midwest craft beers

New Blog Schlafly Kolsch Ale Style

In this beer blog, we are going to sample out a beer style that I am not a huge fan of it.  I am talking about Kolsch Ale from Schlafly.  Schlafly Brewery started to brew their beers in 1991 and was founded by Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly.  Their goal was to brew some good beers in the downtown St Louis area.  They are now being distribute to nine other states asides their home state.  Some of these states are part of them like Illinois.  Schlafly Brewery is now brewing several different styles of beer and over 25 seasonal brews.  I know the last time I was down there when my sister lived there.  They were just getting into the 750ml bottle business.  This is a really good brewery and St Louis should be proud to have them in their backyard.  Let us get beer from this brewery.

Schlafly Kolsch is part of their everyday beer line up, which is rare to see a brewery have this style one of their everyday beers. At one time, it was rare to see this beer style in the market.  Now the beer style is just about everywhere and newer ones are a ton better than the older ones. It has yellow color with a head kind of in it. It has a sweet to light citrus smell to it. It has a really sweet to slight hoppy taste to the beer with no really aftertaste.  It is a pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Schlafly Kolsch Style Ale is a golden-colored, medium-bodied, crisp and refreshing ale.  This style, which originated in Cologne, is well-balanced, mild-mannered, and a perfect companion for any occasion.

Here is a description from their website (www.schlafly.com):

Our Kölsch is a classic golden ale that uses a centuries old yeast strain sourced from a famous Kölsch brewer in Köln, Germany. Fermented at 62 degrees, then cold conditioned, it has the delicate fruity aroma of an ale with the crisp, clean finish of a lager. It is brewed with lightly roasted malt and 100% German Noble Hops: Perle for bitterness and Hallertau Traditional for flavor and aroma.

In 1918, the term Kölsch was used to describe the ale brewed in Köln, a city on the Rhine River in western Germany. The style began to rise in popularity in the 1960s and now, many American craft brewers brew variations of the style, labeling it a golden ale.  Our Kölsch is unique to the Schlafly brewery because  Ulrike, a native of Köln and wife of brewery co-founder Tom Schlafly, connected Schlafly Beer with the Gaffel Brewery of Köln. Schlafly Beer won the Gold Medal for Best German-style Kölsch in the World Beer Cup in 2010.

ABV:   4.8%   |   IBU:   25

Appearance: Straw-colored, bright

Process: 62 degree fermentation

Hops: Hallertau Tradition, Perle (DE)

Malts: 2-row malted barley, wheat malt, Munich malt, Carapils malt

Yeast: Köln brewery yeast strain

OG: 11.8

SRM: 6

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.schlafly.com

Twitter:  @schlafly

In closing,  just what I said I have never been a huge fan of this beer style.  I know it is because of the light to medium body that this beer style brings forth.  I get it because it is perfect for the spring and summer, which is when you normally see this beer style out by craft beer breweries.  I like this beer but it is not on my regular beer line up.  It is has some good flavor better than other Kolsch in the market.  This beer is one of  the best ones on the market.  Go hunt it down.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Founders Cerise Cherry Fermented Ale

In this blog, we are going to check out another brewery from Michigan called Founders Brewing.  The beer we are going to talk about is their Cerise Cherry Fermented Ale.  This is one of their four pack seasonal beers.  Here is a little history on this brewery.  The brewery was founded in 1997.

Here is a little history straight from their website (www.foundersbrewing.com):

Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers both had steady jobs when they decided to chase their dreams and open a brewery–which meant writing a business plan, quitting their jobs, and taking out giant loans. They figured if you’re going to live life, you ought to live it hard, without regrets.

After some initial challenges, due to making well-balanced but unremarkable beers, we were on the verge of bankruptcy. It was at this point that the original Founders team decided to brew the kind of beer that got them excited about brewing in the first place: complex, in-your-face ales, with huge aromatics, bigger body, and tons of flavor.

The Founders Family, a group of passionate beer enthusiasts, has grown around this simple philosophy: “We don’t brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us.”

We at Founders Brewing Company have been lucky to evolve into one of the highest recognized breweries in the United States. Since 2011, Ratebeer.com has ranked us as the 2nd best brewery in the world (we were 4th best in 2010), and we have several beers listed in the top one hundred beers of the world on Beeradvocate.com. We were the winner of four medals at the 2010 World Beer Cup, two medals at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival, and one medal at the 2012 World Beer Cup.

