Fear of the Dark: Slingshot by Backpocket Brewing

Backpocket Brewing's hometown is Coralville, Iowa but it has an outpost in Dubuque, some 90 miles to the northeast. My Frau and I happened to be in Dubuque last month and we managed to hit 3 out of the 4 brewpubs in town (that I could find mention of) on a whirlwind tour. None of them distribute to Madison so it was all new to us. (Do any Iowa breweries distribute to Wisconsin other than Toppling Goliath?) Now that I think about it, it's likely that I've tried Backpocket's beer previously at the Great Taste of the Midwest but cannot say when or which beer.

Truth be told, Backpocket's Dubuque outpost is really more of a tied house as the beer is shipped in from Coralville but this is more distinction than difference. As with 7 Hills Brewing Company that we visited earlier that day, Backpocket is located in the gentrifying Millwork District and is in a building that was once home to Novelty Iron Works. And so the interior was post-industrial chic with exposed joists and other structural bits lit by those faux Edison lights or whatever you call them.

My Frau had a Belgian blonde ale which we both agreed was tasty but the highlight for me was their Crispii Pilz, a pilsner which was crisp and fizzy and really hit the spot on a blisteringly hot evening. We grabbed a six pack of their Dunkel, Slingshot, to bring home. Along with Slingshot, Backpocket offers a Helles as a year-round beer. It was nice to see not one but two German style lagers on offer all year long instead of a slate of hazy juicy IPAs.

Things started off oddly immediately after pouring the beer into my glass. There was a lovely tan head and the beer was clear with a smattering of bubbles to be seen inside. The problem was that it was a dark amber color – too light. I was able to see through it. I smelled just a smidgeon of roasty grain in addition to plum, some malt sweetness, and a nice grassy hop scent.

This theme of not being dunkely enough continued in my mouth. There was very little of that grainy roastiness, no hints of chocolate or coffee either. It was sweeter than I am used to for the style with both malty and fruity (again, think plum) kinds of sweetness. There was also an earthy-floral taste like vanilla as well. On the finish I tasted a lingering honey-like sweetness complemented by a mild spicy hop flavor.

I've encountered this before – I think it was with Bull Falls' Schwarzbier – where a dark lager wasn't dark enough and it comes across more like an Altbier. As far as any semblance to a Dunkel, Slingshot misses the mark. For starters, it's too light in color. Roastiness and some coffee and dark chocolate, qualities which are normally present in the aroma and taste and are the things I crave in the style, are basically M.I.A. here.

What redeems Slingshot is that vanilla flavor. Combined with the sweetness, it gives the beer a cream soda-like countenance. And when the beer is nice and cold, it dulls the sweetness a bit so you end up with this slightly sweet, vaguely vanilla-y drink with a nice fizz to it. Now, I'd rather have those Dunkel qualities on full display but Slingshot is a pleasant drink that is not totally unlike cream soda which is really quite tasty, especially during a heatwave. I found it to be a refreshing treat.

Junk food pairing: Slignshot will pair well with pizza flavored foods such as Pepperoni Pizza Combos.