Playin' With Your Beer: An Exclusive Interview With Adam, Creator of Brewin' USA

Our team got an opportunity to sit down with Adam Rehberg, the maker of Brewin' USA board game.  Before we get into the interview be sure to check out his Kickstarter effort and help get this game published.  Also be sure to check out his website here!

Q:   Hey Adam, thanks for sitting down with us.  So before we begin talking about your game, tell me about the last memorable beer you drank?

A:  Every home brew really tends to be a memorable beer experience for me and the last one I brewed and drank was pumpkin ale brewed this fall.  This particular home brew didn't turn out as well as I had hoped but there is something about putting the time into the brewing process that always makes it memorable.  This pumpkin ale was brewed together with my wife and it was one of the first times we brewed together.  Of course the beer choice was hers.  This pumpkin ale mysteriously made it to the Christmas season and ended up in a White Elephant party where somebody was actually very enthusiastic to get a home brew as a gift.

Q.  Do you have any favorite Minnesota Beers that come to mind?

A:  My favorite Minnesota beer has to go to Surly Furious.  It's pretty widely distributed in the area but is a very balanced IPA in my opinion perfect for the dining or drinking experience in almost any occasion.

Q.  So you decided to come up with a Craft Beer Board Game?  Can you tell us a little bit about it?

A:  Brewin' USA is a game that is all about craft beer in the USA where the player goal is to become the best brewery in the nation.  The player will need to compete over obtaining ingredients so they can brew and launch their beer and then again compete over market demand in the US.  The game uses thematic beer bottle caps and "Beer coaster" inspired game tiles as components which is very unique in the board game space.  I am also partnering with local and national craft breweries to be part of the game with their logo and beer names as artwork.  Brewin' USA is game designed for the hobby game space, but has theme and components that are more approachable than most hobby games.

Q.  What was the inspiration behind the game?

A:  The inspiration behind the game actually came with the thought of hanging out with friends and drinking a craft beer and then adding the bottle cap as part of the playing pieces.  The bottle caps as game components stuck as a worthy idea but the concept of drinking to play quickly departed from the hobby gaming design space I intended to target.

Q.  What was the most challenging part of designing a game?

A:  The most challenging part of designing a game is literally when to know a game is complete.  Through the Kickstarter community and working with Breweries, I have been challenged to stretch and mold the game design to fit new ideas and be true to the theme as possible.  This has been a huge benefit as well as a challenge though because people show great appreciation when you listen to feedback and strive to make the best game possible as the number one goal.  Starting out designing games there is obviously a learning curve that people will go through but knowing when to stop adding or subtracting features and when the product is finished is the largest challenge in my opinion.

Q:  What is the premise of the game?

A:  [Taken from an official release document]:  You are an Entrepreneur at the inception of the Craft Beer revolution. Your goal is to become the best Microbrewery in the USA but competition is fierce. You will need to win Key Ingredients to brew your product line of Craft Beer. To become the best Microbrewery in the nation, your beer will need to control Local and Regional markets fending off any competition with the infamaous Brewfest.

Q.  Any memorable stories from the play testing groups?

A:  The most memorable stories from play testing groups are always when something broken is uncovered or the game play emerges to a new idea or play style.  I remember one specific game where there was a Brewfest with 23 Market Demand Bottle Caps (Victory points) at stake in the final play and somebody swooped in with a special additive on a beer and swapped 23 Market Demand Bottle Caps with a stack of 2 resulting in a massive catch-up play.  As the designer of a game, having the potential for this play is fun and exciting to the winner and cruel or unfair to the losers so setting up systems that put a maximum on unfairness become critical to the balance perceived by others.

Q.  How do you think your game will impact the craft beer industry?

A:  I would be thrilled if the craft beer industry sets Brewin' USA in their taprooms for both craft beer enthusiasts and gamers to enjoy.  I also think that the international Kickstarter platform gives some really unique marketing potential for Craft Breweries to get some exposure in new territory.  It won't be massive, but the better the game is the more lasting it will be.

