Here is a new release in the New Belgium Lips of Faith Series that I am quite excited to try. Grätzer is an old Polish style of beer that traditionally features smoked wheat malt, a high bitterness and a light sourness. For more on the style, I’ll send you here and here. New Belgium and 3 Floyds are two outstanding breweries, and this collaboration might be the only way that most people in the NW have any hope of getting their hands on a beer made by 3 Floyds, which barely distributes outside of the Chicago area. 

The Grätzer style has seen a modest revival here in the US, but it has not yet been embraced like the also-almost-forgotten style of gose. The only version I’ve tried from a NW brewery was from Burnside in Portland in 2011, and that was quite enjoyable. Here in Washington, Wingman Brewers just took home a bronze medal in the Specialty Beer category at the 2014 Washington Beer Awards with their 3.7% Gratzilla, which incorporates smoked bacon. A quick Ratebeer.com search tells me that Outlander and Deschutes have also made the style at some point. There may have been others, but you get the point. 

Up until 2012, there was no commercially available smoked wheat malt, which meant breweries had to smoke their own. But, Weyermann now makes an Oak-Smoked Pale Wheat Malt, which makes brewing a Grätzer quite a bit less labor-intensive. Hopefully, that means we’ll see more breweries experimenting with the style.

Press Release:

Ft. Collins, Colo., – June 17, 2014 – 3 Floyds, a small brewery in Munster, Ind. with a big reputation, and New Belgium Brewing, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., have partnered to create Grätzer. This bold-flavored ale brings back to life the long-buried Grätzer style from Poland, which primarily uses oak-smoked wheat. This collaboration beer also incorporates Midnight Wheat malt, which provides a mild sweetness. It pours pure black and has a subtle, spicy note from Polish Lublin Hops. At 4.5% ABV and 30 IBUs, Grätzer is sessionable and has a nice, light body, despite its dark appearance.
 
“The beer turned out really refreshing and the tartness complements the smoke and makes the whole drinking experience harmonious,” said Chris Boggess, Head Brewer at 3 Floyds. “We’re also excited about the label art. We tried our best to push for some gruesome artwork and the label is pretty brutal – gooey brains and zombies!”
 
“We definitely had a fun time partnering with them to create Grätzer,” said Lauren Salazar, New Belgium’s wood cellar manager and sensory specialist. “3 Floyds is in the heart of the Midwest and although they have limited distribution they are known far and wide for some amazing beers, so it was an honor to partner alongside them.”
 
Grätzer is available now through September, while supplies last, in 22-ounce bombers and on draft.
 
To find New Belgium beers near you, visit the libation locator at http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/locator.aspx.
 
About New Belgium Brewing Company 
New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews nine year-round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Snapshot Wheat, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Lager, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more atwww.newbelgium.com.