We are proud to be doing what we are doing, and we give great thanks to our many customers and credit to our staff for whom we continually work to reinvent and provide world-class beers.

The website had a better explanation than what I could have ever wrote on this brewery.  I found that straight from their website.  Let us get into the brew that I checked out from this brewery.

Founders Cerise has a nice red cherry color without a head on it.  It has a nice fresh pick cherry smell to it.  This fruit beer has a sweet heavy cherry taste with a little carbonation to it. The aftertaste is a heavy cherry to it. It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website about the beer (www.foundersbrewing.com):

You’ll have a soft spot for this one. Using only fresh Michigan tart cherries, this beauty tantalizes with intense flavors combined with a no-hesitation malt bill. Adding fresh cherries at five separate stages of fermentation achieves the ultimate balance between tartness and sweetness.

  • ABV: 6.5%
  • IBUs: 15
  • Availability: Jun – Aug

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.foundersbrewing.com

Twitter:  @foundersbrewing

In closing, I did not know how I would react to this beer.  I am not a huge fan of this beer style of fruit in beer.  I have tried several Belgian and Belgian Fruit Beer Style and they all pretty much came off the wrong to me.  Some were too sweet or not any fruit taste in them.  With all that said, I really like this beer.  It kind of remind me of Liefman’s Fruitesse but with just Cherry in it.  Liefmans has every berries you can think of in the world in it.  It is extremely drinkable and dangerous for an ABV 6.5%.  Go find this beer before the season is over.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Schlafly Pale Ale

In this blog, we are going to sample out the flagship beer, which is Pale Ale, from Schlafly Brewery.  Schlafly Brewery started to brew their beers in 1991 and was founded by Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly.  Their goal was to brew some good beers in the downtown St Louis area.  They are now being distribute to nine other states asides their home state.  Some of these states are part of them like Illinois.  Schlafly Brewery is now brewing several different styles of beer and over 25 seasonal brews.  I know the last time I was down there when my sister lived there.  They were just getting into the 750ml bottle business.  This is a really good brewery and St Louis should be proud to have them in their backyard.  Let us get into my favorite beer from this brewery.

Schlafly Pale Ale has a beautiful copper color with a nice white head. It has a malty smell with a slight citrus to it.  The taste has a malty, honey, and Carmel with a slight dry aftertaste.  It is drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Schlafly Pale Ale is a rich, amber-colored, medium-bodied, Bristish-style ale with a smooth mild hop character.  Perfect for those hot summer days and nights as well as a cozy winter fire.

Here is a description from their website (www.schlafly.com):

Our flagship Pale Ale is a smooth, balanced, copper-colored session beer with mildly spiced flavor and aroma from the East Kent Goldings hops. The bready, lightly caramel malt complements the hint of fruitiness contributed by the London Ale yeast, making it satisfying and authentic; the perfect flagship beer for Schlafly.

Sixteenth century brewers created amber beers by using a form of coal called coke to roast their grains. Coke burns hotter and more steadily than wood without imparting the foul odors from coal. It allowed brewers to produce caramel malts that were paler alternatives to the common brown porters. At about the same time, Flemish migrants introduced hops to English beers and soon this ale became the chosen style of England from the mid-16th century until the end of the 20th century. Today, brewers outside England have adopted the Pale Ale and made it one of the leading styles of the American craft beer movement.

ABV:   4.4%   |   IBU:   25

Appearance: Amber red, bright

Process: Classic English

Hops: East Kent Goldings, Northdown, Pilgrim (UK)

Malts: 2-row and caramel malted barley

Yeast: London Ale

OG: 11.2

SRM: 13.5

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.schlafly.com

Twitter:  @schlafly

In closing, this is not at the top of my list of beers to drink from Schlafly but it is right there.  Most flagship beers from breweries, I am not normally a fan of it.  This beer, I will drink when it is around my place or out and about in bars or restaurants.  If there is another Schlafly beer that I like and available there.  I will drink that one first over this one.  Please, do not take this the wrong way.  This is a well done up beer.  It has a ton of flavor and drinkable in any season.   I am really not a fan of the english style pale ale.  I will say this is better than most english style pale ales out in the market right now.  I recommend you trying this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Schlafly Dry Hopped APA Ale

