Can't stop the singing chicken: Kur Zapiał by Browar Błonie

My luck with Polish beers has not been good lately if the piwo isn't a pale lager from Okocim or Żywiec or another of the bigger Polish breweries. Binny's seems to keep beers from Poland on their shelves long past their lifespans until they are these musty, skunky pale imitations of their former selves. And so when I came across this brew I was a bit gun shy.

I didn't find it at Binny's, however, but rather at Deli 4 You in Schaumburg back in December when I was returning to Madison from having spent some time in Chicago at the Christkindlmarkt. And the date on the label read 30.06.2026. Well within freshness tolerance. The Polish craft beer selection there was small but how many Polish craft beers actually get exported to the U.S.? I think they stocked the full complement of Browar Błonie's Polish Folklore series. Why did I buy this one? That is lost to the ages. It could simply have been that I was in the mood for a pilsner that day. (There was, if I recall correctly, a label in English on the back.)

The description at the brewery's website as translated by Google reads, "Light, unfiltered, dry-hopped beer. Refreshing taste and floral-herbal aroma." Oh, the name translated to "The Hen Sang".

For tasting, I busted out my new pilsner glass which I got at Goodwill when shopping for things for my new apartment. A couple years back I gave away most of my beer glasses but wanted a couple two tree for my new life.

The piwo was yellow and had a slight haze - it's unfiltered, remember? There were lots and lots of bubbles which is something I associated with the pils. My pour produced a small head of lovely white foam which lasted an average amount of time. It appeared to be a very pretty pils, to my eyes. The aroma was just as nice with the Polish hops - variety unknown - giving off straw and floral smells. A nice, cracker-like maltiness was to be had as well.

All of those bubbles portended the piwo's big fizz. A delicate biscuity malt flavor was joined by hops that gave a lovely floral taste along with a mild dose of herbal and some straw notes. The maltiness lingered a couple seconds on the finish before the hops rushed in with their floral/straw combo and some attendant bitterness. My tongue tasted smoothness which I figured came from the malt even though there wasn't much grain flavor to be had - some kind of malty-carbo-palimpsest? Just enough bitterness for a slight zip at the end to go with the moderate dryness.

Oh mama, this was a great piwo! It had the delicate pilsner malt flavor down perfectly and I simply adored the floral aroma and taste that the hops gave. The piwo was light and delicate and had just the right floral everything. Just fantastic stuff.

Junk food pairing: The lovely, tasty, delicate floral taste here deserves not to be overshadowed so stick with something on the mellower side such as Simply White Cheddar Cheetos Puffs.

Risking life & limb for Roggenbier - that's the Chicago Way: Winter Beer by Goldfinger Brewing

On my annual autumnal trek last year to lovely Lombard, Illinois for Chicago TARDIS, I had it in mind to seek out some Winter Beer by Goldfinger Brewing. I'd heard tell of it a week or so before and I was intrigued. Besides the immanence of winter and the necessity of winter seasonal beers for survival, it was a rye lager and rye is my grain of choice. To top things off, Goldfinger went against the grain, so to speak, and made a winter beer that wasn't extra potent and instead relied on a hearty maltiness to hold back the nipping of Jack Frost.

Winter was to set in early with a major blizzard forecasted the next day so I set out to get my beer shopping done early so I could settle into the hotel with Christopher Eccleston and Jo Martin until the storm had abated.

With the threat of several inches of snow looming, I hastily made a trek to Binny's. There I found some interesting brews, to be sure, but no Goldfinger Winter Beer. Well, crap. After lunch I attended another panel discussion or two before making the drive to Goldfinger HQ. Walking in I found that place to be hoppin'. I also found no Winter Beer. However, I did find some of their Baltic porter. More on that later.

Discouraged, I went back to the hotel with my tail between my legs and enjoyed myself at the con. But I would not be defeated!

The next day the storm began with snow coming down at quite a clip. Once fully caffeinated, it occurred to me that there are liquor stores that are not Binny's and so consulted the Google oracle. Sal's Beverage World sounded like they'd have a good selection. I mean, it's a whole world of beverages! It was also helpfully located near a peri peri chicken joint which sealed the deal. I could get beer, a family pack of peri peri chicken, and then ride the storm out at the hotel with a bunch of fans dressed up as Cybermen meaning we could recreate The Tenth Planet.

It seems a large percentage of the western burbs had a similar plan because Roosevelt Road was packed and treacherous. Jagoffs in SUVs and Subarus ignored conditions and barreled down the road at normal speed, i.e. - 10MPH over the limit. I kept things steady as cars fishtailed all around me and the street threatened to turn into a demolition derby. And I made it.

My luck was in as Sal's had the precious Winter Lager - and more besides. I stowed my beer securely in the back seat and then made my way to the peri peri joint where I bought a family pack so I wouldn't be forced to eat any of my fellow con goers to survive, er, I mean go to the hotel restaurant. The drive back was frought with peril but I made it back to the safety of the hotel unscathed.

