The Next Train to Bamberg, Now Boarding at Common Haus Hall
Common Haus Hall (134 Spring Street, Jeffersonville IN) is preparing for its grand opening on Wednesday, March 30. Tomorrow (Saturday 26 March) there’ll be beers, wine and a small menu of appetizers available in the upstairs Biergarten ONLY from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
As a reason to come and check out the Haus, I’m happy to herald the arrival of our first collaboration beer: Next Train to Bamberg.
Next Train to Bamberg is a Rauchbier (smoked lager) brewed by Jerry Gnagy at Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse, using smoked Beechwood malt from Sugar Creek Malt Co. in Lebanon, Indiana. Our target is a gentle session-oriented smokiness leaning toward the house specialty at the renowned Brauerei Spezial in Bamberg.
Against the Grain has provided a spec sheet, and here it is.
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NAME: Next Train to Bamberg
CATEGORY: Smoke
STYLE: Beechwood Smoked Lager
Our interpretation of a traditional Bamberg style lager using barley grown, malted and smoked locally.
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 22.3
OG: 13.1
INGREDIENTS
Hops: Hallertau Hersbrucker, Czech Saaz
Malts: Pilsner, Vienna, Beechwood Smoked Malt, Melanoidin
Yeast: Copenhagen Lager
TASTING NOTES
Malt Character: Clean, Crisp, Smokey with a touch of caramel
Hop Character: Balancing, floral and herbal
Yeast Character: Clean with slight sulfur
DESCRIPTION: “Don’t be a Deutsche, Catch the Next Train to Bamberg!”
The next entry into the smoke category, and we are heading down the tracks and picking up steam. We recalled our trip to Bamberg, Germany, (the mecca of smoked beers), to conjure up this crisp, clean and smoky lager that we drank at Brauerei Spezial. This is an all-day drinker that can be paired with sausage, pork chops, oompah music and Volkswagens (don’t drink and drive!) Commissioned by local beer and brewing laureate, Roger Baylor, this smoked beer will be part of the opening line-up for the new German-themed restaurant “Common Haus Hall” in Jeffersonville, IN. We brewed this lager with base malt grown in Kentucky and smoked in Lebanon, IN by Sugar Creek Malt Co.