In this blog, we are going to get into one of my favorite breweries, who is Schlafly Brewery, from St Louis, MO.  I had a friend that traveled down and she asked me if I needed anything down there.  I asked her to pick up Schlafly Sampler Pack and four pack of Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale.  Let us get into some of the history of this brewery.  Schlafly Brewery started to brew their beers in 1991 and was founded by Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly.  Their goal was to brew some good beers in the downtown St Louis area.  They are now being distribute to nine other states asides their home state.  Some of these states are part of them like Illinois.  Schlafly Brewery is now brewing several different styles of beer and over 25 seasonal brews.  I know the last time I was down there when my sister lived there.  They were just getting into the 750ml bottle business.  This is a really good brewery and St Louis should be proud to have them in their backyard.  Let us get into my favorite beer from this brewery.

Schlafly Dry Hopped Ale APA Ale has a pretty dark golden with a constant head. It has a sexy citrus smell to the beer. It has a sweet carbonation citrus taste with next to nothing on the aftertaste. It is drinkable beer for a unique beer style.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Schlafly Dry Hopped APA is an American Pale Ale with a hearty dose of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma.  We add hops directly into the finished beer to boost the fresh, fruity flavor and aroma of American hops.

Here is a description from their website (www.schlafly.com):

Our Dry Hopped American Pale Ale (APA) is charged with American hops to create a bold, aromatic ale. Assertive hop flavor joins the pine/citrus aroma characteristic of American hops to balance the full body provided by North American malts. After fermentation, the beer circulates through a bed of whole-cone Cascade and Chinook hops, boosting the distinctive hop aroma of this satisfying ale.

In the long view of the history of beer, American Pale Ale is a newcomer.  Based on English Pale Ale, American brewers adapted this style into something new.  Born out of the reverence English Pale Ales during the 1980’s American beer scene, APA is the bold, hoppier cousin of Pale Ale.  With an emphasis on American hops, APA is gaining popularity with breweries racing to make these ales with such great hop characters.

Appearance: Golden amber, slightly hazy

Process: Dry hopped with whole cone American hops; unfiltered

Hops: Cascade, Chinook (US)

Malts: 2-row and caramel malted barley

Yeast: American Ale

OG: 14.8

SRM: 10.6

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.schlafly.com

Twitter:  @schlafly

In closing, this is drinkable beer and this is closest thing to an India Pale Ale in their everyday line up.  They do make IPA but it is a seasonal that is out right now.  This brewery does not disappoint me at all.  Even with beer styles I do not like I just find my way liking their beers.  This beer is available in six packs and twelve packs bottles.  This is a well balance beer and they did a great job.  I highly recommend trying this beer if you love West Coast Pale Ales and India Pale Ales.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Lucky Bucket Pre – Prohibition Style Lager

In this blog, we are going to get into the second beer, which is Lucky Bucket Pre-Prohibition Lager Style, from my Beer of the Month.  I did a blog post yeasterday on their Heartland Wheat Ale and I wrote a little history on the brewery.  Let us get into their Flagship beer.

Lucky Bucket Pre – Prohibition Lager is one of their everyday beers. When poured in the glass, it has a nice clear and amber color with no head on the beer. It has a s’more like smell, which I mean it has a malty smell to the beer. The beer has a malty dry and crisp aftertaste to it. This beer style shows us beer drinkers what an American Lager should be than the water down beer that is being shoved down our throats. Also, what beers were like way back in the day.

Here is a video off their website (www.luckybucketbrewing.com):

Lucky Bucket Pre-Prohibition Lager

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

A lot of things go into making a great beer.  This Pre-Prohibition style lager, for example, combines 100% malted bareley with just the right amount of hops, making it smoother and more flavorful than today’s typical lagers.  But the most important ingredient isn’t on the label; it’s our passion for quality that goes into every Lucky Bucket Brew.  So take another drink and savor what real beer is all about.

Here is a description from their website (www.luckybucketbrewing.com):

Everyone loves a great drinking beer; a brew you can drink again and again and enjoy every sip every time. Lucky Bucket Pre-Prohibition style Lager is exactly what the palate craves.

