Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Cave Dweller Marzen
Barley John’s Brewing Co., New Richmond, Wis.
A marzen beer is not something I would expect to come across in mid-winter, yet suddenly there was Cave Dweller on the shelves where it wasn’t two weeks before.
This is, however, an outstanding example of a marzen, or Oktoberfest, beer, which is commonly sold in late summer and early fall. Barley John’s Brewing’s Cave Dweller was malty and slightly sweet with nice floral hop notes — it has it all.
I see no reason why an outstanding beer style cannot be sold outside the traditional release dates. It’s like being able to buy imperial stouts all year round now, when not so long in the past you could only buy them in the winter months.
More:Beer Man: Deschutes’ Hopzeit Autumn IPA sets the tone for fall
I didn’t notice Cave Dweller’s 8% ABV on the bottle label until after I finished it. So, technically, this is really a doppelmarzen. It doesn’t drink that heavy, however, with a body and mouthfeel that seemed more in the realm of a typical 5%-or-so Oktoberfest.
What stands out the most is the maltiness of the Vienna malt used to help flavor the beer. You get the maltiness, yet the sugars are not overhanded. Many breweries making this type of beer tend to over-bitter it or lessen the malt flavor.
Barley John’s marzen is much truer to the original German style than many American attempts. As an extra bonus, it came in a 16-ounce can instead of a 12-ounce can. Four ounces more of malty goodness!
New Richmond is in St. Croix County, Wis., close to the Minnesota border. It’s available in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
More:Beer Man: Bent Tuba Oktoberfest hits all the right notes
Barley John’s website, however, is somewhat lacking for those looking for information. Its latest news states, “2017 is off to a good start for the Barley John’s crew.” This is dated April 3, 2017. There is no information regarding where its beer is distributed.
I have advice for breweries operating this way — if you’re going to have a website, you must update it monthly, or one of the first things people think is, “Are they out of business?”
The reason to keep maintaining a website is that many people do not care about Facebook pages that have hundreds of comments such as, “Enjoying myself at (insert brewery or brewpub)” or “You’re awesome” or “So cool.” None of these social comments tell you anything about the establishment or where to buy your product.
Also, providing a list of distributors or a “Find Beer” link is almost essential nowadays to point people toward your product.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns, click here.