Sprecher Brewing Company - Hometown Brew

First brewed in 2015 to celebrate Sprecher's 30th anniversary, and in conjunction with local Milwaukee radio station WKLH, Hometown Brew is a European-style pale lager crafted to be simple but tasty, satisfying, and quenching. And it is! This bright golden-hued beer incorporates old-school Cluster hops (which are very underrated in our opinion) along with the rare (in this country) Celeia variety from Slovenia, which together offer up aromas reminiscent of authentic European lagers. There's a touch of fruitiness leaning toward a hint of lemon, along with prominent earthiness. Underlying those hops, we picked up crackery and very mild toasted malt notes. On the palate, those hops come through bright and zingy. The brewers went a little heavier with the malts than in many other pale lagers, leading to an ABV at the higher end of the spectrum for the style, as well as a satisfying foundation for those expressive hops. For pairing options, pizza is a good call, as well as baked salmon, chicken salad, arroz con pollo, or, for dessert, pound cake with a lemon glaze. Cheers!

Randal (Randy) Sprecher, a former Pabst Brewing Company brewing supervisor, founded Sprecher Brewing Company in Milwaukee, WI in 1985 with an emphasis on German-style beers – an emphasis which continues to this day with beer styles such as Maibock, Oktoberfest (Märzen), Hefeweiss, Schwarzbier, and this month's featured Hometown Brew lager. After about a decade, the company had grown to the point where they needed a larger facility, and in 1994 the brewery was moved to its current location a few miles to the north in Glendale, WI. The new, bigger brewery offered the company the room to keep growing, and they have established themselves as significant contributors to the city of Milwaukee’s impressive brewing tradition, which reaches far beyond the presence of the current mega-brewery that’s based in the city. In the late 19th century, Milwaukee boasted over 80 breweries until Prohibition led to the demise of most of them in 1919. Nevertheless, the city can be spoken of historically as a craft brewing haven, and the success of the Sprecher beers there in recent years shows that the enthusiasm for great beer is still alive and well.

If you’re ever in the Milwaukee area, check out the Sprecher brewery and buy as many brews as you can bring home with you. You might need an extra suitcase, though, because in addition to their multitude of excellent German-style brews they also make a number of excellent ales such as Irish-style Stout, English-style Brown Ale, and more – including this month's featured Abbey Triple. For more information about the brewery and scheduled tours, visit their website at www.sprecherbrewery.com or call them at 414-964-2739.