Pre-Prohibition style salutes a time when lagers had greater character and more distinct flavor, when beer wasn’t full of the additives found in many of today’s mainstream lagers. Lucky Bucket’s version has a light, malty flavor that’s easy on the palate. Filtered twice, the subtle maltiness nicely balances a floral hop. Dry-hopped with a fresh blend of aromatic West Coast hops, Lucky Bucket Lager is a great session beer with an ABV of 4.5% and 20 IBU’s.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.luckybucketbrewing.com

Twitter:  @luckybucketbrew

In closing, Lucky Bucket Brewery has done a really great job on this lager.  I do not understand why we have the normal American Lager that we have today.  It is sad when you hear lager; I bet you think of the the mass produced American Lager.  There is nothing wrong with those beers.  The problem I have is Prohibition put several breweries that brew this great style of beer out of business.  Since the Craft Beer movement, they have been dead or loss.  It is nice to see this Lager Beer Style coming back to life.  Now the mass produced beer companies are starting to see this movement and now they are bring their recipes back to life.  One is from Coors with their Batch #19 that is only available in draught only.  Lucky Bucket Brewery for being a young brewery has a bright future and their Pre-Prohibition Style Lager is going to push them into the light of craft beer drinkers around the country.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Lucky Bucket Heartland Wheat Beer

In this blog, we are going to try a few beers from my Beer of the Month.  This time around is Lucky Bucket Brewing Company Heartland Wheat Beer.  Lucky Bucket Brewing Company was founded in 2008.  There is really no more information on this brewery since it is very young.  There website has some great information that is where I found when this brewery was founded.  Let us get into the beer.

Lucky Bucket Wheat Beer is part of their everyday beers. When in the glass, it is of a bright yellow and a little cloudy without a head. There is a smell of citrus with a little lemon in the beer. The taste of this wheat beer has a citrus to slight lemon along with carbonation.  The aftertaste is non existence in this beer.  Lucky Bucket Wheat Beer is very drinkable beer.

Here is a descriation from the beer bottle:

Lucky Bucket Heartland Wheat Beer is a refreshing ale.  Brewed with the same high quality water, yeast, hops and bareley as our other beers, this beer also includes a special fifth ingrediend, golden wheat from the American Heartland.  Adding weat creates a soft-bodied beer that pairs perfectly with the citrus variety hops that we add during the brewing process the result is a tasty beer with a fresh finish.  Enjoy!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  http://www.luckybucketbrewing.com

Twitter:  @luckybucketbrew

In closing, I am not a fan of wheat beers and I have said it before in earlier blogs.  I make myself laugh because I still keep trying them.  Lucky Bucket with their Heartland Wheat Beer has won me over.  This is a tasty beer with a lot of good things going on in the beer.  It has a nice balance to make this hop head happy.  I am excited to say but yet sad this would be a beer I would be drinking if I could get it.  There was no information on their website so I do not know if they still make this beer.  It might be a seasonal but if you see it, pick it up and try it.  I recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Milwaukee Brewing Outboard Cream Ale

In this blog, we are going to try yet another brew from the Milwaukee Brewing.  We are going to touch one of many summer seasonals from them.  It is called Outboard Cream Ale.  If you read all my blogs on this brewery, you know a little bit of this brewery.  Let us get into this brewery.

It has a nice bright clear yellow color with no head on the beer. There is a smell but I just do not know what it is right now.  It kind smells like a pilsner. The taste is very smooth and creamy lager like but not as hoppy like a pilsner.  This beer style is not a classic style. It was created by Germans that came to the states trying to create their beers here but came up with new beer styles. It is very refreshing and drinkable.

Here is a descriation from their webiste (www.mkebrewing.com):

Beer

Cream Ales are true American styled brews. Mimicking European light lagers, the Cream Ale is brewed utilizing the top fermenting Ale yeast resulting in a more complex flavor and nose. Cream ales traditionally are brewed with a blend of malted barley and corn grits for a light body and golden straw color. A very slight hop presence helps round out this simple but refreshing beer.