Having risked life and limb, I hoped that the beer was worth it. A Goldfinger lager? Of course it'll be tasty.

 

The beer was a gorgeous copper hue and clear as day. Sitting atop the sea of rye elixir was a big head of loose, off-white foam made of large bubbles. It lasted an average amount of time, I'd say. Inside the glass were oodles of bubbles. The aroma featured biscuit with a slight caramel accent. Hops were grassy.

 

My initial sip confirmed what my eyes had told me: this stuff was good'n'fizzy. At first it seemed odd to be drinking a winter beer that had but a medium-light body to it but the ad copy was right - the brew may have a low A.B.V. of 4.2% but it is rich in malty goodness. The rye provided an earthy bready flavor which was complemented by a touch of doughy sweetness. A nice balance was struck by hops that were a bit on the herbal side but also hay-like. Overall the brew was malt heavy and clean with a touch of astringency.

 

The finish was perfect as the lingering breadiness slowly gave way to the hops which took on a slightly floral taste. They provided just enough bitterness to balance the malt and add a touch of dryness.

 

Unsurprisingly I found this Winter Beer to be great. It was richly malted (including tasty rye!) but not heavy; the hops were tasty and added just the right amount of bitterness. Plus I loved the floral taste they took on during the finish. A most pleasing alternative to the usual winter brews.

 

Junk food pairing: Grab a bag of peri peri flavored potato chips to go with Goldfinger's delicious rye brew. The spicy heat will warm your innards as the earthy spud taste joins the rye for an earthy overload.

A brace of bocks and sayonara snakes

When I went to the liquor store last weekend I noticed that Lakefront is not messing around when it comes to helles bocks. They had a couple on offer.

Have they brewed the honey bock before? I cannot recall. It was just nice to see a brace of bocks to push back against the 8 gillion IPAs.

I see that they have also resurrected Snake Chaser. 

 

 

When did this go away? Was it around last year? Not sure when this came back. Regardless, it's good to have it back for a little St. Patrick's Day cheer.

Gute Nacht Geneva: Good Night Bamberg by Art History Brewing

I braved the Thanksgiving blizzard for this beer.

Roosevelt Road was an absolute disaster with every snowflake threatening to obstruct my view and my poor tires with barely any helpful tread for gription were due to replaced the following week. It was like Mad Max in slow motion with cars fishtailing everywhere and the owners of SUVs steadfastly declining to slow down for the conditions.

But like your friendly letter carrier, neither snow nor jagoffs driving Subarus would stay me in my search for a particular beer - more on that another time. And while the weather outside was frightful, Sal's Beverage Emporium, er, World was delightful. I perused the local beer shelves after a trip to Binny's and the brewery of the highly sought after and temporarily anonymous beer both proved unsuccessful.

"IPA. IPA. IPA. Bamberg. IPA. Barrel...Wait a minute!"

Now that got my attention.

The beer was Good Night Bamberg by Art History Brewing in the western burb of Geneva. The label described it as a "Franconia Style Smoked Dark Lager". As you can imagine, it was an instant buy for this Rauchbier addict.

While I have heard of Art History, I cannot recall ever having tasted their beer previously. Surely I've seen their brews many a time at Binny's yet I am unsure why I had never sampled their liquid until now. My best guess is that I'd mostly seen IPAs and turned my nose up at them. Upon seeing something more to my liking such as a Helles, I moved on because why would I buy their Helles when Dovetail's and Goldfinger's are just down the aisle and I know they have been lovingly decocted to drive me to Maillard gluttony?

And so I was confronted with my first Art History beer. How did I make out?

This was another in a long line of beers lately  that produced a tan head. I got a fairly good amount of foam and it hung around for an average amount of time. When the folks at Art History called it a dark lager they were not kidding. This is one of the most positively Stygian brews I've had in a long time. My desk lamp struggled to get any photons through that nearly impenetrable gloom. I had to tilt my glass at just the right azimuth to discern its deep, dark brown color. It seemed to be clear as I spied quite a number of bubbles at one angle.

The aroma was mainly smoke, luscious smoke. But there was also a bit of plum as well as a hint of spicy grass.

Those bubbles I spied were a portent of a nice, firm fizziness. The smoke flavor took pride of place and was undergirded by some biscuit, a tad of milk chocolate, and a smidge of stone fruit. Spicy hops kept everything in check. The medium-light body allowed for just the barest hint of sweetness.

On the finish, only a subtle sweetness and a gentle smokiness remained as the spicy-herbal hops kicked in. But this is not a particularly hoppy beer which meant there was just enough bitterness to balance the malt and add a modicum of dryness at the end.

