Tag: schell’s

A New Look for Grain Belt

By on January 28, 2014in breweries

The look of Grain Belt really hasn’t changed much over the years. And while Schell’s has owned the brand since 2002, they’ve always been fairly hesitant to change the look of Grain Belt. Certainly a facelift for Grain Belt needs to be treated delicately, given it’s dedicated following and rich history.

According to Schell’s Jace Marti, the new design drew inspiration from the aesthetics of Grain Belt’s look back in the 50s and 60s, – iconic and classy. “When we finally decided it was time to update the packaging, that look was what immediately came to mind. It’s a great family look that stays true to it’s roots…”The brewery has also acquired some great old Grain Belt ads and artwork that will serve as inspiration for new ads and signage for the brand “It’s going to be such a stark contrast to all the American Lager ads you see out there today, I think it’s really going to be a fun, refreshing change.” Very true! Look for the new campaign in February.

Schell’s Anniversary Pilsner Series

By on December 5, 2013in breweries

PilsSeries_AAB_FebMarchToday we learned that August Schell Brewing Company will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Schell’s Pils with a new series of beers in February. The 30th anniversary series will include four different pilsners – the original recipe from 1984, the current recipe and two new offerings – a Roggen and Mandarina Bavaria Pils. Expect those in variety 12-packs and for bars, 4x 1/6 bbl kegs.

It’s great to see the “old timers” like Schell’s embracing special release beers in their very own way. In the days of double IPAs and barrel-aged concoctions, it’s often easy to forget that in the 80s breweries like Schell’s were starting to buck the system and break away from mass-produced, homogenized  boring beer. In 1984 Schell introduced a traditional Bavarian-style Pilsner well before it was cool to be craft (or crafty?). Beer writer Michael Jackson called this beer “One of the best American examples of the Pilsner style.”

The Roggen Pils will be a departure from a traditional pilsner with rye malt, Tettnang and Smaragd hops and the last beer in the series will feature a new German hop, Mandarina Bavaria, said to have strong tangerine and citrus notes.

I’m looking forward to this one – I’ve always liked Schell’s Pilsner. I’m not surprised at the choice of beers – a few years ago at a Schell’s event at Stub & Herbs, Ted Marti told me that Schell’s Pilsner was his favorite Schell’s beer. And speaking of favorite beers, one of my favorite Schell’s offerings, Hefeweizen will be turning 30 this year as well and Schell’s will be doing a special series in July as well.

Schell’s Framboise du Nord Details!

By on September 21, 2013in breweries
framboisedunordThe second release in Schell’s Noble Star Collection will be their Framboise du Nord. The beer takes a twist on the Berliner Weisse tradition of adding a shot of sweet syrup to he beer when drinking, but instead of using syrup, Schell’s added raspberries during secondary fermentation. Schell’s Jace Marti says it the beer should be “a refreshingly sour beer full of raspberry flavor.” The first batch of the Noble Star Collection ended up being split between to batches since the cypress lagering tank they used was so large. The first half was released as Star of the North, and the second half was transferred back into a stainless steel tank along with 5000 pounds of raspberries, where it fermented for an additional four months. Right now they’re looking at a November release. Expect this beer to pour a bright, neon red color with a pink foam head. If you’re lucky enough to have Autumn Brew Review tickets, they’ll be pouring a single keg of this beer at the event as a sneak preview. Save some for me!

Schell’s Stag Series #8, August’s Bock

By on September 10, 2013in breweries

Here’s another one to watch for from August Schell Brewing Co. For the 8th beer in their Stag Series, they’ve teamed up with Gold Ochsen Brauerei in New Ulm’s sister city, Ulm German. Both cities are also host to 5th generation family-owned breweries and both breweries were founded by men named August. Working in collaboration, they decided to brew a Blonde Doppel Bock. Both breweries used specialty malts from Weyerman with each brewery using their own base Pilsner malt – Rahr for Schell’s and Schwabenmalz for Gold Ochsen. Both breweries used Emerald, Tattnanger and Saphir hops during the boil and then each brewery used a different newer German hop variety in the whirlpool and as a dry hop. Schell’s used Polaris hops and Gold Ochsen used Mandarina Bavaria. Both beer were then fermented with the respective brewries’ house lager yeast and will mature for a couple of months before packaging. August Bock should appear in both breweries’ markets in November.augustbock