During a recent visit to Milwaukee for the Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference, I had the honor of meeting Patrick F. Conway, owner of the Great Lakes Brewing Company.

Once upon a time, I had a 6 year stint in Ohio. I moved to Ohio from NY to attend THE (yes THE) Ohio State University in 2001. Ended up working there for two years post college. Columbus is where I first discovered my love for craft beer. That is the city where I became The Beer Wench.

So naturally, there will always be a place in my heart for Ohio craft beer. Especially, beer from the Great Lakes Brewing Company — probably, hands down, my favorite Ohio craft brewery. No joke.

Why? Because they make consistently GREAT beer. Must be the water …

Of course, when I noticed a group of Great Lakes Brewing boys at a table across the room from me at the conference, it became my prerogative to meet them. No expectations. Just wanted to meet them and tell them how nostalgic their beers were for me.

But, fortunately for me, the Great Lakes Brewing boys were willing to entertain the crazy craft beer obsessed Wench for some time during the conference.

So there I was … at a conference regarding sustainability and water conservation in the craft brewing industry … sitting at a table with the Great Lakes Brewing team … and I made a comment about their solar panels.The response? “How do you know about the solar panels? They are only just being built. No one knows …”

Ah ha! Despite living all the way across the country in a state that GLBC does not distribute to, I still know what is going on behind the scenes. And how? Well … that is my little secret.

Okay maybe not. Truth is, I have an “in” to information regarding Great Lakes Brewing Company. One of my all time best friends recently landed a marketing & sales job with GLBC in Cleveland. So I might be privy to some news, now and then.This is how I know that Great Lakes Brewing Co. has implemented several sustainable measures in both its brewery and its brewpub.

GLBC has a pretty powerful mission statement that really illustrates their commitment to the local community and the environment:

“Great Lakes Brewing Company is a principle-centered, environmentally respectful and socially conscious company committed to crafting fresh, flavorful, high-quality beer and food for the enjoyment of our customers. We aspire to maintain our status as the premier craft brewery in the Great Lakes region and are dedicated to uncompromising service, continuous improvement and innovative consumer education.”

GLBC owner, Patrick Conway, took great interest in Drink With The Wench and my passion for the craft beer industry. In support of my pursuit for beer, Patrick made a point to retrieve a bottle of Great Lakes Brewing Christmas Ale from his car and hand deliver it to me at the water conference. To me, this was very humbling and extremely exciting.

Now, without any further ado, allow me to present my tasting notes:

THE BEER WENCH’S TASTING NOTES
GREAT LAKES BREWING COMPANY CHRISTMAS ALE

FACTS:

Christmas Ale A holiday ale brewed with honey and spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon. ABV: 7.5% ABW: 6.0% IBU: 40

• APPEARANCE: Brilliant clarity, marigold-orange color. Rapidly dissipating, off-white head.
• AROMA: Intoxicating hints of ginger & cinnamon — reminiscent of Christmas cookies & gingerbread. Subtle notes of caramel & biscuit malts. Slightly fruity. No detectable hop aroma.
• FLAVOR: Spicy, ginger shows through stronger than the cinnamon. Rich caramel & toasty malt character with noticeable hints of honey. Slight
• MOUTHFEEL: Medium to full bodied. Highly carbonated, rich creamy texture, slightly syrupy. Dry, bitter finish. Spice lingers. Subtle alcohol warming sensation.
• OVERALL: Balance is the key to producing a well-made spice beer. In my opinion, this beer has a wonderful balance between the spiciness of the ginger & cinnamon and the sweetness of the honey and the malts. I particularly liked the use of honey. Neither of the spices were overpowering. Alcohol level created a nice warming sensation without being to “hot” or intense. This is the first time I’ve tasted the GLBC Christmas Ale and it is definitely one of the favorites in the category. I’m kind of bummed that it is not distributed in California. Hopefully, I will get a chance to drink it again before the end of the season.

CHEERS!!!

As fate would have it, I was introduced to Birrificio del Ducato Krampus on the evening December 5th. The reason that tasting this particular ale on that specific evening was so significant is because, according to German (and some Slavic) tradition, the Krampus (roving bands of demon-like characters) take to the streets to terrorize children, accost women, and wreak general havoc on the village on the evening on December 5th. The following day, December 6th, is the feast of St. Nicholas.

