Cheers!

There’s a bar-restaurant not far from where we live called Granite City. It’s become a chain and so the "micro-brewery" in back isn’t really one, because the chain, in total, brews more than 50,000 barrels of beer a year. On the other hand, the setup in each place is micro-brewery in style, because they make beer in each bar-restaurant. The master brewer in the St. Louis Park one has become my source for micro-breweries. Kevin has a degree in chemistry and in biology, and actually persuaded his biology professor to allow the class to make beer one semester. His interest, you see, is both professional and passionate, a marvelous combination!

I had lunch there yesterday – their Asian chicken salad is to die for – and took advantage of a beverage offer they have. Instead of a glass of beer, they will bring out six small glasses of different beers. I’m not a beer drinker, mostly because I don’t like the bitter flavor of hops. But this is research. As I’ve been saying, a character in the novel I’m writing owns a micro-brewery. So sitting at Granite City, enjoying a delicious salad, talking with the master brewer, and tasting six very different kinds of beer is a tax-deductible research expense. Have I mentioned (more than five or six times) than I love my work?

Starting with the darkest, I tasted Broad Ax Stout first. This beer is almost black. The head is meager and cream-colored. It has a thick, creamy texture, and there are undertones of something like coffee or maybe chocolate. Kevin says this is entirely a product of the malt (roasted barley) and the yeast – different mixes produce different flavors. The stout wasn’t as hoppy as some stouts – Guiness almost bites your tongue off.

Next was Brother Benedict’s Bock, a dark copper color. I almost liked this one, it was not very hoppy at all, and had a "malty," roast-grain flavor that was very nice.

Then came a blend of Bock and a light lager, a copper-colored beer that was, well, beer. Have I mentioned that these are all Granite City’s own beers?

Then Duke "IPA" – India Pale Ale, a light copper beer that had a distinctly citrus flavor, very refreshing and unusual. I was sure there was a grapefruit peel in its background, but Kevin says nope.

Then the golden Spring Ale, fresh from the fermentation vessel, a light-colored beer that had a taste that actually made me think of grass and flowers.

Last was the Northern Light Lager, which was extremely pale in color, light in flavor, and seemed to be about half ginger-ale. This is a beer for people who don’t like beer.

Interestingly, there is only about one or one-and-a-half percent difference in alcohol level between the darkest and lightest of these beers.

The reason I am late posting this morning is because we are having our carpets cleaned and I was so busy shoving furniture around last night, I forgot all about writing a post.

And I apologize to those of you who know, somewhat vaguely, that there is a beverage called beer, and don’t wish to know more about it.