I guess I'll have to give Art History another try because this was a very tasty beer. It had a good dose of fizz and the smoke was muscular but not deadly. Perhaps a bit more biscuit flavor next go round. At 4.9% this was not a potent brew but the smoke and the dark malt flavors had real autumnal vibes and made it a nice early fall treat - the canned on date was 10/8/2025.

Junk food pairing: Good Night Bamberg pairs well with another Chicago area favorite, Jays Hot Stuff potato chips. That smoky paprika taste just complements the dark & smoky flavors of the beer perfectly.

The Unbearable Sweetness of Ambers: R and J's Rowdy Raccoon by Young Blood Beer Co.

This is another brew that I first encountered sometime in the summer, I do believe, and got lost in the divorce shuffle. 

Young Blood Beer Co. is one of my least favorite breweries in Madison as their portfolio is 99.9% fruity this and pastry that. Reading their beer lists is like reading a menu that consists of nothing but Hawaiian Punch and Hostess snack cakes. There seems to be little more than gimmickry at work here of the most vicious kind.

"Fruit Punch Sour with Lemon, Passion Fruit, Orange & Guava"

"Fruit Punch Sour with Winter Melon, Passion Fruit, Orange & Guava"

blah blah blah

 

I found their helles to be tasty but pilsner-like and their smoked porter to be not bad. Despite never having considered going to their outpost on North Street despite not living far from it, I still try their beer tasting beers if I find something appealing at the liquor store and such was the case this past summer when I discovered that they had brewed a lager with my favorite grain, rye - R and J's Rowdy Raccoon.

 

For all the gimmicks Young Blood employs, this beer sure looked mighty fine. A loose tan head shrank while sitting atop several ounces of gorgeous beer. It was a beautiful amber hue and clear to boot. Many a bubble was to be seen inside the glass. Taking a whiff, my nose caught, disappointingly but not unexpectedly, caramel. Plus black pepper and grass. It reminded me a bit of Eliot Ness from Great Lakes.

 

While I do not seek to have the taste of caramel banished from beer, American brewers are almost unable to produce a brew that isn't yellow or black that isn't a Werther's candy in liquid form. It is weird. When I was in England back in September, I sampled a few amber ales and the caramel taste ranged from little to none. These were not sweet beers.

 

I don't know what English brewers and their maltsters do. Perhaps they take sacks of Maris Otter out to Stonehenge and perform some druidic voodoo on them, reading profane passages from a Barclay Perkins grimoire. Whatever diablerie they practice, English brewers manage to make amber ales that don't taste like candy.

 

So this stuff looked wonderful but had a prominent caramel aroma. But that didn't necessarily consign it to the candy bin. I hoped.

 

My first sip was fizzy heaven and then came the bready sweetness followed by caramel. Underneath those bubbles was a very smooth beer. It also had a savory/bready taste that I presumed was the rye. Oh, and there was a dash of cubeb or Grains of Paradise in there too.

 

The sweetness lingered on the finish but a modicum of spicy hops eventually crept in. Bitterness was medium and dryness a bit less.

 

Despite a near optimal level of fizziness, this beer was a bit too sweet. It never tasted cloying but I wished that it had leaned towards the breadier with less Werther's. Perhaps keeping it more on syrupy side kept the A.B.V. at a moderate 5.2%. The hops and rye were tasty, though.

 

Junk food pairing: This lager pairs well with pretzels, especially Snyder's Jalapeño Pieces. The spiciness tempers the sweetness of the beer and adds a complementary zing to the rye.

My refrigerator is full of beer

While down in Chicago's western suburbs last week, I went a bit overboard in my beer buying. I had a list of brews to seek out with Goldfinger's winter seasonal at the top of the list. It is a rye lager and I just could not resist. My stop at Binny's yielded nothing but I would not be denied. So I drove to the brewery one evening but they too were out. Thankfully I found some at Sal's Beverage Emporium or whatever it's called.

While Goldfinger was out of rye lager - not even a drop to be had on tap - they did have another brew suitable for winter, Bałtycki. Why yes it is a Baltic porter. 

I also found Rauchbier, my first ever brew from Art History, I do believe.

Old Irving Brewing is a new favorite of mine. While they brew IPAs that hold no interest for me, they do other styles more appealing to my tastes and do them well. I also think it helps that they are in a neighborhood near where I grew up.

Lastly, I grabbed a 4-pack of this Polish-style pilsner from Revolution in concert with Moor’s Brewing whom I'd never heard of until I saw this beer. A leftover from the summer, it was a mere $5.97.

A pilgrimage to Jack's Abby

On my recent trip to the Boston area I was able to get to Framingham and stop in at Jack's Abby, Massachusetts' premier all lager brewery.

They distributed here in Madison very briefly and I was left with no choice but to head east when their beers disappeared from store shelves. I saw only some of their core beers here, brews available year-round. It seemed to me that, in order to stand out, they should have featured some of their unique, limited run concoctions. But what do I know?

