Southport Magazine

Brian Kimball is a contributor to Southport Magazine and the owner of Loco Jo’s in Southport. Photo by Bethany Turner

Celebrate the arrival of spring with some special brews from Germany and the United States. Traditional German spring beers are dark lagers called Bock beers. The maibock style tends to be lighter in color with more citrus aromas and hoppy bitterness than most bock beers. Ayinger Brewery—or Brauerei Aying, as it’s known in its native country—concocts one of my favorite bocks.

Celebrator Doppelbock
Brauerei Aying
Aying, Germany
ABV: 6.7 percent
Celebrator is considered one of the best doppelbock beers in the world. As one pours, the brew shows a deep red color and full body. Celebrator is aged in oak barrels for six months, allowing enough time to create a rich flavor and a smoky finish.

Gaffel Kölsch
Privatbrauerei Gaffel Becker & Co.
Cologne, Germany
ABV: 4.8 percent
Gaffel Kölsch is a German ale that can only be brewed properly in Cologne, Germany.
The brew acqiures its flavor from yeast that is aged in cold cellars. The beer pours pale with crisp fruit on the nose and finishes with a mild hop. It can be enjoyed as a digestif (an alcoholic beverage served specifically after a meal to aid in digestion). This is an all-around easy-drinking beer for the warmer days ahead.

Dead Guy Ale
Rogue Ales
Newport, Oregon
ABV: 6.5 percent
Rogue Dead Guy Ale is brewed year-round to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (also known as All Souls’ Day, November 2nd, according to the Catholic church). Brewed as an ale instead of a lager, it is still considered a maibock. Dead Guy appears copper honey in color with a malty aroma. This brew always pleases my palate with a rich flavor and a smooth finish.

Southern Hemisphere Harvest
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, California
ABV: 6.7 percent
Southern Hemisphere Harvest is an ale that is brewed using freshly picked hops from New Zealand—the only place to get fresh hops in March. Within days the hops are delivered and processed; this allows the beer to exhibit peak flavors and aromas. Pouring copper hues with a spicy flavor and medium head, Southern Hempisphere Harvest offers a fine balance of North American malts.

Spring Fling Ale
Blue Point Brewing Co.
Patchogue, NY
ABV: 5.2 percent
Spring Fling uses a perfect balance of German barley and American hops to deliver a full-bodied ale with a perfect finish. The brew pours with copper hues and delivers a crisp flavor with hints of nuts and honey.

Spring seasonal brews provide a wide range of flavors and colors to suit most anyone’s taste. Dont let the chance to enjoy these and many others pass you by.