History

The terms “Outboard” and “Evinrude” have become synonomis. The first practical Outboard motor was invented by Ole Evinrude in 1909 as a way to give your arms a break from rowing that boat! It’s said that Ole and his girlfriend Bess were enjoying their day on Okauchee Lake on a hot summer day when she asked for some ice cream. Ole rowed to shore and by the time he had gotten back the ice cream had melted.

Always facinated by motors, Ole was self taught. He spent 5 years hopping from job to job learning about steel, manufacturing and engineering. He came back to Milwaukee and set up shop. Eventually he employed 300 people.

Cheers to Ole, and the way he changed the way we use water today!

Brewer

After a long day of post digging, the Outboard is what I reach for.

The simplicity of this classic American style has only a handful of ingredients. The few ingredients we use leave little room for error, although the recipe is straight forward, mistakes will be very noticeable. We use a high quality pilsner malt and a clean citrus smell during the boil. The ale fermentation for this brew leans on the cool side just to cut back on ester production.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.mkebrewing.com

Twitter:  @mkebrewco

In closing, I really did not like this beer.  It is a summer seasonal and what I have been saying in most of my blog post.  I am not a fan of Summer Seasonals.  Milwaukee Brewing Company Outboard Cream Ale is a very drinkable beer.  I believe what turns me off about this brew it is the light in body.  I believe to me it does not have enough flavor to it.  Asides that, I am a huge fan of this brewery and this is the first time I do not like one of their beers.  Just because I do not like this beer.  It does not mean you will not like it. Please, go try this beer and reach your own judgement on this Cream Ale.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Milwaukee Brewing Company Polish Moon Milk Stout

image

Starting a new blog, we are going to get into another beer from the Milwaukee Brewing Company.  If you read my earlier blog on their Pull Chain then I do not have to bored you about the history of this brewery,  the beer that will be feature in this blog is Polish Moon Milk Stout.  Let us start get into the beer.

This beer is black in color with a dirty white head. This milk stout has a ton of carbonation in the bottle. Be careful pouring out the beer into the glass.  The smell of the beer is chocolate to roast malts with some hints of coffee.  This stout is very smooth with some burn chocolate to coffee notes flowing through the drinking experience.  For being a dark beer with ABV 4.5%, it is extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.mkebrewing.com):

Beer

This pitch black stout is teaming with rich roasted malt and coffee flavors. The addition of milk sugar tames these intense flavors with a silky sweetness. A very easy drinking, full bodied beer.

History

Built in 1962, the Allen-Bradley clock tower has become a Milwaukee landmark. Until recently, it was the largest four sided clock in the world, rising 280 feet in the air with each face having a diameter of 40 feet.

Located on Milwaukee’s south side, the clock tower quickly got the nickname “Polish Moon” because of the large Polish population in the neighborhood. With a bar on every corner, it was a fun place for neighbors and friends to get together and have impromptu parties

Brewer

One of my favorite winter warmer beers, it’s also a fun beer to brew. First you get the super rich chocolate coffee aroma from all the dark malts. Then you add a couple hundred pound of sugar to the brew kettle, it’s almost like adding sweetner to a giant cup of coffee. What makes this a milk stout is the addition of milk sugar, or lactose sugar, to the wort. Yeast can’t eat this sugar so it remains behind after fermentation as a natural sweetner. Trying to get the balance between the milk sugar sweetness and the bitterness of the roasted malts is probably the trickiest part of this entire brew. We’ve been working on that balance for a couple of years now and I think we’re on the right track.

Here is a youtube video on their website (www.mkebrewing.com):

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.mkebrewing.com

Twitter:  @mkebrewco

Finishing up the beer, I really love this beer and it is in my top three beers from this brewery.  It is hard not to pick this one or their Hop Happy India Pale Ale.  It is smooth with a ton of flavor.  I love the chocolate and roasted malt notes throughout the drinking experience.  It is very well made and drinkable to where you could drink it even on the hot summer days or warm spring days.   You cannot say that about all the stouts that are in the market.  This beer has taken down Left Hand Milk Stout.  This is my number Milk Stout.  I would  try them side by side and you will see what I am talking about.  Go get some! Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Rhinelander Brewing Company Chocolate Bunny Stout