I cozied up to the bar, retrieved a beer menu, and was delighted to find not one but two rauchbiers! The first one that I tried was Fire in the Ham.

While not endowed with catchiest of names, it was excellent and just what I needed after my flights and hiking around Walden Pond for a few hours. This seemed to be their take on Schlenkerla's rauch Helles. It was pale and had that classic beechwood smoke taste with a nice, soft breadiness too. The lovely maltiness was balanced with just the right amount of Nobley hops.

The second one I had tried last year in Boston and was eager for more - Smoke & Dagger. This stuff is a dark lager with a dash of smoke. It tasted extra smooth this time, almost as if it were on nitro. A generous roasty taste was aided and abetted by a smoky accent. Delicious. 

While it would be really nice to have Jack's Abby's brews here in Madison, I rather like having to go to their homeland to enjoy them. It makes them special and gives me yet another thing to look forward to on my annual trips to Boston.

Rauchbier + Call of Chtulhu = a frighteningly great time

Last night it was Call of Cthulhu brought to you by Schlenkerla.

I shall be running The Mirror Collection at Gamehole Con and this was an initial run through. Overall, it went well, though I learned a couple things about plot progression for next time. And the rauchbier was excellent.

Oktoberfest season starts now

Seen yesterday, 25 June 2025:

Just in time for the summer solstice. Uff da! We're still 3 months out from Oktoberfest and horny deer running out in the middle of the road.

On the bright side, I tried this which I thought it was great.

A very fine blend of roasty and coffee flavors along with a little dark chocolate too. Nice green-spicy hops for balance. Light body - very reminiscent of a Schwarzbier. Highly recommended.

Pfäfflin, No: Summer Hopfenlager by Dovetail Brewery

I was quite surprised to run into this brew at my local bottle shop. The last time I was there I bought up their remaining stash of Dovetail's Rauchbier. On my way out, I stopped to ask the guy behind the counter what they'd be getting next from the venerable Chicago brewery and wouldn't it be nice if it was the Grodziskie. He replied that it would be a much less smoky brau, their Pils.

On a recent return visit I did indeed see the Pils in the cooler. But also this, Summer Hopfenlager, which is a hoppy lager for the lazy, hazy days of summer. While I might have run into mention of it at the Dovetail website, I had never seen it in the wild and so I grabbed a 4-pack. It wasn't until I got home that I actually read the label which noted traditional brewing methods - yay! - and modern hops - uff da! Oh boy. What was I getting into here?

The nouveau hops in the recipe were Vista and Strata. Strata rang a bell but Vista only registered bad memories of the much-maligned OS from Microsoft. While I knew that I'd have fruity flavors on my hands, I avoided researching them on the interwebs so as not to prejudice things or set any expectations. I wanted to drink this stuff and taste what I could taste instead of tasting what some hop dealer's webpage told me I should be tasting.

Beyond the hops, I wasn't sure what kind of brau we were looking at here. Was it their Old Country Helles given a New World hop makeover? Or perhaps it was more of a Landbier, some kind of bespoke lager brewed to accommodate a modern hopping regimen. Whatever it was to be, I expected a pale lager of some sort. And for my sins they gave me one.

Is it me or does the label have a Pet Sounds kind of thing going for it?

My tasting was done outside shortly after I had mowed the lawn which seemed wholly appropriate.

I think I did a heckuva job with my pour because I got a couple two tree fingers of firm, brilliant white foam and this stuff held out for a while so I managed to get some decent photographs. The brau was a hazy yellow and I spied a few bubbles here and there inside. On one hand, smelling grass in the aroma wasn't out of line as I had just mowed but I swear that this brew had a very traditional kind of smell to it: bread and grassy hops, in the main. Maybe a hint of fruitiness in there too but I thought I was smelling a Helles. Maybe the Strata and Vista were added to do more for flavor than aroma.

A light-medium body and a healthy dose of fizz greeted my tongue along with a luscious bready taste. Then came the New World hops. They were piney, at first, but also kept the grassy thing going. Fruitiness followed. It began as something like honeydew melon and became more strawberry-like on subsequent sips. While my tongue couldn't help avoid the fruit flavors, the beer didn't have a cloying resemblance to Hawaiian Punch or Froot Loops like a typical hazy IPA does for me. The fruity taste was more than an accent but less than the Kool Aid man running through a wall at me.

The piney-fruity hop combo lingered a bit on the finish with the malt bubbling beneath. Things turned towards the pine which left me with a moderate bitterness and a medium dryness.

I was not expecting the pine notes here and so I was a bit surprised at the West Coast kind of taste. At 4.5% A.B.V. this stuff is on the lighter side which befits a summer brew but there was still a rich malt flavor and enough hops to stand out but not overwhelm. It was hoppy but Dovetail wasn't trying to kill you with them. And for that, I thank them.

