Choc Beer Company - Miner Mishap

Miner Mishap is brewed to emulate a German-style "Schwarzbier," (aka black beer) and, like the original Choc beer, it's a home-brewed recipe. This one was created by a good friend of the Pete's Place family (William Scott). Pours a deep brown with a voluminous tan head. On the nose, expect notes of toasted chocolate, currants and citrus-notes with a pumpernickel bread character. The beer goes down smooth with a full, supple mouthfeel. Currants and coffee and CHOColate all come together in the flavor profile, with a slightly lactic kick in the back. Finish lingers indefinitely with a lightly smoky character flirting with notes of cocoa. Full-flavored, to be sure, this beer will hold up well against a chargrilled flank steak or a slice of chocolate cake served with raspberries.

Coal mining, Native Americans, craft-brewing, meatballs and prison all come together in the storied past of the man responsible for creating the beers of the Choc Beer Company. Young Pietro Piegari arrived in America from Italy in 1903, settling with his family in the coal-mining town of Krebs, Oklahoma. At just 11 years old, he signed on to work in the mines and changed his name to Pete Prichard, but before his 22nd birthday, a mining accident crushed one of his legs, permanently preventing his return to the coal mines. In order to find work and pass the time, Pete took odd jobs and took up an interest in brewing beer. In 1919 he came across a recipe brewed by the local Native American tribe, the Choctaw, and worked on perfecting his own interpretation, which he named Choc Beer. Naturally, when other miners were on meal breaks, they headed up to Pete's place to grab a beer. It only seemed natural to Pete to begin serving them lunch to go with their beers. In 1925, he formalized this ritual by opening a restaurant in his home which served (literally) home-style, authentic Italian food. And since everyone was already calling it "Pete's place," it became permanently known by the same name. Prohibition ended up sending Pete undercover to make his beers, brewing discreetly in his basement and continuing to sell it to customers. But ultimately, the law caught up to him and he served two federal terms in prison for violating prohibition laws. In 1995, Pete's grandson, Joe Prichard, reintroduced his family's Choc Beer recipe (legally) to the public at the family restaurant, which remains in operation to this day (they actually were brewing and selling it until 1980, when a visit from the feds finally led to the taps being shut off—"homebrewing" was actually illegal). Joe took over Pete's Place in 1984 from his father, Bill, who took over from his father (Pete) in 1964. Today, with brewmaster Michael Lalli, Pete's Place brews (as the Choc Beer Company) four year-round beers with two more slated for release later this year: Waving Wheat, Miner Mishap, Basement Batch, 1919 ("Pietro Piegari" & "Last Laugh" are in the works). These six beers represent the six major chapters of the life of Pete Prichard—whose story is elaborated on at the Choc Beer Company's website—we encourage you to check it out, and seek out their finely crafted beers wherever you can! For more information about the Pete's Place or the Choc Beer Company, call (918) 423-2042 or check out their web sites at www.petes.org and www.chocbeer.com .