Overview: The craft beer industry has seen its fair share of trends come and go, with certain styles gaining popularity while others fall out of favor. However, some beloved brews have managed to slip through the cracks, leaving behind a void that can only be filled by their revival.
The Full Story
The world of craft beer is full of stories about beers that could’ve been – those lost brews from our collective past. From iconic brands like Rolling Rock and Firestone Walker Pale 31, to smaller breweries’ hidden gems, these are the beers we’d bring back if given the chance.
Latrobe Brewing Company’s Rolling Rock, for instance, is a beer that John Kimmich, co-owner and head brewer of The Alchemist brewery in Vermont, misses dearly. Released from “the glass-lined tanks of Old Latrobe,” this classic American lager was closed down by the original brewery back in 2006.
Mike Schallau, co-founder and brewer at Chicago’s Is Was Brewing Company, is also nostalgic for Firestone Walker Pale 31 – a beer that first caught his attention when he fell in love with its hoppy goodness. When it left the Chicago market, there was no turning back; even attempting to replicate the technique by brewing DBA into homebrew.
The Alchemist’s John Kimmich isn’t alone in this quest for lost brews. Dionisis Papagiannis, head brewer at Mikkeller Copenhagen Denmark is working on reviving their George Bourbon BA – a beer that people have been asking for. For him and many others there are beers which deserve revival.
Ash Kinart-Short, technical brewer from New Belgium Brewing Company in Colorado reminisces about the classic Anchor Steam style of beer: an American-style lager that’s lost its place among breweries as some have moved away from brewing it entirely. It had a significant influence on the industry at one point and would be nice to see revived.
Silas Gilbert, head brewer at Nantucket-based Cisco Brewers is also in this quest for reviving Summer of Lager – an American lager that he remembers fondly during his time as apprentice brewer with The Alchemist. His main hope is getting it back on the taps so everyone can enjoy one every summer.
Lastly Erik Rzeczycki, brewer at Mt Pleasant-based Westbrook Brewing Company has a personal connection to bringing Two Claw – an American IPA from New England that was once brewed for many years but stopped being produced a few years ago. It still holds up against some of the modern IPAs available today and he hopes it will be back on tap soon.
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