Beer of the Weekend #323: Grain Belt Premium
On second thought, I did bring back one Minnesota-native beer: Grain Belt Premium, brewed by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minnesota.
As progressive and reasonable as Minnesota is, it still has a few backward blue laws. The sale of cars and alcohol is prohibited on Sunday, liquor stores close at 10 pm, and beer sold in grocery stores can be no stronger than 3.2 percent ABV. Craziness. Thankfully, we planned ahead. After arriving Friday night, we found a liquor store and stocked up before eating at Psycho Suzi’s. (I highly recommend it.) The ladies got whatever they got, Bobblehead snagged a sixer of Mountain Crest, and I bought sixers of Black Butte Porter and Grain Belt. (Black Butte Porter was an ill-advised nostalgic purchase; I had not seen Deschutes brews since leaving California. It was a stupid decision but I will live.) Miraculously, I still had one Grain Belt (and three porters) when Sunday check-out rolled around.
Serving type: 16-ounce “Big Friendly” can. No freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is clean and clear straw. Three fingers of thick, eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly to leave a rocky cap and trails of foam along the glass.
Smell: Cereal grain and very sweet green apples. It smells a lot like the green Jolly Rancher, and also the watermelon one mixed in.
Taste: Very sweet and fruity with a touch of light cereal grain. The green Jolly Rancher has been replaced with salon hairspray, which is a staple of lighter Schell brews.
Drinkability: It is decent enough, but the sweetness is very off-putting for a lawn mower lager. I’ll drink it regardless.
Fun facts about Grain Belt:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Adjunct Lager.” No argument here.
-Price: $5.99/sixer at River Liquors on Marshall Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
-Serving temperature: 35-40ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, Indian cuisine, Latin American cuisine, Thai cuisine, Pan Asian cuisine, peppery cheeses (Monterey/Pepper Jack), and shellfish.
-The beer’s history can be gleaned from its Wikipedia page.
-Amazingly, Grain Belt is sold in clear bottles. Why? I do not think I would ever buy a beer in a clear bottle.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C.
As progressive and reasonable as Minnesota is, it still has a few backward blue laws. The sale of cars and alcohol is prohibited on Sunday, liquor stores close at 10 pm, and beer sold in grocery stores can be no stronger than 3.2 percent ABV. Craziness. Thankfully, we planned ahead. After arriving Friday night, we found a liquor store and stocked up before eating at Psycho Suzi’s. (I highly recommend it.) The ladies got whatever they got, Bobblehead snagged a sixer of Mountain Crest, and I bought sixers of Black Butte Porter and Grain Belt. (Black Butte Porter was an ill-advised nostalgic purchase; I had not seen Deschutes brews since leaving California. It was a stupid decision but I will live.) Miraculously, I still had one Grain Belt (and three porters) when Sunday check-out rolled around.
Serving type: 16-ounce “Big Friendly” can. No freshness date.
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is clean and clear straw. Three fingers of thick, eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly to leave a rocky cap and trails of foam along the glass.
Smell: Cereal grain and very sweet green apples. It smells a lot like the green Jolly Rancher, and also the watermelon one mixed in.
Taste: Very sweet and fruity with a touch of light cereal grain. The green Jolly Rancher has been replaced with salon hairspray, which is a staple of lighter Schell brews.
Drinkability: It is decent enough, but the sweetness is very off-putting for a lawn mower lager. I’ll drink it regardless.
Fun facts about Grain Belt:
-Style: BA classifies it as “American Adjunct Lager.” No argument here.
-Price: $5.99/sixer at River Liquors on Marshall Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
-Serving temperature: 35-40ºF.
-Alcohol content: 4.6 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, Indian cuisine, Latin American cuisine, Thai cuisine, Pan Asian cuisine, peppery cheeses (Monterey/Pepper Jack), and shellfish.
-The beer’s history can be gleaned from its Wikipedia page.
-Amazingly, Grain Belt is sold in clear bottles. Why? I do not think I would ever buy a beer in a clear bottle.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C.
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