Q.  So what are the next steps for you, and when can we expect to see your game on shelves?

A:  The next steps from me are to be [laser] focused with designing a quality product to Kickstarter backers for Brewin' USA.  The project is funded, but there is still a lot of work to do throughout the entire process.  I will also look for new opportunity to expand on the Brewin' USA property if the demand exists as well as pursue new and exciting board game projects in the future.  Game design is still a hobby and a passion but is quickly turning into something more than that with great support from the Craft Beer industry and Kickstarter backers.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Adam!  We look forward to seeing your project get published, and good luck with the Kickstarter!  PROST!

How To Talk Like A Beer Geek: Tiny Bubbles!

Today let’s talk tiny bubbles! There are several different means of carbonating beer. Knowing the difference is pretty important as the different ways of carbonating beer can affect your beer drinking experience a TON.


First up, NITRO! We’ve all seen on tap lists a beer we have drank before, but it is listed as “on nitro”. What this means is that the beer is carbonated with a mixture of around 70% nitrogen and 30% carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of just straight CO2. The result is a cascading look to the beer as it is settling and a much creamier beer with a thicker mouthfeel as opposed to the usual sharper carbonation found in most beers. Nitro was typically used just on stouts, but now is also used on IPAs and some Scotch Ales. Give it a try, especially with a good stout!

Next up let’s do a two-fer! BOTTLE CONDITIONED and FORCED CARBONATION. These are two ways that brewers carbonate beer. Forced carbonation is exactly like it sounds. CO2 is artificially forced into a beer vessel which causes the CO2 to be absorbed into the beer. Bottle conditioned on the other hand is more of a natural process. The beer is bottled often with a sugar to feed the viable yeast still in the beer. The yeast eats the sugar and gives off CO2 as a byproduct. Since the bottle is capped, the CO2 can’t escape. As pressure builds up, the only place for the CO2 to go is back into the beer. BOOM! Carbonation!

The final bubbly term is actually not so bubbly, HAND PUMP. A hand pump is a manual means of getting beer into your glass. These are fairly rare as it is a pretty old school way of doing things. Normally it will be some sort of specialty beer that is on a hand pump. The result is a pretty much flat beer, and often not very cold. I have had two beers from two different places from a hand pump. Honestly, not my thing and I probably won’t be giving this a third try. It is a neat novelty, but I like my beer good and carbed up!

There you go, all you need to know about bubbles and the ways they get into beer. Time to go take those fancy tap lists by storm!

The Pint Report: Say What?!? Craft Beer From Kalona Brewing, IA

A lifetime a go my friends and I were road tripping on our way home from Missouri through East Iowa.  We stumbled through a small Amish community called Kalona, IA.  They had a fantastic cheese shop.  Fast forward to  2014 and my friend and I once again found ourselves road tripping through Kalona, but this time for a fantastic brewery.

 

Now I have been in a brewery our two, so when I saw the small town of Kalona, and immediate picture came into my head.  A small brewery in a space equivalent of my garage.  Not that there is anything wrong with that!  Great beers can be brewed anywhere, this is just my mental image strolling into town.  Imagine my surprise when I walked into one of the most modern, most state of the art, and one of the cleanest breweries I have EVER walked into.  We were warmly greeted by Head Brewer and Co-Owner Lew, and Marketing Director Nic. 

After a great podcast, our excited, and gracious, hosts left us with a few presents.  Among them were a couple of Mini-Growlers, one of Say What Saison, and You Be You Imperial Stout.  Here are my Mini-Reviews of these two GREAT Iowan Craft Beer Offerings:

Say What Saison:  This golden reddish beer maintained its carbonation well in the Mini-Growler.  This beer has that great hay/straw like flavors followed by a light peppery taste.  There were noticeable fruity notes.  It had a very thick mouthfeel compared to other Saisons I have had, but not by much.  It left lingering sharp bitter, banana, and clove notes in the aftertaste.  These final flavors intensify as the beer warms up.  Rating:  ** (Very Good).  Recommendation:  If you love Saisons you need to try this beer.  It rivals all but a few Saisons brewed in Minnesota.

