He is Risen!

The traditional springtime beer is Bock, which comes in many different forms—all with slight differences—but, in general, it’s a dark, malty, lightly hopped lager. However, the first variations of this beer were ales, as lagering had not yet been discovered. What’s great about these beers is they are made for celebrating. The lowest ABV for these beers is around 6.3%, the highest around 13%, and they’re delicious.

Today, my church is having a large meal in celebration of Christ’s resurrection. We’re roasting a lamb, and everyone’s bringing side dishes, and desserts, etc. It’s going to be great—good food, good friends, good times. The church asked the resident brewers to make a beer for the celebration. Unfortunately, they asked three weeks ago, and spring beers take time. Lagering takes time. It also requires equipment I have yet to acquire. So, instead of bringing a typical spring beer, the church brewers made an Oak-aged Bourbon Imperial Stout in December that just reached maturity. It’s a fantastic beer, but it doesn’t exactly bring to mind Spring. We need to get better at brewing ahead of the calendar.

Next year, I will not be caught off guard. I’ll start planning my brew now. I’m going to make a rye bock that I will call He is RYEsen! And, the next year, if the first batch works out, I’ll modify the recipe into a dopplebock or an eisbock, and I’ll call it He is RYEsen, Indeed! If I don’t acquire the necessary lagering equipment in time, I’ll do my homework and figure out how to make a 14th century bock ale. I know Rogue considers its Dead Guy Ale to be a maibock, so that would probably be a good place for me to start when making my recipe. Be ready. It’s in the works.

Happy Easter everyone! He is risen! He is risen, indeed!