Sprecher Brewing Company - Special Amber

This lager recently picked up the Gold Medal at the increasingly prestigious 2006 L.A. County Fair (they also took home another 5 Golds, 3 Silvers and 2 Bronzes!). This is essentially a Vienna lager, but with a slightly amped up hop bitterness, and has been Sprecher's best seller since they opened 22 years ago. Five weeks in the lagering tanks smoothes out the bitterness and melds the caramel malt & fruitier flavors together. On the nose, expect fresh-bread and a characteristically German mustiness from the yeast, with woody hops, toffee, mild citrus tones and a hint of roastiness. The flavor presents far more sweet caramel presence than implied by the nose, with faint grains, ripe apples, and a hint of apple cider, all cleansed and balanced by a late-breaking moderate bitterness. Very nice, and surprisingly excellent with baked ham and mac & cheese.

We've been fans of the Sprecher Brewing Company for some time, but this is their first appearance in the club. And with 20 beers in their cumulative brewing portfolio, we're sure it won't be their last. We're excited—and know you will be too—these are some fine brews! The first thing you'll likely notice is, based on the beer label, their brews give the impression of being an import, what with the griffin-like emblem and type-face (& the name Sprecher (meaning "speaker" in German), implying a German brewery). Then closer examination reveals the bannered line "Established in Milwaukee – 1985"—it's almost jarring to discover this beer isn't brewed by a 200+ year old brewery from Bavaria (and that's before even tasting the stuff—you'll really question it after you try them!). Sprecher Brewing Co. was founded in 1985 by Randal Sprecher, a former brewing supervisor at Pabst Brewing Company, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Within 10 years the company had outgrown their first location and in 1994 they moved to their current location in Glendale, Wisconsin. The new, larger brewery enabled the company to continue growing; today they remain proud contributors to Milwaukee's great brewing tradition—and by Milwaukee's great brewing tradition we don't mean the current macro-behemoth based there—this city was, in the late 1800s, home to more than 80 breweries—but prohibition changed all of that in 1919. Still, it can be spoken of historically as a brewing town. And the Sprecher beers certainly speak to us—they tell us these guys know what's up—these are great beers indeed. If you're ever in the Milwaukee area, drop in to Glendale, Winconsin for a visit and buy what ever Sprecher beers you can get home with you (helpful hint: bring an extra suitcase)! For more information about the brewing and scheduled tours, visit their website at www.sprecherbrewery.com or call them at call (414) 964-7837.