Look not so deeply into ales and lagers; for this Mystery hath been hidden by Allagash: Truepenny Pilsner by Allagash Brewing Company

Having had my Allagash cherry popped recently, I was pleased to see another flavor by the esteemed Maine brewery on a recent trek to the liquor store: Truepenny Pilsner.

Truth be known, I didn't notice that A) it was a "Belgian pilsner" and B) it was canned back in March until I had opened the beer, poured it into my glass, and tasted it. There's something to be said for the element of surprise instead of researching something to within an inch of its life on the Internet prior to trying it. After reading the words "Belgian pilsner" I figured somebody in Belgium is making a pilsner, right? It wasn't a distinct sub-style that I'd heard of and figured that it was simply something Allagash made up. The label indicates that this is a blended beer, i.e. - a pilsner with an admixture of "wild beer, blended for balance".

Is a Belgian, blended pils something Allagash, or at least Americans, invented? I mean, there could be a whole network of brewers from Antwerp to Brussels to Charleroi adding wild ale to pilsner and I wouldn't know about it. Still, I very much suspect this is an American invention. But it's not like Belgian brewers don't blend beers. Witness the gueuze, a mixture of old and new lambics.

While the Belgians have the reputation of being the only makers of styles that feature a combination of beers, blending was more common back in the day and it was practiced outside of land of lambics. For instance, English porters used to be blended. As 70s punk rock aficionado and beer historian Ron Pattinson noted, "The porter you would have had in a pub in 1840 almost certainly would have been a blend of two beers — one aged and one fresh." In addition to Pattinson working with Goose Island to recreate an 1840s porter, here in the Madison area, Dan Carey paid homage to porter from the days of yore with his Old English Porter, a mixture of fresh and soured beers.

The blending of beers has a long and storied history and there's nothing wrong with adding a wild beer to a pilsner even if it is a categorical violation that would send most German brewers into apoplectic fits of Reinheitsgebot rage. I'll admit that it seemed gimmicky to me when I first read it on the label but that was more cynicism engendered by years of American craft brewing chicanery than genuine outrage.

My Truepenny pour produced a big, sloshy, white head that stuck around for a while meaning I got a decent photograph of it instead of one with just a few bubbles here and there on the surface. The foam was on top of a bright yellow and rather hazy brew. Despite the haze, I could see lots of bubbles rushing upwards inside. When I took a sniff, I caught the expected hay/grass scent from the hops and a cracker-like grain smell too. More on the unexpected side was a hint of lemon and a very faint funkiness. Had the beer gone bad?

Taking a sip, I found a cracker taste that was rather prominent along with some malty sweetness a bit like honey. There wasn't a big hop flavor here as I'd expect from a pils but there was some spiciness and a moderate bit of bitterness. I tasted a little fruitiness in the background and it was at this point that I read the label and discovered the true, bipartite nature of Truepenny. Presumably that fruitiness came from the wild ale but I didn't discern any funk. Spicy tasting hops and lingering sweetness stayed for the finish which was just a tad on the dry side.

Truepenny had a slightly heavier body than I'd expect from a yellow pils and I suppose this comes from the wild ale. And I think that fruity taste and the sweetness were also from the ale. Truepenny is like a palimpsest with a pilsner having been brewed over a wild ale. While I really enjoyed this beer, I do wish it had more hoppiness to it. The subdued hops here may simply have been a function of age. Only comparison with a fresh Truepenny would yield the truth. Unfortunately, the Allagash website lists Truepenny as a "Limited" brew so I guess I'll be waiting until next year. Or perhaps this was a one-off. Still, if you see some around, I highly recommend trying it because it is a wonderful beer. Fairly light and smooth with a fine fusion of pils and wild ale flavors where neither dominates the other.

Junk food pairing: Because this is a fancy schmancy blended beer, go upscale on your food pairing. Apply liberal amounts of cheddar Easy Cheese on Chicken in a Biskit crackers.