Unfortunately I did not know the story before drinking the beer … and was unable to translate the one on the bottle in entirety at the bar. In retrospect, it would have been fun to dress up as a Krampus and terrorize the town. Perhaps this will become a future party theme or ritual …

The story on the Birrificio del Ducato Krampus bottle is as follows: La notte del 5 dicembre, i Krampus si aggirano fra le vie ed i vicoli dei paesini dell’arco alpino. Coperti da pelli di montoni, con corna e zampe di capra, agitando le loro nere catene, terrorizzano gli abitanti dei villaggi. È il preludio dell’arrivo del Vescovo San Nicola (antico precursore de Babbo Natale) che riporterà la pace, dolci e doni nella comunità. Una birra dedicata al Natale, calda ed avvolgente, dalle tenue speziatura. Ideale per aspettare lálba accanto al focolare, al riparo dalle incursioni del demoni.

The Wench’s version (using a combination of several online translations): On the night of December 5th, the Krampus are estimated to stand between the streets and alleys of little villages of the Alps covered in hides and skins of sheep, with horns and feet of goat, shaking their black chains, and terrorizing the inhabitants of the villages. This is the prelude to the arrival of the Bishop San Nicola (ancient precursor de Santa Claus) bringing peace, sweets and gifts to the community. A beer dedicated to Christmas, warm and enveloping, from tenuous speziatura (the definition of speziatura evades me …) Ideal for waiting by the fireplace, protected from the incursions of the demons.

Next year, The Wench is totally hosting a Krampus party … accompanied with crazy costumes, complete havoc and debauchery. And, of course, it would not be complete without lots of women & child terrorizing! Hopefully, Birrificio del Ducato Krampus will be accessible for this occasion.

Enough about folklore and tradition. Time to get down to business.

Located in Parma, Birrificio del Ducato is one of Italy’s up-and-coming microbreweries.

Its brewmaster, Giovanni Campari, is a second generation Italian craft brewer. As with most craft brewers, Giovanni got his roots from homebrewing. However, boasting a degree in Food Science and Technology, Gio is more learned in the science aspect of brewing than most homebrewers. (Source: StarChefs.Com)

Before becoming professional brewmaster, Gio went to finishing school at Birrificio Italiano – one of Parma’s oldest craft breweries (dating back to 1996). Birrificio Italiano brewmaster, Agostino Arioli, helped Gio develop recipes for what would eventually become his first commercial brews.

This year, accompanied by his Pilsner, Saison & Imperial Stout, Gio became the first Italian brewer to compete in the World Beer Cup.

Once again, I am truly lucky to have amazing friends! I met up with my friend Dominick, a true-blood Italian and booze connoisseur, at our favorite local beer bar – Red Light Red Light. Actually, it is more than just my favorite local beer bar. It is quite possibly the best beer bar that I have ever come across. (The Map Room in Chicago is a very close second).

I was smart enough to whip out my iPhone for proper documentation of the our Krampus experience. Here are the notes from all the Krampus tasters that evening (as broken down by Beer Pad):

Beer Name: Krampus

Description: Italian Christmas Ale spiced with star anise.

Style: Winter Beer

Brewery: Birrificio del Ducato

Region: Parma, Ilaty

Pairings: Cheese, Pork, Red Meat, Seafood

Color: Golden Amber

Carbonation: Mild carbonation, decent lacing that dissipates quickly …

Aroma: Star anise (duh!), hints of cinnamon, “has the essence of a cedar bowl that once held potpourri”… “smells like walking into a country time store or antique shop”… “Krampus is Christmas in a bottle!”

Mouthfeel: Light to moderate body, fairly mild finish, alcohol is virtually undetectable

Flavor: Mild black licorice from the star anise, slight vinegar taste, moderate acidity, sour yeast, low malt presence in the taste

Comments: “I thought this was an amazing Christmas Ale. Italians make fucking crazy beers!” -Dominick

“This beer [almost] makes me like Christmas … or at least it will make it more tolerable! Bahhhh humbug!” -The Wench

(PS: I actually really liked it … I just wanted to be a Scrooge.)

Cheers!