electric car chargers at employee parking lots.
- Discovery Network's "Planet Green" offers tips on how to drink green, though in an annoying multi-page format.
- Even the Dear Leader has entered the beer exporting game -- though I won't be seeking out Taedonggang any time soon.
- Killing two birds with one stone -- go green and protect yourself (and others) by walking to the pub.
- And when you get to the pub, your "pint" glass should be a proper pint, not some thick-bottomed rip-off.
- Appalachia moves on from backwoods distilling to microbrewing -- a handy guide for my end-of-year road trip!
- No green conversation is complete without some preaching to the choir about localism.
- And finally, for this back-to-school season, a two-part round-up of "college town breweries" with high-quality green(ish) brews, including many past favorites here at the Chronicles.
New Grist is another in the unfortunately small collection of gluten-free brews with something resembling decent distribution. And, befitting the substantial brewing heritage of its hometown (and its brewer, who is responsible for more traditional winners like Riverwest Stein and Wheat Monkey), New Grist tastes like a beer first and a GF beer second.
Characteristics: Pale yellow color, medium carbonation and head, starts with a little bite of carbonation and hops before settling in to a mild yeasty middle and then the tell-tale sorghum tanginess in the finish.
Minor Gripes: Best when served cold, just like the Leinie's or Stella it's replacing -- that's when the sorghum is least noticeable. Its distribution also seems to be spotty outside the standard Lakefront channels. Two weeks after we found it at a Whole Foods in NYC, it went out of stock with its slot in the case given away.
Bottom Line: New Grist is the GF beer for those who (A) miss drinking lagers, and (B) might enjoy multiple beverages in an evening. (I can't bring myself to use the classic Schaefer phrasing today.) New Grist is also the first of the GF brews I've sampled that I would drink even if I weren't looking to reduce my gluten exposure. The Green's belgian-style offerings are good, but New Grist does a better job balancing out the endemic sorghum tanginess.
Rating: 5.75 / 10