You Be You Imperial Stout:  Another beer that held up in the Mini-Growler.  This beer poured inky black, I mean “LET NO LIGHT ESCAPE” inky.  This beer had plenty of carbonation for its high ABV and imperial status.  It poured a thick foamy nut brown head.  Your nose is immediately inundated with a milky chocolate aroma.  This beer had a very thick mouthfeel and warms your senses with a heavy coating of dark chocolate notes.  Very bitter/sweet.  No lingering aftertaste, and finished very clean.  The best part is that the lack of alcohol taste you get with high ABV stouts like this one.  Rating:  ****(Superb).  Recommendation:  This is THE PERFECT beer to sip in winter in front of the fireplace.  It’s warm, inviting, comforting, so forth and on forth.  This is a perfect example of an Imperial Stout!

If you want to learn more about Kalona be sure to check out our Podcasts show:

That’s all for now!  Prost!

How To Talk Like A Beer Geek - Go Strong!

Today on How to Talk Like a Beer Geek we go STRONG with our beer terms! Let’s crank this thing up to 11% and get started!

The first term is IMPERIAL. This has nothing to do with Kings and Queens... Well, maybe back in the day it did, nor does this have anything to do with the Costa Rican beer by the same name. An Imperial is a version of a beer style that has a much higher Alcohol By Volume than the original beer style. This is why Imperial beers are usually always served in a smaller glass.... They are just trying to save you from yourself!

An example would be a Stout vs. an Imperial Stout. An average Stout will be in the 5%-6% A.B.V. range where an Imperial Stout could have anything up near 9% and even higher A.B.V. A good but obviously a bit rough rule of thumb is that an Imperial will be close to double the A.B.V..... Which leads us to our next beer term!


The next beer term is DOUBLE (Note: not Dubbel... although...well...we will cover that another day). This basically means the same thing as Imperial in the beer world. This term is much more common with IPAs that have the higher A.B.V. Basically, an Imperial IPA would be a Double IPA... Get it? IIPA... Two “I”s... Double I... PA... ok, I’m done, sorry about that. Double IPAs can also be a bit hoppier than a normal IPA.

The final beer geek term is TRIPLE (Again, please note: Triple, not Trippel. Again another day). This again just means a bigger A.B.V. beer (much bigger) but there is a hitch included in this one. Triple can also mean that the higher A.B.V. beer has a higher bitterness as well. Like a Triple IPA. It will have higher A.B.V. and higher bitterness to it. These aren’t super prevalent, but they are out there. If you are going to try some Triple IPAs, be ready for a solid buzz and a hop-puckered mouth!

Imperials, Doubles, and Triples can be damn delicious! But now that you know the terms, you can tread lightly so you don’t end up like Drinky Crow all hunched over in the corner with Xs over your eyes!





How to Talk Like a Beer Geek: All About the Hops!

Welcome to the latest installment of How to Talk Like a Beer Geek. Today, it’s all about the hops! Whether you like super hoppy beers or malty beers with very little hoppy flavors, hops are a major player in every beer. Just ask the Reinheitsgebot! Ummm... Yeah, we will get to the Reinheitsgebot another time.... for now, let’s get HOPPY!

The first term for today is NOBLE HOPS. There are four noble hops out there; Saaz, Tettnanger, Spalt, and Halltertua. These hops all have low bitterness and are hops with lots of aroma. Some specific beers must be brewed with these noble hops to be considered “genuine” for their beer style. Also, lots of people will tell you that to be considered true noble hops these hops must be grown in a specific region. This whole noble hops thing sounds a bit stuffy to me and elitist, but we gotta know the terms so we can scream out our beer geekiness!

The next hop term is FRESH HOPPED/WET HOPPED. These terms mean the same thing. Basically it is using hops in a beer that have been very recently picked and have yet to be dried out. This brings different levels of oils in the hops to the beer and really can make a hug difference in a beer, even from using the same hops but ones that have been dried out. You see fresh/wet hopped beers seasonally around fall each year after the hops have been harvested.

The final term for today before we... ummm... hop outta here... is DRY HOPPED. No, this isn’t what your neighbor’s dog is trying to do to your leg, but rather dry hopping a beer is the brewing practice of adding hops to a beer after the boil. Usually hops are added at different stages during the boil, depending on if the hops are used for aroma or bitterness. But dry hopping again will give different flavors and aromas than a beer that is just hopped during the boil. It’s all about getting different stuff out of the same ingredient by using it in a different way!

So there you go! A few hoppy beer geek terms for all you hop heads out there. Now, hop on over to your local tap room, have a beer, and talk hops!

3 Growlers Craft Beer Show: Third Street Jack'd Up Autumn Ale

3 Growlers: Paulaner's Oktoberfest

Check out our latest episode of 3 Growlers as we sample and review Paulaner's Oktoberfest:

Brewing Goes Mobile: Fiz - The Brewery Management Game

Perhaps a couple of you knew me from before my time at Beerploma, when I was an aspiring video game reviewer and journalist. In the 6-7 years I spent writing about games, ranging from AAA titles on the console, to mobile indie titles so obscure, I don't even remember the titles, I came across a lot of unique stuff. But nothing quite as unique as the game Fiz: The Brewery Management Game. I actually reviewed for the last site I worked for, but wanted to revisit this title again, to expose it to my new beer drinking audience. You can read that review here.

Fiz, as the subtitle of the name suggests, is a brewery simulation game. While this may conjure images of some big complex game, it is actually a pretty simplistic and entertaining experience which works perfectly with mobile devices.  This seemingly simple concept, managing a brewery, actually is chock full of challenges and lots of different twists and turns.

While you probably won't become the next Surly or Boom Island Brewery, there is a lot of elements used in this game that any beer nerd, especially those versed in the art of crafting beer, will be able to appreciate.  Ingredients used in the making of the various brews are mostly real world ingredients; there are some fictional elements added in, but mostly for stat boosting or to improve the batch of beer.  The beer styles featured in this game will be familiar to all beer geeks, and does feature a great selection of styles. From Dunkles to IPAs, Irish Red Ales to Barleywines, Fiz offers so many choices to brew.

Another interesting thing this game does is put a focus on not only what you brew, but where you sell your tasty products.  Some bars cater to more German styles for example, while others are pretty sold on IPAs.  Some places even prefer your adjunct lagers to anything else.  Adding this in, gives this game a challenge, rather than just having players brew beers all willy nilly.

If you're looking for a mobile game that won't nickle and dime you every 10 seconds (Candy Crush anyone?) and still keeps you entertained and wanting to come back for more, consider grabbing Fiz today.  This was one of my favorite mobile games I've ever played, and I've even gotten a couple of the other staff here at Beerploma hooked on it well.

Get Fiz on Google Play for Android

Get Fiz on the iTunes App Store for Apple 

Recap of the 2014 Autumn Brew Review

Photo courtesy of Allegra Smisek

The 2014 Autumn Brew Review took place on Saturday at the historic Grain Belt Brewery complex in Minneapolis.  The weather was warm, the craft beer drinkers were out in force and the breweries all brought their A-games.  I had lofty goals of getting out and trying all the beers that I highlighted in the program.  I even made a spreadsheet.  I know that some of you office monkeys who are reading this are thinking that you make spreadsheets every day, but I don't even make my bed, so a spreadsheet is definitely next-level stuff.

My plan was to focus on the MN breweries and then maybe hit some of the other ones if they had something really intriguing or special on tap.  As with all plans, sometimes one veers off-script and changes some things up.  I didn't make it even two-thirds of the way through my spreadsheet, but it was not for lack of trying.  I was not side-tracked by what typically plagues fest-goers; getting separated from the group then spending way too much time trying to find them or waiting in a line for that incredibly rare beer that everyone and their brother has been talking about.  Instead, I found myself spending more time talking to the people pouring the beers and really inquiring about what they had.  As a result, the time absolutely flew by and I have less beers to talk about for this review.  However, I came away understanding a lot more about what festivals should be about.  I immersed myself in the camaraderie and symbiotic relationship between those that market and create beer and those who talk and imbibe this wonderful creation we call craft beer.  

The first beer that really wowed me was something that I had not had before.  I don't know if it was the higher than fall-like temperature or the fact that I was wearing a prototype of a Nicaraguan designed Spankx for men, but I was in the mood for an IPA.  The Brau Brothers Smash Simcoe IPA was just what the doctor ordered.  I feel that sometimes, a brewer can really show their mettle when they use fewer types of hops or malt in a beer.  That way, the particular hop is front and center and the flavor is deftly on display.  Of course, that gives very little room for error and anyone with a decent palate will be able to tell if the brewer missed their mark.  This fine beer accomplished everything one would want in an IPA.  It had citrus notes and was incredibly refreshing, while at the some time, showcasing the Simcoe hop.  The program indicated that it is a taproom exclusive so maybe the next time you feel like a beer trip, maybe set your coordinates for Brau Brothers and try this along with many of their other great beers.

The next new beer I had set my sights on hailed from up north at Bemidji Brewing Company.  They had several good selections, but the one the piqued my interest was their special release of an Espresso Porter.  This beer was very much coffee forward, but where some might worry about the coffee taking over, I felt that it was just right.  Dark like the soul of someone who goes around literally taking candy from babies, this beer looked and smelled like every porter I have ever written about in my diary.  I would tell you to head up to Bemidji based on this beer alone, but they had several other offerings that made me excited to make the trip up there sometime in the not too distant future.  

I spent a lot of time in this corridor of MN breweries

Not every brewery was new for me.  There is always the excitement about the tried and true breweries that never disappoint.  I will be the first to admit that there was a time when I would see Summit on a menu and think, "Summit EPA is good, but I want something different."  Those days are long-gone.  Summit has upped their game in the last couple years and they are now releasing so many beers that make you think critically about what you are putting into your proper glassware.  Last year, Summit brewed their Rebellion Stout, and it was on the shelves for about as long as one can stand listening to Kim Kardashian speak.  This beer was on tap at some of the fine beer bars in the cities and I remember really wishing that I had been able to get my hands on more than just a six-pack of it.  The complexity and depth of flavor when the beer was fresh put it into a class by itself.  I remember listening to Damian McConn tell our BBSU class that this beer would be even better if one had the self-discipline to let it cellar for a while.  Well, I drank all of mine and I am glad that Summit has folks who understand how to stave off the siren call of a great stout because they released this beer midway through the fest and it made me very happy to be there.  Time has rounded out some of the flavors of this beer and while I didn't feel like the dryness was as sharp in this beer after being aged, some of the the other flavors were allowed to come to the forefront making it a very special drinking experience.  

Some other notable beers I tried came from Bent Paddle(Best of the Fest Award winner for their Double Shot Double Black), Surly(Winner of the best brewery and best display award), Bent Brewstillery, Tin Whiskers Brewing Co., Fargo Brewing Company, August Schell Brewing Co., BauHaus Brew Labs, Lakefront Brewery, Inc., Blacklist Artisan Ales, and Hammerheart Brewing Co.



I am curious what your favorite beers were from the Autumn Brew Review.  Tweet us @beerploma and let us know what you thought of the festival and the myriad of beer offerings.  What were your favorites?  ABR being one of the better festivals that happens in MN, I know that there were many people enjoying what our beer scene has to showcase.  Now, the bittersweet reality is setting in that I have to wait a whole year to do this again and, perhaps more depressing, I have to find a way to get out of these Nicaraguan Spanx.  

