Notch Releasing The Mule Corn Lager 8/1

Enough myths, let’s move to the reality. Many brewers use corn to dry out big malty beers, such as double IPAs and Belgian beers. So if corn is good for drying out bigger beers, can it really have a positive impact on pale lagers? You bet, and that is what the Mule is all about. I cut my teeth brewing a light ale in a brewpub where I apprenticed. Every brewpub in that era had a very light entry level beer for those unaccustomed to beer with flavor. This light ale used a high portion of flaked maize (aka corn) and its impact on the flavor was significant. It certainly dried the beer out in the finish, but had a bit of perceived sweetness up front. The problem was that the rest of the beer was uninspired, by design, to appeal to the masses. But the impact of the corn always stuck with me, and I finally had inspiration to use it again. Since Notch is about making traditional styles that just happen to be lower in ABV, it was time to attack the much maligned American Pale Lager (aka, American Adjunct Lager or American Corn Lager).

The corn for the Mule was grown at Four Star Farms in Northfield MA, and is a heritage variety known as Rhode Island Whitecap Flint (pretty evil sounding, yes?). It came in the form of grits, which required a fairly back breaking and pain in the ass process called cereal mashing. This is where the grits need to be boiled to make the starches in the grain available to the enzymes from the malted grains. Since the brewhouse at Mercury has no cereal cooker, we had to improvise. Let’s just say it was a long day that left some scars. The grain is all US, and included premium pils malt from Rahr, along with a touch of carapils and flaked barley.  The corn mash was then incorporated in with the main mash, we had full conversion, and the rest of the brew day was normal, sort of. Also a BIG shout out to Paul Gentile of Mercury Brewing who helped me plan out and execute an overly complicated brew day.

The corn was really used to set the platform for the hops. Anyone who knows me knows my love for pale hoppy lagers, and I was excited to use two hop varieties in this beer – Crystal and Sterling. Not much bittering hop in this beer, only 5 IBUs in the first wort charge (Mt Hood) with the remaining hops at the end of boil and whirlpool, as well as dry hopping. The Sterling provides a nice spicy flavor on the tongue as the beer dries out (thank you corn) and the Crystal really comes through in the aroma to add some lemony punch.

It’s a delicate beer, but one that I envisioned for those late summer days when the heat and humidity still linger, and even late into September as we try to squeeze out the last beach days of the year.  I grew up here, so I know all about the fleeting summertime weather, and I will not be participating in making the beer taps and shelves look like October with 7 weeks of summer still ahead of us. Demand a summer beer in August! It’s a big concept, we know.

And why call it the Mule? They have a reputation for being stubborn, but that is another myth. They just happen to be deliberate; making sure their next move is well thought out. The Brewers Association, stubborn in their ways, could learn a thing or two from our sweet old girl, the Mule.

And join us on Thursday, August 1 at 8:00PM for the release at Clover Hub!
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