I visited with Ashton Lewis and Trey Manning down at the Springfield Brewing Company on Wednesday evening, and Ashton took me through the brewery for a sneak peek at what to expect from their fine Mueller Steel tanks in the coming weeks.
First, I got to try a sample of their upcoming pilsner. Ashton informed me that one of the things they are trying to do in the near future is to update their menu of beers, particularly those that are on tap all the time. As Springfield’s taste for craft beer and Lupulin Threshold has increased, so has the demand for beers which are slightly “bigger” in flavor. To all you session drinkers: don’t worry. Ashton still intends to make all of the beers at SBC extremely drinkable, but he plans on changing the lineup to suit the change in peoples’ tastes.
On the potential list in the future is a pilsner which is currently lagering in their bright tanks, and which will be available for everyone in about three weeks. I got to taste a sample (it’s not quite finished and hasn’t been filtered, so the flavor will most likely be different), but from what I can tell, it’s on its way to being a clean, well-balanced pils. It’s a little hoppier than their current lager, but not as hoppy as your typical pilsner, so it will make an excellent lawnmower beer. Interestingly, this pils was dry-hopped with Saaz hops, which isn’t something you necessarily see or taste often.
Also making its debut in the next few weeks will be a schwartzbier, or black lager. Although it is not quite finished, I was surprised to taste some smoky flavors in it right now. Ashton expects they’ll diminish somewhat before it’s ready to serve, but I wouldn’t mind if they stuck around. The beer was good.
Within the next 2-3 weeks, SBC will have a Red IPA, which is actually making a return to the taps at the BrewCo. I didn’t get to taste this one yesterday, but I expect it will have a good clean flavor and will satisfy all of us hopheads.
Now, for the main event. The BrewCo will be releasing its 13th Anniversary Ale within the next two months (give or take). This beer is very special in that is has been aging for two and a half years in oak barrels. I did get to sample one version of this beer, but they are still fine-tuning the carbonation, so the sample I had was carbonated slightly lower than the final product. This beer is a sour beer, full of tart, acidic flavors. The flavor is primarily a mix of tart flavors associated with wild yeasts (usually referred to by fans as “vinegar,” “lactic,” and “horse blanket”, these flavors may not sound appetizing, but I can assure you that they make a delicious and complex beer if you like them). The oak starts out in the background, but emerges to balance out the flavors on your palate.
For those of you who know and love sour beers, this beer will please you very much, as it rivals some of the Belgian sour beers in complexity and flavor. If you’ve never had a sour beer but are interested in trying one out, you could do far worse than making this beer your first sour beer.
I should also note that they plan on bottling the Anniversary Ale in 375 mL bottles, which is perfect for one or two people.
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