Grand Teton unveils springtime beer

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

By Ben Cannon

Now available on some area taps and coming next week to those one-liter bottles with a swing-top lid that can sometimes be opened with one finger, Grand Teton Brewing Co. (GTBC) is putting out Mammoth Maibock, the latest in its “Cellar Reserve” series.

Traditionally, a bock is a strong lager produced in Germany. There is uncertainty among linguists and beer historians alike as to where the word came from. “Bock” means goat in German, and Einbock — later shortened to “bock” — is a Bavarian derivative of Einbeck, a medieval town in northern Germany sometimes called the “City of Beer.”

The scholars at GTBC state that “some say bocks are brewed for the season of Capricorn … others say simply that the beer has the kick of a goat.”

However, Chuck Nowicki — the microbrewery’s sales manager — and GTBC like to credit “the originators of the style, the people of Einbeck” who first produced the beers in the 14th and 15th centuries.

The Maibock then, was a pale bock brewed to go along with the pageantry and traditions of May (“Mai,” in German) festivals, which have occurred around Germany for centuries, and have origins in both Pagan and Christian rituals.

The GTBC’s incarnation of a Maibock, they claim, is “squarely in the Einbeck tradition.”

They use German Hallertau hops and ferment with a lager yeast from an old monastery brewery located near Munich. The brew ferments for over two months and is conditioned in bottles and casks. In beer making terms, conditioning is an aging process wherein carbonation is produced naturally and flavors begin to mellow with age.

Unlike many other true microbrews, the bottled Maibock produced by GTBC has a fairly lengthy shelf life — if properly stored.

“Maibock is not as heavy as more traditional winter beers,” said Nowicki.  “It’s dry and sweet on the pallet.”  

The beer is 6.8 percent alcohol by volume and GTBC recommends it as an aperitif “to stimulate the taste buds,” or for pairing with fish like trout or salmon.

The seasonal brew will be available in both Teton Counties, and can be found on tap now at Royal Wolf in Driggs.
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Grand Teton unveils springtime beer | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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