Some of you probably know I had some input on Victory's Baltic Thunder...in an extended way, a lot of the reason that beer exists is because of an e-mail I wrote to Tom Baker quite a few years ago, a mash note on Baltic Porters that led to Perkuno's Hammer, and then Ron Barchet and I talked Baltics when Victory picked up the beer from him. Strictly an inspiration.
But I also helped -- a very little! -- to inspire Victory's Dark Lager, just a little conversation Ron and I had in the lagering room way back. And yesterday I heard from Bill Covaleski that the Dark Lager (which is on tap at the pub and a few other places right now) is really one of their few sales failures. It doesn't really sell enough to keep making it...but they do anyway. Because they, and a few others of us, just love that beer. It's just so craft beer...
So I wanted to take this opportunity to say "Thank you," to Ron and Bill and the crew at Victory Brewing. Thanks for making Dark Lager despite low sales, thanks for continuing to make great session beers like Milltown and Uncle Teddy's (and Dark Lager, at 4.2%!), thanks for everything. And the rest of you guys...time to drink up!
7 comments:
Happy Birthday, keep up the good work!
Amen, to the Dark Lager! I look forward to it every year!
mmmm.....Baltic Thunder....thanks for reminding me!
Interesting about the Dark Lager - the wife and I were there last Friday and she order the Dark Lager, as I had the Storm King(it's still winter and I must have SK during the winter months) - she really enjoyed it, which was surprising, because she has a pretty limited Victory palette(she drinks Donny Brook mainly)
I wonder if its a marketing thing... called it something else.. call it a schwartz beer.. call it Black Death .. perhaps the term dark lager just doesnt spark interest.
Friend of mine suggested that exact thing last night at the anniversary celebration, and I think it has merit. But it's not a schwarz (and I think that would have much the same -- zero -- effect), and calling a lovably gentle beer like that "Black Death" doesn't sound good! Brown Beauty?
Bill Covaleski! Get to work on this and save Dark Lager!
Had the dark lager at the anniversary.. Favorite beer of the night.. Had the schwarz pils previously and loveeeeed it.. Couldn't believe it still tasted like a pilsner and looked like a brown ale.. Big up to victory for making kick ass lagers..!
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