Beer of the Week! 01/24/23
Commonwealth BadLands
Regularly $16.99 / Now on Sale for $15.96
Double Dry-hopped Helles Lager
So, the growth of craft beer has sparked changes in what is farmed and where. Makes sense, right? Farmers need to make money, so if there’s a new agricultural demand, there will be people planting to fill it. Of course, with craft beer you know where we’re going. Sure, we could be talking about barley or heritage strains of wheat, but let’s be serious. We’re talking about hops.
American hop production has been centered, most notably, in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in the hop fields of Yakima Valley, WA. However, hop production is growing in other areas. The Great Lakes region, for example, has seen a marked increase over the last few years. To further sweeten the kettle, when we talk about hops, we’re not just talking more hops … but new hops.
The BadLands Lager from Virginia Beach’s Commonwealth Brewing Company is made with Pilsner malt and wheat malt. However, to double down on its aroma it’s double dry-hopped with two new hops — Emerald Spire and Paradigm.
Emerald Spire and Paradigm are aroma hops developed by Great Lakes Hops in Michigan. Look for aromas that range from melon rinds to peaches to white grapes, adding an extra dimension to a lager that has a Pilsner’s taste (with a little bit of tang from the wheat) without the Pilsner crisp hoppiness. Definitely check out this beer if you’re looking for that classic “beer” taste with a craft twist.
Bonus Beer of the Week (‘Cause Marvel movies aren’t the only things to produce good sequels.)
Mason Ale Works Hop Smash
Regularly $19.99 / Now on Sale for $17.96
Double New England Style IPA
Welcome to another fun-filled episode of Business Men Making Beer ! This week — the fun-loving, happy-go-lucky guys behind Rancho Bernardo, CA’s 3LB Restaurant Concepts and Mason Ale Works.
Zak Higson and Grant Tondro met when they were 15. After college and flirtations with the wine industry, they pursued careers in corporate finance and banking. By the aughts, they were living in the Rancho Bernardo neighborhood in the northeast outskirts of San Diego and were eager for a change … or maybe just an opportunity … or both. They looked at their stomping grounds — a collection of suburban homes and strip malls — and saw a ready market for affordable, trendy bistros and upscale provision stores. First came The Barrel Room, a bistro and wine bar, in 2007. Keeping their money men jobs, they pulled in Zak’s brother Nate to be an operational manager type guy and formed 3 Local Brothers Restaurant Concepts, or 3LB (‘cause no 90s boy band had taken that name).
After the Barrel Room came Urge Gastropub, Brothers Provisions Deli, Mason Coffee Works, a commercial bakery, and, in 2016, a second Urge Gastropub & Whiskey Bank farther north in San Marcos — only this Urge had a brewery attached to it — Mason Ale Works. Brothers Provisions and the second Urge have since closed, but Mason Ale Works continues to produce beer. Want us to prove it? Here’s one right here.
Their Hop Smash (apart from tempting a copyright battle with Marvel/Disney) is a collection of citrusy and juicy hops — Citra, Cashmere, Motueka, and Citra cryo hops. This beer does not make you work hard to like it. It’s a smooth, juicy cruise through wide, clean suburban streets before pulling into a citrusy parking space.
Remember!
You can see our entire beer inventory on Untappd.com!