In this blog, we are going bunny hunting.  We are going to try a beer from the Rhinelander Brewing Company.  The beer is called Chocolate Bunny Stout.  I never heard of this brewery so this will be a learning lesson for me just like you.  Unless you hit up every brewery in Wisconsin.  Rhinelander Brewing Company is from Monroe, Wisconsin and was founded in 1882 as the orignal company.  Bad luck came to the brewery as it burned down in 1897.  They rebuild and then closed again because of Prohibition era.  They open in 1933 like every brewery and was in business until 1967.  They were purchased by Joseph Huber Brewing Company and then moved their brewing of their beers to Monroe, Wisconsin.  They are looking to move their brewing back to Rhinelander by 2014 with a two million project.  It sounds like this brewing a long history of up and downs is on its way to a very bright history.  Well here is the beer we will be trying.

This beer is black in color with a small constant white head. A ton of cocoa to chocolate smell going on in the beer along with a roasted to burn smell in it too. The taste of the beer is a sweet carbonation chocolate overload with ton of coco bitter aftertaste. It is very drinkable beer and worth the price.

Here is a description from their bottle:

Dark and silky rich stout loaded with chocolate flavor.  Is there chocolate in my beer or beer in my chocolate?

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.rhinelanderbrewery.com

Twitter:  no twitter account

In the end, this was a very interesting drinking beer experience for me.  The cocoa powder in this beer pops out too much during the experience.  The stout part in this beer is really solid but then add the cocoa powder that is added during the brewing process.  This beer is kind of drinkable but I can see many beer drinkers finishing this beer and then moving on to another one.  I really did not like this beer but I respect this brewery for doing something different.  Also I love the price.  It was only $3.99.  It comes with a huge value but at the same time you will get what you pay for in this beer.  If you are looking for something different with a good price, this beer might be the way to go for your next beer.  This beer is average to slightly below average.  Go get some! Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

(History information came from their website (www.rhinelanderbrewery.com) and Wikipedia)

New Blog Milwaukee Brewing Black Iron IBA

In this blog, we are going to dig into another beer from Milwaukee Brewing Company.  I have done a history in one of my earlier blog.  We are going to be sampling out one of their seasonal.  The name of the beer is Milwaukee Brewing Black Iron India Black Ale.  Let us get into the beer.

This beer is black in color with a white constant head.  The smell of chocolate to toffee is filling the air around your nose.  As far as the taste of this India Black Ale is smooth with chocolate and carbonation taste with a slight citrus aftertaste.  This beer is very drinkable and the ABV being 7.4%.  It is danger Mr. Robinson.

Here is a description from their website (www.mkebrewing.com):

History of the Beer

The history of blacksmithing in Milwaukee really centers around Cyril Colnik. After the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, he was convinced to move to Milwaukee by Captain Frederick Pabst. The master blacksmith went on to do iron work iconic Milwaukee landmarks just ask the Pabst Mansion and Villa Terrace.

We tip our hats to Kent Knapp and his love for the craft. This dark hefty beer goes hand in hand mimicking the shop and the medium in which he works.

Beer

Brewed with a dehusked German malt that gives it a black and silky look, without the bitter roastiness you find in other dark beers. A variety of Columbus and Cascade hops were used quite generously to help balance out the large malt bill. This beer is abundant with in complex flavors and hop character and yet quite smooth for a beer that sits at 7.5% abv and 48 IBUs. Cheers!

From the Brewer

The style “India Black Ale” is so new, that there’s no one, all authoritative beer that we need to compare to. The trick is to get the balance between the malt bitterness and the hop bitterness. In this case we used non-astringent roasted malts to add the roasted flavors. The malt is a de-husked German black malt, it provides the color, and the roast flavor without the risk of extra acidity. It creates this intense roasted coffee and chocolate aroma. When we add the hops you’ll get that pine and citrus smell. When we released the test batch last year it went over really well. I drink the IBA when I have the time to really savor it and when it has the chance to come up to room temperature.

Here is a youtube video from their website (www.mkebrewing.com):

Milwaukee Brewing Company Black Iron Ale

In closing,  I really love this beer.  If it was anything close to their Hop Happy India Pale ale, I knew I would love this Black Iron.  I know their Black Iron is an India Black Ale not what all the rest of the craft brewery called their beers called Black India Pale Ale.  I love how this beer is drinkable and the punch of citrus from hops while it is cutting through the roasted and chocolate notes.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser