Beer-O-Vision was down at Mr. Goodbar Wednesday night for the Goodbeer Club- but not shooting. We needed to catch up on Episode 3, and also want to tape the segments for Episode 4 in advance of the Goodbeer Club shoot, so that when we put in that unifying piece, all the other spots can just be dropped in for the full show. The upside? I got to kick back, enjoy the tasting, and chat a bit with some fellow enthusiasts including guest host Bill Metzger (Publisher of the Great Lakes Brewing News) and Paul Madson, owner of Alternative Brews. The lineup was sterling as usual (thanks, Bill), and included a very special local beer on cask.
The night’s theme was beers from Michigan, an amenable peninsula whose craft brewing scene has really been in the spotlight lately. Bill shared with the crowd that one of the keys to the Wolverine state’s wide and high-quality selection of small-batch beers is that there is a lot of cooperation between the different breweries, and that the populace has really grasped the positive impact of the “drink local” mentality- as well as embracing the variety of styles and moods offered outside of the macrobrewing world. B-O-V road trip to MI? Definitely on the table.
The other aspect of the tasting selections was a focus on beers suited for summertime drinking. What’s the key here? You could certainly say broadly that summer beers tend to be lighter in color, lighter in body, and perhaps most importantly, lighter in alcohol, though there are always exceptions (and I know some people who like a good stout in the summer as much as anything.) The main aim, though, is to have a beer that isn’t overly complex or strong and thus, can be consumed with some volume as suits the season. So the night’s beers didn’t fly above 6% abv, in some ways an exception to the usual range down at the Goodbeer Club.
Three selections worth seeking—in other markets, unfortunately—are New Holland’s Lucid & Red Tulip, and Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn Dark. New Holland was available when I lived in Chicago, and I remember fondly their Mad Hatter IPA (which finished the night), but had no memory of or experience with the other two. Lucid (5.8% abv) is a kölsch-style beer, light gold in color and crystal clear, with a light malt aroma and slight Noble hop nose, a touch of floral/grassy notes. Taste was crisp and spritzy with only a touch of malt sweetness and a bright and identifiable bitterness. I’d had a Gaffel Kölsch from the bar before starting, and I thought the intensity of this beer really blew Gaffel away- which is harsh, since Gaffel is actually from Köln, and as such, is sort of a style benchmark. Freshness certainly does count.
New Holland’s Red Tulip (5.2% abv) contrasts well, in that it is a chewy, bready red beer, no light touch on the malt flavors here. The hops play a supporting role in this beer, contributing some bitterness underneath the malt. With its clear, copper appearance and foamy, slight beige head, this beer looks very approachable, tastes brash, and would soundly accompany another summer classic: the char-grilled burger.
Frankenmuth was a beer I was most especially interested to try because of a tie to Buffalo’s brewing history. Under economic pressure, the local Iroquois brewery, in 1950’s, joined forces with several other breweries to form Iroquois International, a mini-conglomerate. One of those other breweries was Frankenmuth, or at least the former Frankenmuth. As for this beer, I could find no trace of it online, but I gather that it is a beer made by Novi, Michigan’s Local Color Brewery for the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn in, that’s right, Frankenmuth. No matter, this beer poured dark, and I figured I knew the game immediately- a schwartzbier or otherwise called German dark lager. Saranac’s Black Forest is a regional version you may have had; in Wisconsin, Sprecher makes a mighty fine example. This style, though dark, is a lager and drinks far more like much lighter beer than a porter or a stout. I thought the Frankenmuth offering was a solid (though no-frills) take on the style.
The unannounced mystery beer turned out to be Flying Bison’s abbey-style dubbel, pulled from a cask. Coming in at 6%, this was our strongest beer, and perhaps the only one that didn’t quite roll with the summer theme, though that hardly mattered. It had a mid-brown hue with the creamy carbonation you get from a cask-conditioned beer: my mouth savored the viscosity. I found the aroma filled with yeast character, especially the phenolic notes, with a touch of Band-Aid odor for good measure. Balanced, the beer enveloped my tongue with a nice malt earthiness in harmony with mere hints of fig or other dark fruit, a breath of pepper, absent hop bitterness, and no alcohol flavor to speak of either- this is intentionally a little low in a.b.v. for the style.
I asked Tim Herzog about the beer, and he told me it was inspired by Chimay Red, and was brewed specifically for Mr. Goodbar’s Friday night cask series, though it will also be making an appearance at Ommegang’s huge Belgium Comes To Coopertown event next weekend. Tim also informed me that they had made a cask Witbier for Mr. Goodbar as well, so you might want to start hitting them on Friday nights- I know I do!
Of course, all this was followed, as usual, by Bobby’s sincerely awesome food. On this ocassion, we were treated to a very flavorful blackeye pea and collard green soup with ham, sumptious BBQ pulled-chicken sandwiches (served with a chayote and jicima slaw) and a fierce pineapple upside-down cake.
Oh yeah, if you’ve read this far, you wish you were there alright. Stop in next month—Aug 8th—so you don’t have to read all about it… and cry.
