It’s getting to be that time of year again when the first Grand Teton Brewing Cellar Reserve beer is released. Year round, the good folks at Grand Teton produce solid beers that are for the most part underrated, but where they really shine is in their seasonal Cellar Reserve releases. The first release for this year is their Lazy Marmot Maibock Lager. I contacted brewmaster Rob Mullin to get some insights into this beer that were not included in the press and got some great feedback, including the insight that Lazy Marmot is almost twenty years in the making. I have a lot of respect for Rob and am grateful for his additional insight. As usual, the press release contains some great information about the style, and is worth the read.
True to form, brewmaster Rob Mullin
and his team chose to brew with local ingredients, with the base malt being Idaho
2-row instead of the more traditional Pilsner malt. The difference being that pilsner malts
produce a more delicate malt flavor that is crisper and cleaner than 2-row,
whereas 2-row is smoother, maltier, and a little bready. I was unsure what to expect from a maibock
with a 2-row base malt, rather than the crisper pilsner. However, the Grand Teton crew has produced
consistently excellent Cellar Reserve beers in the past, so I went into the
beer without any preconceptions, taking it as it was and hoping that the
decision to switch out the pilsner malt for a local American 2-row would be a
be a good decision.
With
that said, on to the review. I am sure
that over the next couple weeks there will be a score for Lazy Marmot on the
two main beer review sites, but as of now there is no score and no reviews on
either Beeradvocate or ratebeer.
They Say:
GRAND TETON BREWING COMPANY RELEASES
Lazy Marmot Maibock
VICTOR, ID – Grand Teton
Brewing Company, known throughout the West for their exceptional craft brews,
is proud to announce the release of Lazy Marmot Maibock, the first in their
2014 Cellar Reserve series.
Lazy
Marmot is brewed squarely in the German tradition. Grand Teton Brewing used
Idaho 2-Row Pale along with German Vienna and CaraHell malts for a clean,
slightly sweet flavor, then subtly spiced the brew with German Tradition hops.
They fermented with lager yeast from a monastery brewery near Munich and
allowed it to ferment and condition for more than three months for a smooth yet
crisp character.
In
Germany, strong lagers are called “bocks” or “bock biers.” There is some dispute over the origin of the
designation. “Bock” in German also means goat, and that animal often appears on
labels as a symbol of the style. Some say bocks are brewed for the season of
Capricorn, which includes Christmas, while others say that the beer has the
“kick of a goat.”
The
historically-minded staff at Grand Teton like to credit the style’s
originators, the people of Einbeck, in northern Germany. The beers that gave
Einbeck the nickname, “City of Beer”, were first brewed in the 14th and 15th
centuries. They were brewed very strong because they were sent long distances,
fermenting on the way. Before long, Einbeck, pronounced Ein-bock by the
southerners of Bavaria, became famous for its strong beers, which came to be
known simply as “bocks.”
Einbeck
is a beautiful medieval city, architecturally distinctive for the one story--or
taller--arches that grace each house. These arches allowed entry of the town
brew kettle, which passed from house to house according to a lottery held each
year on May 1st. A pale bock brewed to commemorate the lottery became the
city’s most celebrated beer—Maibock.
Try
Lazy Marmot Maibock as an aperitif to stimulate the taste buds, or with any
flavorful fish, such as trout or salmon.
Alcohol by Volume: 7.8%
Original Gravity (Plato): 18° P
International Bitterness Units:
18
Color (Lovibond):
10°
Lazy
Marmot Maibock will be available February 15th, 2014 in 1/2 and 1/6 bbl kegs and
bottle-conditioned 750 mL cases.
Brewmaster Rob Mullin adds:
The Maibock is a blast from the
past for me. I started brewing professionally 23 years ago at Old Dominion, a
lager brewery in Northern Virginia. For years we only brewed lagers, including
our flagship Dortmunder Export Dominion Lager and our spring seasonal, Dominion
Maibock.
Although we didn't use the strain
commercially at Old Dominion, I did acquire the Lazy Marmot's lager yeast around
that time. I've carried it with me from brewery to brewery for almost twenty
years, before finally banking it at White Labs. We used it this time at a very
low temperature (48F) over a long time (twelve weeks total in the tanks) for a
very traditional, smooth malty lager flavor. It brought back many great
memories.
I Say:
Lazy Marmot pours a slightly hazy
light honey in color with a moderately thick, creamy, bright white head that
holds excellent retention through almost the entire glass. It leaves a moderate amount of lacing behind. The aroma is very malty with sweet and
lightly toasted notes that blend well with slight herbal hop notes, and a hint
of sweet alcohol.
The flavor
is very rich and malty with biscuit and honey malt notes. Herbal, and slightly spicy, hop notes give
way to a hint of sweet alcohol warmth on the back end that compliments the
complex maltiness. This is a very well
balanced beer, with a moderately high maltiness and a moderate level of hop
bitterness. Lazy Marmot is medium bodied
with a moderate level of carbonation.
Maibocks
are one of my favorite styles in the spring, and Lazy Marmot is definitely a
very good example of the style! The
brewers at Grand Teton have once again brewed an excellent beer that is worthy
of inclusion in the Cellar Reserve series.
I know that I will be on the lookout for it when cases start arriving in
Wisconsin, and you should be too! The
hops will likely fade and the malt will become increasingly more complex as
this beer ages. I for one am going to
pick up at least four bottles, 2 for immediate consumption and two for extended
cellaring.
Well, that’s all for today, check
back soon for another post!
Happy Drinking!
It’s getting to be that time of
year again when the first Grand
Teton Brewing Cellar
Reserve beer is released. Year
round, the good folks at Grand Teton produce solid beers that are for the most
part underrated, but where they really shine is in their seasonal Cellar
Reserve releases. The first release for
this year is their Lazy
Marmot Maibock Lager. I contacted
brewmaster Rob Mullin to get some insights into this beer that were not
included in the press and got some great feedback, including the insight that
Lazy Marmot is almost twenty years in the making. I have a lot of respect for Rob and am
grateful for his additional insight. As
usual, the press release contains some great information about the style, and
is worth the read.