Cooking With Craft Beer: Bittersweet Chocolate and Stout Ice Cream

Here is the recipe that we used on the 3 Growlers show for Bittersweet Chocolate and Stout Ice Cream:

This recipe was found on Allrecipes.com here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bittersweet-Chocolate-and-Stout-Beer-Ice-Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 Pint Heavy Cream
• 1 Package of Chocolate Chips (we used semi-sweet)
• 3/4 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Pint of Local Stout (We used Big Wood's Morning Wood)
• Any additional topping (nuts, whip cream, etc, we don't recommend any more chocolate, it's pretty rich at this point)

 Directions:

1. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and sugar until melted. Slowly stir in the stout beer. Cover and refrigerate until completely cooled.
2. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Transfer ice cream to a two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Watch our 3 Growlers Episode to watch us make the ice cream:

Brews and Reviews: Lucid Brewery's ORA

It's fall, which means it's time for Pumpkin in just about any beer that isn't labeled as a Oktoberfest. However, that doesn't mean that those are the only types of beer that exist in the "good" section of the beer aisle.  There's also the sometimes-ignored, but quite plentiful Amber Ale.

ORA, a fall seasonal variety from Lucid Brewery, found my lips after a recent stop to JL Beers in NE Minneapolis.  The beer was a nice darkish red brew that went perfect with my burger and fries, but would've been even better suited for a Minnesota fall night with friends.  It's a great beer that tastes of fall, and feels of hearty warmth.  In other words, it is the Midwest in a glass.

People drinking this will notice it goes down quite smooth.  Some other reviews have even compared the drinkability of ORA to that of a soda, which I can to a point agree with.  It tastes a bit on the sweet side, but smooth enough to not be over powering to the casual beer drinker.  Consumers will find hints of caramel, cherry, herbs and smoky flavor; tastes perfect for the fall days to come. There's even a Pumpkin flavored variety, though the pint I had wasn't christened with the aroma found in Lattes or store-made cookies.

God my webcam sucks.

ORA is not a particularly potent beer; a 6.5% ABV with a 30 IBU.  It was still surprising to me that JL Beers listed it in the "Lighter" beers section of their beer menu.  It definitely drinks on the lighter side, though when taking into account mouth feel and appearance, hardly seemed comparable to a Coors Light or Surly Hell, which were also in the same section.

This particular brew has probably one of the smoothest feels I've ever had with an Amber Ale. It goes down like a lighter beer would, but still boasts a flavorful taste.  ORA does lack a bit on the carbonation, however.  As you can see from the picture above, the head on this brew doesn't stick around for long. After getting through much of the drink, it begins to lose its carbonation altogether.  Nursing this beer may lead to an entirely different taste altogether.

It's easy to write off ORA as just another un-impressive Amber Ale. But it's almost silky smooth mouth feel coupled with just enough smoky flavor gives this beer enough individuality, that ignoring it for at least a pint would be a sin. If your empty hand needs a nice cold brew to accompany you by that fall bonfire, Lucid's ORA would be a great choice. You can save the Pumpkin flavoring for that Thanksgiving pie.

Brews and Reviews: Bent Brewstillery's El Guerrero

This area is traditionally known for its abundance of lakes, summers that go by way to quickly and larger-than-life icons like Paul Bunyan and Snoopy.  However, lately there is something else happening and it is threatening to change what people typically associate with Minnesota.  Breweries are opening right and left, and with that boom, we are deluged with some delicious and unique imbibing options.  

Photo courtesy of bentbrewstillery.com

Bent Brewstillery’s selection of unique and complex beers are amazing additions to a landscape of libations that is growing both in breadth and depth.  Their fall seasonal, El Guerrero, a Chilean Double Stout, is out and definitely worth a try.  This special beer is brewed with honey, guava and merken, a Chilean pepper spice that has been used in gourmet cuisine for hundreds of years.  In the taproom, it is served on Nitro and it is also available in 750 ML bottles.  

This beer has a lot going on starting with the opaque color.  El Guerrero pours thick and the cascades culminate in a thick and creamy quarter-inch head that is light caramel in color.  The aroma of the beer is rich and chocolaty with subtle hints of coffee, merken spice and boozy goodness.  

