Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company - Gypsy Lager

Pouring a bright golden color with good clarity and crisp white foam, this classic Munich-style Helles (meaning "pale" or "bright") Lager is very much in line with the authentic examples one finds around Bavaria. Look for traditional noble hop aromas including grassy and floral notes along with mild lemon zest, all underpinned by clean malts offering hints of crackers and light caramel. On the palate, we enjoyed the fairly robust core of pale malts conjuring flavorful notes of fresh bread. Mild hop bitterness balances nicely with additional grassy and lightly spicy notes, with floral touches and a hint of apple flesh. Gypsy Lager finishes crisp and clean with a touch of hop bitterness to cleanse the palate and beckon another sip. Very refreshing on its own, this style of German lager is also a natural pairing with pork sausages, or a snack of creamy cheese with a soft pretzel. Cheers!

In 2007, Fordham Brewing Company formed an alliance with Old Dominion Brewing Company, and in 2009 the two breweries joined their operations and became a unified company under the name Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company at their location in Dover, DE, while maintaining separate brand line-ups. Both breweries have an interesting history, and as we're featuring Fordham brand beers in this month's U.S. Microbrewed Beer Club shipment, we'll focus on Fordham below.

In 1703, England’s Queen Anne commissioned Benjamin Fordham to begin a brewery in America, in her namesake city of Annapolis. As the port city grew, so did the popularity and demand for Fordham’s beer, and he secured a position in the history of the region, becoming one of the city's first aldermen. Sadly, when he passed away in 1716 the brewery was shut down.

For nearly three centuries, the Fordham brewery remained closed. Or should we say, on hiatus? The Fordham name was resurrected in 1995 with the establishment of a new brewery by William Muehlhauser and Jim Lutz. In researching the history of Annapolis area breweries of days gone by, Lutz, currently Fordham and Dominion’s president, discovered the story of this once famed brewhouse. As he puts it, “I just went back to see what breweries existed in Annapolis and ran across this Fordham Brewery. I contacted the Fordham family and asked them if we could resurrect their great-great-great-grandfathers name. The family was happy to oblige.”

After five years of strong growth, they moved to a larger facility in Alexandria, VA, and three years later they had outgrown that building too. Fordham’s brewing and bottling operations moved to their current facility in Dover, DE in 2003 and four years later they joined forces with Old Dominion, as mentioned earlier. For more information about the unified breweries, their tasting room, and scheduled tours, call 302-678-4810 or check out their web site at www.fordhamanddominion.com.