Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:
The latest in the broad lineup of Baird Beer seasonal brews are ready for release. One, Baird Munich-Style Helles, is a Lager Beer Series seasonal and the other, Baird Biwa Beer, belongs to our Brewmaster’s Select Seasonal Beer Series. Both, we believe, will provide supreme enjoyment to the beer enthusiast during the days and weeks when the summer heat begins to give way to the cool rythm of autumn.
Below are brief descriptions of the new seasonal beers.
1) Baird Munich-Style Helles (ABV approximately 5.0%):
“Lager” means “to store.” According to Michael Jackson, the first brewers to seem to have practiced this technique of long-period cold storage of beer were based in Munich. Munich-style lager beer generally is associated with dark color “dunkel” lagers. Munich’s first pale, or “helles,” lager is thought to have been brewed in the 1890s by the Spaten brewery. A Munich-style Helles is a malt-accented lager beer of good clarity and golden color.
Baird Munich-Style Helles is brewed with traditional German Pilsner and Vienna malts and bittering additions of American Magnum and Perle hops. The color is a transluscent pale-gold. The aroma is faintly bready and malty. An effervescent all-natural carbonation contributes to a lightness in body and a crispness in finish. The final character of the beer, though, is fulsomely satisfying. It is a great libation for all seasons and all occasions.
2) Baird Biwa Beer (ABV approximately 4.9%):
Biwa is a fruit native to Japan defined in my Webster’s New World Dictionary as “the small, yellow, edible, plum-like fruit of the loquat tree.” Well, I sure enjoyed its taste upon first sample from a lot brought into the brewery from the Heda orchard of our carpenter friend and partner, Nagakura-san. An exotic and delicious fruit grown locally and available at no cost means one thing to a craft brewer — inspiration for a new beer!
Baird Biwa Beer is brewed with German malted wheat and barley (Vienna and Carared) as well as loads of citrusy whole-flower American hops (Amarillo, Centennial and Cascade). Over 7 kg of freshly peeled and blended Biwa fruit was added to 230 liters of newly brewed wort immediately following kettle boil. Fermented with our house ale yeast, the result is a magnificently intricate beer that bursts with fruity freshness and malty wholesomeness. Perhaps the first world beer to be made with Biwa, Baird Biwa Beer is a brew not to be missed. Quantities are extremely limited so plan on visiting the Fishmarket Taproom or a Baird Beer Retailer soon!
Baird Munich-Style Helles is now on tap at the Fishmarket Taproom and available through Baird Beer Retailers. Bottle orders also can be placed by consumers directly at the Brewery. Baird Biwa Beer, meanwhile, will debut at the Fishmarket Taproom on Friday, September 8 and should be available at select retailers beginning Saturday, September 9. Quantities of the Biwa Beer are extremely limited so be sure to act sooner rather than later.
Cheers!
Bryan Baird
