BraxtonBrewingCo - 3There is a lot of time spent on other beer blogs, trying to identify what the next trend in beer will be.  You’ve heard it so many times before, that “Sours are the new IPA”.  While I won’t claim it to be a trend, I will say that the lowly lager which was laughed at for it’s association with macro breweries for so long is making a strong comeback, and I believe will continue to do so for quite some time… I’m by far the first person to point this out here in town, you can read a great article on lagers over at Queen City Drinks.

When we first started talking to Braxton Brewing Company, they made it very clear that their plans included lagers, it it would seem that those plans are coming to fruition already.

I was down at the brewery this weekend enjoying their newest creation, 1957 All Star Ale, and got to talking to brewer Evan Rouse about their lager plans. There was word that they had already brewed their first of many lagers, and had it aging away peacefully in the back of the brewery.  Evan confirmed this and let me know that we might be seeing this beer in the taproom (it’ll be a taproom exclusive) in as little as a few weeks from now.

You could see Evan’s eyes light up as he started talking about the beer, which I was told is going to be a Dortmunder style lager.  Dortmunder’s are a pale lager, inspired by the often more familiar Pilsner style, Dortmunders tend to have a nice sharp hop character to go along with a soft often mellow mouth-feel.  Not one to brew beer the “easy way” Evan told me that the brew team “stripped apart” their Covington water source to only rebuild it to specifications that mimic those in Germany’s city of Dortmunder.

The Hop Eagle that greets you walking in the door.
The Hop Eagle that greets you walking in the door.

One of the key characteristics to beer, especially some historical styles that were created in certain regions of the world is the water that they originated from.  Dortmunder’s water source has high amounts of sulfates and carbonates, which help the style’s ability to create the sharpness that so many of it’s fans have come to love.

When Braxton Brewing first opened, there were four beers on tap… With 7 currently (soon to be 8 it seems) their 20 taps will soon be flowing with a variety of beers that will blow the mind of any beer fan to step foot in their garage.  If you haven’t been down to the brewery yet… the time is perfect for it!  CincyBrewCast, Cincinnati’s first and only dedicated beer podcast will be doing a live broadcast from the taproom in early August (stay tuned for that more details on that!)

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