While the look and smell of this beer are intriguing, it is the taste where this beer climbs into a class of its own.  At first, you are greeted with the roasted malt and coffee notes which leads nicely into an alcohol flavor that smooths into a rich chocolaty finish.  The thing that really balances this beer out and makes it something special is the gradual building heat from the merken spice.  It pleasantly builds at the back of the tongue and is never to the point of overtaking all the other flavor subtleties that are happening in El Guerrero.   The sweet notes from the chocolate and honey are balanced deftly with the Merken spice, roasted malt and coffee.  As it warms, the flavors and spice of the beer are all elevated and it leaves the drinker to do nothing but wonder how a single beer could have so many things happening.

El Guerrero’s mouth feel is velvety at first and finishes slightly dry from the heat of the pepper.  The dryness from the heat and the smoothness from the booze make this also a key factor in the beer’s overall balance.  If you enjoy a big body to your stout, this beer does not disappoint.

This beer is versatile and could be paired with the bold flavors of smoked meats such as brisket or ribs.  It would also marry well with a very good steak or blackened chicken.  If you wanted to pair it with a dessert, think ice cream or a decadent chocolate dessert like a cake or high-end dark chocolate.  

Bent Brewstillery prides itself on being unique and this beer is a terrific representation of that vision.  There is nothing quite like El Guerrero in this market and it is a welcome addition to the ever-growing portfolio of wonderful beers that Minnesota’s craft brewers have to offer.  

Brews and Reviews: Schells Brewing Company's Arminius

Arminius, known to many of the citizens of New Ulm as Hermann the German, was a Germanic chieftain who united many other tribes to hold back Roman forces in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.  While eventually defeated by the Romans, his legacy and symbolism lead to the unification of many Germanic tribes, and his enduring spirit would go on to become a symbol of Germanic nationality.

His name and likeness, as depicted on the statue that lies in the hometown of the Schells Brewery, also adorn the cans of Shell's latest beer, Arminius.  This beer uses a unique blend of American hops, as well as French and German, assumably from regions near where Hermann the German carved his name into history.

This beer also symbolizes a rather unique shift in the mindset of Shells Brewery.  The New Ulm staple, until recently, has not been known for hoppy beers.  Rather, they've been more likely to stick with the typical German inspired beers, such as Pilsners, Goses, Bocks, Hefes and others.  However, a recent change in marketing, most likely influenced by the surge of hoppy beers in Minnesota, coupled with the national popularity of more experimental beers, has Schells living up to its slogan of "We are German Craft Beer". Arminius now being their hoppiest staple beer, will be brewed year round according to its website.

The can says right on it "Hoppy Pale Lager", which immediately scares off some consumers. Minnesotan Craft Beer fanatics will instantly think of beers in the Surly line, for example, which usually scream of hops, becoming something that is vastly popular, but only among select crowds. With Arminius, Schell's has found a way to create a hoppy beer, without it ransacking your mouth with that overwhelming "perfume" taste.

Arminius has a little bit of everything -  hints of floral and citrus flavors, a level amount of carbonation translating into a mouthfeel suitable for most beer drinkers,  and a crisp and clean flavor that still contains just the right amount of hops that even consumers on the fence could enjoy.  Truly, Arminius is a remarkable beer made for everyone.

Photo courtesy of Schell's Brewing Company

The fact that Arminius has a high 70 IBUs and bears  the inscription of "Hoppy Pale Lager" it would be easy to cast this beer off as just another over-the-top overly-hoppy brew. However, though Schell's is a traditional German craft beer maker, with Arminius, they've proven they can think outside of the box. In fact, they may have beaten the hop head breweries at their own game.  Hoppy Pale Lager is probably a terrible way to describe this beer -- it has a clean and crisp taste, without the intense off-putting sensation that comes with many hoppy brews. Call it what you will, but this brew should become a staple in any self respecting beer fan’s rotation.

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