I enjoyed this brew and my notes say "very tasty". But one was enough for me. It was indeed refreshing and delicious but I had to find something else to follow it up. I suppose I should clarify and note that one was enough for me at that session, not in total. There's something about pine flavors paired with fruity ones that satiates me quickly. Citrus flavors are different as they're sharp and biting whereas strawberry and melon flavors from hops are really mellow and lack any kind of bite.

By no means do I regret trying this stuff. I enjoyed it one can at a time and found it to be a fine summer brau. And pine or not, it tasted damn good sitting outside after having put the mower away for another week.

Junk food pairing: Food pairing for beers with fruity hops is always difficult for me. I want something complementary yet to not go overboard with the fruit. I recommend pairing your Summer Hopfenlager with a bag of Rold Gold Flamin' Hot Honey Mustard pretzel twists.

Late spring brews

As the weather has gotten warmer, my beer choices have gotten heller.

It's been a long time since I've had Schell's. It seems like there are only a couple varieties on shelves here in Madison these days, unfortunately. But I'll take what I can get.

The folks at Weihenstephaner must decoct this stuff 3 or 4 times because it is Maillard Himmel. Simply delicious! I can only image how much more tasty it must be fresh from the Keller. 

Back to the woods: Oakriginal Lager by Goldfinger Brewing Co. & Revolution Brewing

Has it really been nine and a half years since I've had a wood aged beer, Heart of Oak by Leine's? Bourbon barrel aged brews don't count as I think the idea is to infuse your beer with a spirit rather than a strictly arboreal flavor. While I'm on the subject, kudos to Lakefront for Wendy, a doppelbock which utilized bourbon-soaked oak chips that imparted a more subtle bourbon taste that complemented rather than overwhelmed the beer.

Plain, unspirited/unwined barrel/wood aged beers are hard to come by. Even more rare than Rauchbier. It's not exactly a mega popular flavor and dealing with wood must be a pain. You don't want any microbial thingies on your chips, staves, logs or whatever that would give your brew an off taste. Wood is a major flavor in wine so why isn't it in beer? And, as barrel aging goes, why is oak so popular?

When I saw this wood aged beer sans bourbon, a collaboration between Goldfinger and Revolution, I just had to try it. Goldfinger is a great brewery that combines care and tradition to make very tasty lagers. While Revolution dances with many an IPA, they brew other beers more to my taste. For example, not only did they throw my favorite grain, rye, into a stout, they also put some neat Repo Man artwork on the label.

The Oakriginal can doesn't say exactly how this beer got its oak flavor. Was it aged in oak barrels? Were oak chips involved? Did the brewmasters head to the woods with Husqvarna in hand, cut down a random oak, and throw some of the resulting cordwood into the fermenter? Now that I look closer, I see that Creative Oak is listed on the label and this California company's website notes the work of their master coopers.

The can does note, though, that "single forest French oak" was used. If horizontal lagering tanks weren't enough, this is definitely getting into hoity-toity wine territory. French oak apparently has more tannins than American oak which perhaps explains its use in winemaking. In addition to bitterness, oak has a clovey, vanillay, and, well, woody taste. How will these flavors fare in a Helles?

My pour produced a big, white head that I could hear. The bubbles churned away in a micromaelstrom like they do in soda, my cat's pleading meows for dinner were barely heard above the din. As with any Helles, the beer was a lovely yellow but had a slight haze which I presume was protein whatever you call it as Goldfinger's lagers have always been clear as day as is conventional. Maybe something is imparted by wood that gives a touch of cloudiness. There were a few bubbles here and there inside. My first sniff caught a luscious bready scent followed by wood, and then grassy hops.

My first sip revealed a medium-light body with the perfect fizz. Those Maillard reactions done good as I tasted that precious toasty bread flavor along with those grassy hops. A fine Helles indeed. Then I tasted the oak underneath it all. It was rather mellow but it added a smoothness that took the edge off the hops a shade, I think. Plus I like the flavor of oak so it had that going for it as well.

On the finish, the malt and oak flavors had one final flourish and then quickly faded as the hops, now with a herbal, almost minty, taste, made things fairly dry and slightly less bitter.

Goldfinger makes great beers so I was totally unsurprised that this was a mighty tasty Helles. The oak was subtle but easily discernible and its taste accented the grain flavor very well. Same with the hops. The oak gave flavors unlike the ones hops do yet they played nicely together. An excellent brew.

Junk food pairing: Pair Oakriginal Lager with Jays Hot Stuff potato chips. Their earthy flavors complement the oak while the Helles with soothe the burn.

