Love the Town, Love the Beer – Petoskey
Leelanau Brewing has helped spread the wonders of Petoskey, MI across the globe with its Petoskey Pale Ale. Beer lovers and aficionados are giving this micro-brew high ratings and spreading the reputation of the beer and town via the Internet. Here are a few quotes about Petoskey Pale Ale:
There’s something magical about beer fermented and aged in wood. Rocks, are cool, too. I’ve had German stein bier before in which hot stones are used to push the unfermented beer to boiling, causing the sugars to caramelize on the rocks. These rocks are then cooled and added to teh fermenting beer. The stein bier or “stone beer” that I remember drinking was the Rauchenfelser Steinbrau.
I recently found another stone beer. The beer is Petoskey Pale Ale from Leelanau Brewing Co. The stones in this beer weren’t heated up, but added to the beer during fermentation and aging in a large oak barrel. Another unique aspect of this beer is that it was fermented with Petoskey stones. These interesting rocks, composed of fossilized coral used to be found on beaches in the northeast lower peninsula of Michigan. I used to comb Lake Michigan beaches as a kid trying to find Petoskey stone. They would be hard to find if they dry, because they just look like a smooth gray stone. However, if the stone was wet or polished it would show the markings of the fossilized coral.
I never dreamed I would find a beer made with Petoskey stones. I expected an earthy tasting beer or at least of a hint of minerals. I don’t know that the Petoskey stones added that much flavor, but the beer did taste rather complex. It had a beautiful rocky head, too. The Petoskey Pale Ale in my glass was a cloudy amber ale and smelled of tropical fruit with a bit of fresh yeastiness mixed with earthy and spicy hops. Some faint traces of spices such as cinnamon and allspice emerged as the beer warmed up. The finish was pleasant; slightly tart and just a touch bitter. Marc
Here’s one BeerAdvocate member’s rating:
A: A little more brown than most pale ales. Creamy head with good Brussels lace.
S: Biting and floral.
T: Strong hoppy bitterness with an understated citric character.
M: Moderate carbonation, light feel.D: Easy to drink, but the flavors are extremely assertive, so you might not make it through 2 bottles. At 11 or 12 bucks a pop, they’re a little cost-prohibitive for that kind of drinking anyway.
B+ 3.95 out of 5 by Surlington at BeerAdvocate
And here’s one from RateBeer:
Very nice hazy copper coloured body with an orange glow and a nice sized tan head that fades fast but leaves a good lace on the glass. Aroma of very fragrant belgian yeast, a great pungent sour geuze like smell, some hay, grass, light malt a touch of hops and more pungent sour and yeastie smells – VERY nice! Medium-bodied; Strong pungent yeast and deep malty flavours show well at first, then leave a touch of oak and toffee sweetness at the end and all finish with a very dry character. Aftertaste shows complexity and a long-lasting bitterness – decent, but not astounding. Overall, very surprising compared to the name you read on the label and what you taste – but it’s a rewarding comparison and is definitely good to try. The beer isn’t amazing, but it’s not a pale, shows a lot of good characteristics and some good profiles. I sampled this 500 mL bottle purchased from Half-Time in Poughkeepsie, New York on 27-November-2009 sampled at home in Washington on 08-January-2010. — Really distinctive pale ale. Very nice.
