The Very Long Trail Of Beer Adventures

Editor’s note: The never ending search for good tasting beer goes way back. In my case, the quest to find flavorful beer goes all the way back to the second half of the 1970’s (at least legally) when domestic beer was essentially lager brewed with rice and/or corn, which in the case of Schlitz, the disastrous use of anti-foaming agents made Budweiser the king of American beers.
In those days, with the delightful exception of spring American bock, flavorful beer was found in imported beer, although obtaining fresh examples from Europe was dubious at best.

Carlsberg then and now

Carlsberg brewery which often gets pooh-poohed from the beer expert crowd. Is now doing collaborative with Brooklyn Brewery. Long before its recognition as a global futbol brand  Carlsberg had a special place in American beer history, with its introduction of Carlsberg Elephant malt liquor (as it was called, addressing taxation concerns) was an early example of strong beer, although by today’s standard of strength, would be considered somewhat mild. But in those days, most beer was weak and watery. The Elephant, as it was commonly referred to, was in a class by itself. It was a beer my lost friend TA said he would serve to Hunter S. Thompson.

Before It was called fresh hop IPA

Sierra Nevada beers were rare anywhere east of the Mississippi river. When Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale first appeared in the Midwest, there was no reference of it being an IPA. It was just an extraordinary tasting ale. This was before hops became marketing drudgery.

Great tasting beer existed before anyone had the idea of saying the word “craft”

The fabulous recipe from Huber Brewing in Monroe, Wisconsin was a prime example of the Augsburger brand and their commitment to the German bock tradition. Education was sparse, to say the least, concerning beer in those days, with many folks still believing that bock was created by cleaning out the vats. Augsburger countered this misinformation by printing up a bock marker explaining the Einbeck roots of the style, placed inside each six pack.

Imported, no Transported to Another World

I recall my friend Gary, who in those days was strictly a Bud man, preferring the can to the bottle. He had a nice deli sandwich he was about to eat and he poured the weissbier into a ceramic mug. He took a healthy quaff and developed a new found expression on his face. One I had never seen before: a moment of surprised delight. Can one beer experience change your reality? Well all I can say that Gary, the hard working Bud man, 10 years later was ordering for Christmas, a half barrel of August Schell Cherry Bock, their holiday Blizzard/Snow Storm recipe that year.
Prost!

In The Tradition Of Hellesbock

From Fort Collins, Colorado and the brewery named for that geographic location, comes this traditional hellesbock, a slightly tawny golden pour that stays true to the Maibock tradition, presenting an accomplished, tasty, malty brew, true to its Germanic heritage.
A very drinkable bock, although its 7.6% abv strength is not something to easily dismiss. Like many great Hellesbocks, this one has the nectar-like quality so often associated with this style. Odd that it appears at the beginning of bock season, although I have no way of knowing when exactly it was brewed. No matter. This is a delicious malty beer. It reminds me of the first time I tried Hacker-Pschorr Maibock, so long ago. The malty nose on this might be considered primal. Before hop obsessed beers became vogue, this harkens back to a time when substantial malt presentations were not something to be taken for granted. Which is a pleasant surprise: that a small brewery in Colorado adheres to a traditional recipe style, with such graceful panache.
This beer was very pleasant to drink. Unlike some samplings which are much more of a chore. It is always fun to discover a recipe that was worthy of an investigation. Cheers!