Brew Freunde: Bräu Buddies by Lakefront Brewery and Hofbräu München

I am trying to recall how I heard about Bräu Buddies. Either I read about it in Lakefront's newsletter or I stumbled upon it on one of my periodic strolls through their website checking on what the year-round pale lager is these days. East Side Dark and Riverwest Stein have stood the test of time, I suppose, while the pale lager spot seems to change every year or 2. (Probably less frequently, truth be told.) Klisch Pilsner, a Czech-style pilsner, which was, I believe, one of the brewery's first brews, went the way of the dodo. I think it was replaced by Lakefront Pils, a German-style pilsner. From there it gets murky.

Did Bierzeit, a wonderful Kölsch that seemed to be in the Lakefront line-up all-too briefly, come next? What a shame. I felt a bit spoiled for choice for a little while there between it and Kid Kölsch.

Did Lakefront Lager come next? A "Premium Lager", I avoided it because I associate those words with Miller/Bud clone type brews. The pale lager annual spot is now taken by Dive Beer which appears to be another Miller/Bud type American lager. Oof.

Looking at the list of beers no longer made at the Lakefront site, I feel sad that Cherry Lager and Holiday Spice are long gone. Wisconsinite was tasty; why did it have to die? Boo!

Oh well.

So somehow I stumbled upon the existence of Bräu Buddies, a collaboration between Lakefront and Hofbräu München. Described as a "rustic, German-style lager" and having been brewed with Melanoidin malts, I just had to try it. And so I snagged a six-pack.

Similar to my procrastination in taking notes for that hibiscus kombucha, I went through at least a six-pack before I ever busted out a pad of paper and pen. I was just too busy slaking my thirst. But eventually I did take some notes and took a photo or two.

The brew was light yellow to gold, depending on which part of the glass I was looking at. Clear as day and topped by a white head that lasted an average amount of time, I spied a few bubbles inside. It looked mighty purdy. A Helles? A Landbier? I dunno but I do know that the aroma was marvelous with a luscious breadiness no doubt from that Melanoidin malt while the hops gave a grassy scent.

Taking a sip, I was entranced the beer's medium-light body which held untold depths of toasty-bready-biscuity malt goodness. Not particularly sweet, the Maillard-inflected flavor was joined by grassy/herbal tasting hops. Not too strong but a bit more than enough to balance the malts. There are Saphir hops in here but I never caught anything fruity. Maybe something a little something floral in the aroma but I never tasted the tangerine that websites assure me are part of the Saphir flavor arsenal.

The breadiness lingered on the finish a bit while the hops, having taken on a more spicy note, gently faded in to add moderate bitterness and slightly less dryness.

This, this should be Lakefront's year-round pale lager. With its high melanoidin payload, Bräu Buddies hits the spot with a rich malt taste that I couldn't get enough of which explains why I've purchased multiple six-packs of it. I am feeling spoiled for choice again as this beer is a fine complement to New Glarus' Two Women, another rustic/country pale lager full of mouthwatering Maillard temptation.

Alas, I suspect Bräu Buddies' days are numbered and it will be consigned to the Lakefront Beer Graveyard before summer. What a bummer.

Junk food pairing: Bräu Buddies' label features a pretzel and this is a fine idea to accompany a can of the stuff. I suggest a bag of Rold Gold Selects Flamin’ Hot® Honey Mustard twists.

Sam Adams takes me to Funkytown

I recently sampled this brew:

1984 Pale Lager is a collaboration between the venerable Sam Adams, founded in 1984, and Funkytown Brewing, founded in 2021, the latter of which was wholly unfamiliar to me until I investigated on the interwebs.

Funkytown is a black-owned brewery in Chicago and this beer appears to be available only in Chicagoland.

The can notes that it was brewed with steam beer yeast along with a combo of Motueka and Tettnang hops. Motueka is a variety from New Zealand and they gave a citrus flavor to the brew that was lemon-lime, to my taste.

I thought it was good. The fruity flavors weren't overpowering and the result was a very refreshing brew on a hot spring day.

Since I'd never heard of Funkytown, I checked out their website. I was happy to see some nods to the brewery's hometown in beer names - Summertime Chi and Gym Shoe Weather. How about Dibs Doppelbock for a late winter seasonal? Bungalow Brown Ale?

I've got wood...

...aged beer.

This is tasty stuff. It's nice to see a helles(?) given a twist that doesn't involve fruity-tasting hops.

Another imperial pilsner

The imperial pilsner is having a micro-moment, it seems.

New Glarus recently released one and now Lake Louie has their own take.

A bit less potent than New Glarus', a rich, biscuity malt foundation sounds tasty.

Dan Carey's Imperial Period: Imperial Pilsner by New Glarus Brewing W/Dan Carey

Upon hearing that New Glarus was to release an imperial pilsner, my mind immediately said, "I've had one of those before!" and I recalled thinking that the ostensible pils was really just a helles bock given an "imperial" moniker for marketing cachet. Wasn't it from 3 Floyds? Then I recalled that Point had brewed one for their Whole Hog series but I never reviewed it. Going back through my blog, I realized it was, in fact, an imperial helles from Southern Tier that seemed to me better described as a helles bock.

