Sunday, March 4, 2012

New Glarus Two Women Classic Country Lager


New Glarus Two Women Lager, 12 Fl. Oz. 

Get ready for more pompous, overblown gasbaggery. Here comes the label copy: "Four thousand years before Christ, Sumerian women created the divine drink of beer. Viking women brewed in Norse society. European Ale Wives were so successful as cottage brewers they were taxed. Artisanal women lost their domination of the daily ritual of brewing during the Industrial Revolution. Today's brewing trade is controlled by men. The collaboration of two Craft companies both led by women, New Glarus Brewing and Weyermann Malting is unique. You hold the result "Two Women" a Classic Country Lager brewed with Weyermann's floor malted Bohemian malt and Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops. A tempting and graceful classic lager found…Only in Wisconsin!"

This history of the role of women in brewing,leaves out one that still continues, and that is the brewer of sorghum-based homebrew in Africa. Let South African songbird Yvonne Chaka Chaka tell you all about it. (I hear this song about twice a night whenever we host African DJ events at the Blue Nile, which happens at least twice a month.)

Alright, enough, let's open and get to it. 

Clear, amber coloring. Large, lush off-white head. 

Classic Lager nose, cereal grains, low bitterness, small sweetness. All-malty goodness.

Taste: Clean, dry, and lightly malty. A hint of sweetness, gone in a wink, wrapped up with subtle hops. Slightly fruity, again, appearing for a minute, then whisked away. Quaffable, indeed. Simple, straightforward, with just enough flavor, to make it worth drinking.

I won't be returning to it, though. Not for me. I won't turn down a good "Classic Lager", but I won't go looking for any, either. My feelings on lagers have already been made plain.

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