Beer of the Weekend #953: Drewrys

The Foxy Lady and I were chatting with our neighbor a few weeks ago and somehow started talking about beer and having a cold one after a day of yardwork. Our neighbor, who is in his 60s or early 70s, told us that, back in the day, he would “get a case of Drewrys” and enjoy a few after a day of working around the house.

Drewrys, huh. It did not ring a bell, so I did some research. I assumed it was a bygone brand akin to Ballantine and Falstaff, and it was until recently; it was revived about 10 years ago in Indiana. I thought it was something I would need to travel to get, but, lo and behold, I found a rack of Drewrys sixers at Gary’s in Mount Vernon a week or so after our neighbor mentioned it. I had to get one. So, the beer of the weekend is Drewrys, brewed by the Drewrys Brewing Company of South Bend, Indiana.



Serving type: 12-ounce bottle poured into a pilsner glass.

Appearance: A sexy and surprising light to medium caramel. A finger of off-white head leaves a trail of lacing and even skim.

Smell: Lots of cherry licorice. It dominates. There are hints of caramel and toasted malt. It’s surprisingly aromatic.

Taste: Cherry licorice is complemented by caramel and toast. It’s really tasty. Surprisingly tasty. (The whole experience is surprising.) I’m impressed. It’s a pretty good lager.

Fun facts about Drewrys:

• Style: Somewhere the beer is labeled as “adjunct lager,” but it tastes better than that.

• Price: $6.99 for a sixer at Gary’s in Mount Vernon.

• Alcohol content: BeerAdvocate pegs the ABV at 4 percent.

• Drewrys’s nickname is “Big D”—a nickname I’m quite fond of. It’s the name my family gave our 1982 Oldsmobile 88 when I was a kid. We called her Big D because she had a diesel engine.

The Quiet Man’s grade: B.