I also discovered that Lakefront brewed an imperial pilsner as the 9th entry in their My Turn series, Pilo. Furthermore, Chicago's 5 Rabbit Cervecería brewed one as well called Super Pils. (R.I.P. 5 Rabbit.)

New Glarus' brewmaster, Dan Carey, discussed the beer on the latest episode of New Glarus Brewing Podcast W/Dan Carey which I listened to with great interest and, by the time it came for me to sample one, I had forgotten everything he said about it except that it wasn't a big version of their regular strength pilsner, Pilsner. The label doesn't say what variety pilsener this is an imperial take on, though. It does say, however, that there are German and Czech malts in the recipe along with a trio of German hops: Diamant, Hersbrucker, and Spalt.

While I still feel that imperial pilsners are just helles bocks trying to get above their raisin', I chose this brew over New Glarus' other new beer, Tailwagger, as it is spring, the season for pale bocks.

This has to be one of the few beers from New Glarus that has the A.B.V. on the label - 8.7%. Dan Carey is not a boastful man, from my experience, so maybe this was to alert consumers who might stumble across one of these thinking, "Oh look, a pilsner! Pilsners are light colored, easy going, highly quaffable beers with a reasonable amount of alcohol."

Imperial Pilsner is of a slightly darker yellow than your typical German pils yet not quite the golden color of a helles bock. There was a smattering of bubbles inside that floated up to the big head of pure white foam. The aroma was very pilsnery with cracker, bread, and hay/grass to be had.

My first sip had a medium dose of fizz to it and revealed a medium-heavy body, the first real sign of the imperial here. That variety of grains in the recipe yielded a rich bready flavor (after decoction) [Mmm...decoction...] along with some honeyed malt sweetness. My tongue was pleased to also taste a bit more than enough grassy-herbal hops to balance out the big malty taste. The bready sweetness lingered on the finish for a bit until the hops, having taken on a spicier flavor, really dried things out and gave a firm dose of bitterness.

My sampling began with Imperial Pilsner right out of the refrigerator. At the nice cold temperature, sweetness was moderated and this stuff went down easily, not unlike a regular pils. As the liquid warmed, the honeyed sweetness became stronger and the beer became more bock-like. I scrambled to down the stuff before it became cloying and soon enough I had an empty glass before me as my head buzzed. I also found that I was a bit peckish.

I suppose that it was the extra hops that gave this brew a pilsner quality to distinguish it from a run of the mill helles doppelbock and I really appreciated the extra bitterness they gave to the cause to counter all that malt and the very dry finish. And that bready malt flavor was simply savory and delicious.

Imperial Pilsner is a fine spring beer but go easy on it and/or share your can with a friend or loved one.

Junk food pairing: Pair your Imperial Pilsner with a bag of Herr's Carolina Reaper Cheese Curls. Actually, with this beer's potency, get multiple bags. They have a rich cheesy taste and the chili dust adds a firm, though not deadly, heat to complement the hearty hops.

The Camera Rye: Choice Rye Lager by Pipeworks Brewing Co.

The other day I had a conversation with a friend of mine about bread. We discussed the art and science of making it and both of us admitted to lacking the requisite abilities to make a good loaf of the Staff of Life. At one point I opined that rye bread is the tastiest and my friend agreed. Knowing that I had fellow ryeophile was heartening.

My love of the grain borders on the monomaniacal though I am developing a love for buckwheat. Regardless, I seek out rye bread and Gardetto's rye chips, was near ecstatic upon discovering that Origin Breads here in Madison offers a Sourdough Rye Dark Chocolate Brownie, and still lament years after the fact that Nabisco discontinued their rye Triscuits and that Snyder's did the same with their Pumpernickel & Onion pretzels. Plus I buy any beer with rye that isn't an IPA.

My M.O. was on full display back in January at the Binny's in Schaumburg - this was the stop where I found that Viking beer from Old Irving Brewing - when I spied Pipeworks' rye lager. What luck! A couple months previously at a Binny's I had found Phase Three's Rye Lager and then I find another. Gambrinus was truly smiling down upon me.

With two varieties of Rauchbier, a Helles, and that Pastrami on Rye beer with both rye and smoked malts, the venerable Chicago brewery was already a favorite but a rye lager put Pipeworks into my even gooder graces. They understand that beer is, metaphysically speaking, about fermenting sugars culled from grains and not about hops that taste like tropical fruits.

 

I really lucked out as I was able to capture the lovely off-white head that topped my glass in a photograph for a change. It sat atop the clear, amber liquid for a good while. A modicum of bubbles were to be seen inside. The aroma was positively delightful with the malts giving spicy, earthy rye and bready notes while the hops contributed green, hay-like smells. Either there was no canned/best by date on the can or there was one but in a cryptic code instead of a date but my guess is that my 4-pack was not old as this stuff just smelled fresh to my nose.

 

My first sip revealed a medium-light body with a healthy fizziness. The rye contributed its lovely earthy-spicy flavor while the barley had a cracker taste. I also detected a slight caramel sweetness. The hops seemed to add a peppery flavor. All the malt flavors lingered only briefly after swallowing as the spicy hops offered a medium level of bitterness and a fairly dry denouement.

 

For once we have some truth in advertising. Pipeworks wasn't lying when they named this beer "Choice" because this is one toothsome brew. The restrained sweetness allowed the piquant rye flavor to shine. And credit to the hops as well with their complementary spiciness that was the perfect balance to the grains and made for a refreshing finish to boot.

 

Junk food pairing: You can't go wrong by pairing this fine rye lager with a bag of Herr's Cheddar Horseradish potato chips and a tub of Helluva Good!'s Bacon Horseradish dip.

The ritual Maibock

I had my first Capital Maibock of the season over the weekend and it was tasty. As best as I can recall, this was the first microbrew I ever tasted ergo it will always have a special place in my liver and I endeavor to have some every spring.

The Rauch: Rauchbier by Dovetail

It's a shame that the Steve's Liquor out on Junction Road is on the far west side instead of the more fashionable east side where I live. This is because that store is a reliable source of the elixir that is rauchbier. They always have Schlenkerla's Helles available, if nothing else, and are happy to stock rauchbiers from whomever may distribute them to Madison and not just Schlenkerla. Last year I recall going in and finding they had a rather nice selection of Schlenkerla's smoky brews.

On a more recent stop, I found some of Dovetail's Rauchbier which only has to make the trip from Chicago and not across the ocean from Bamberg. (Though I didn't see the Fastenbier on my this visit. But, it's not too late as it's still Lent.) I tasted it several years ago when I took a trek out to Ravenswood and stopped in at the brewery. Sadly, I had never seen it on a Madison shelf until now and had somehow always missed it on my various stops at Binny's.

It has been the Mr. Snuffleupagus of brews. The Dovetail website declares it's Rauchbier season and the Binny's website says, "Oh yeah, we've got some." Yet it's nowhere to be seen when I am wandering the aisles. It's as if another rauchhead always buys that last 4-pack just before I walk in the door so I just miss it by mere seconds.

And thusly I was thrilled to see it here in Madison.

My recollection of having drunk it several years back does not extend beyond "Ooh! This stuff is amber and tasty." so there was this sense of tasting it for the first time all over again.

The big tan head of loose foam that topped my pour lasted a goodly amount of time so you are able to see it in my photograph. The beer was clear and had a deep amber hue. Lots of bubbles were to be seen inside. Oh mama, did I smell the smoke! Others seem to describe every rauchbier they encounter as smelling and tasting like bacon. Yet no one seems to describe smoked beef brisket as smelling or tasting like bacon. Who among us thinks smoked cheddar has any bacon-like qualities? Does anyone add smoked paprika to their food thinking it will add the aroma and flavor of bacon?

It's just this beer piety that most people accept and generally ends further attempts to really dig into what the malt is laying down for your palate.

Here the smokiness is distinctly unbaconlike and more akin to smoked Swiss cheese. There was also plum in the aroma as well as a herbal hoppiness.

This stuff had a really nice fizziness and a big dose of rauch caressed my tongue into a smoky bliss. I also tasted a bit of caramel, though this was not a particularly sweet brew, some mild stone fruit, and a bit of bread. Oh, and those herbal hops added a nice bit of balance.

The smokiness lingered on the finish a bit before a wave of hops came in to provide what I thought was a moderate bitterness and slightly more dryness. This is not a particularly hoppy beer but there was enough to balance all those malt flavors and I liked how they came in and washed the smoke away.

Sehr schön! The smoky taste was the star of the show here with a clean, sharp flavor not dulled by sweetness. My hypothesis is that sweetness makes for a heavier taste that mimics fat in some way and gives rise to comparisons to bacon. Without the sweetness, the smoke flavor is cleaner and more woody and leans towards the fuliginous.

And thus ends my hypothesizing for today.

But, in truth, I loved all the malty flavors, especially that bit of bread. I wouldn't have minded a little more hoppiness but, as it is, they offered balance and a nice herbal-spicy flavor. The bitterness was nice on the finish too. Just a great mix of flavors.

Junk food pairing: Bleu cheese is the perfect pairing for your Rauchbier and I recommend grabbing a bag of Buffalo Blue Cheese Combos. The spicy heat complements the hops while the creamy, earthy taste of the cheese brings out new, albeit subtle, dimensions to the smoke.