Beers of America
Collection Barbary Coast Gold Rush Style Beer
Review Date 12/31/2002
Try?
Re-buy?
Having greatly enjoyed a bottle of Piedmont
Porter from the Beers of America Historical Collection, I was ready
to move onto my next selection: Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer.
First, though, I was a little curious. Just where did these beers come from?
Certainly not from any microbrewery I was familiar with. The information
included with the pine-case gift set of two bottles each of four beers was
ambiguous.
The bottle of Porter said MDI, Chicago Illinois. But wait. The flyer said MDI, St. Paul Minnesota. An internet search turned up little information. Likely a marketing company that had the idea to put these beers together at the holidays to cash in on the microbrewing trend. Moreover, it appears that 2002 is not the first year that these beers have been offered.
There was more information on the bottle, though. “Brewed and Bottled by MDI, La Crosse Wisconsin”. That likely meant the City Brewery as the place of origin for Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer and the rest of the beers in the collection. The City Brewery is a historical landmark in La Crosse. Brewing on this site began way back in 1858 and ultimately laid the foundation for what was to become the G. Heileman Brewing Company, a concern that would one day grow to one of the nation’s largest brewing empires.
In 1999, the Heileman Brewing Company was acquired by Pabst, which was more interested in Heileman’s brands than its brewing facilities. A group of area investors combined with brewery employees managed to raise enough cash to purchase the brewery and establish The City Brewery. The company brews a line of beers under that name, and also contract brews other beers like Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer.
Barbary Coast is a steam-style beer, a style that originated in California. It is also known as California Common, and if you have ever drunk an Anchor Steam beer, you have had one. Steam beer is a hybrid of ale and lager. To brew it, lager yeast is used but warmer fermentation temperatures provide an ale-like character. Most likely, the style got its name from the high degree of carbonation the beer possesses. Kegs of it were said to “steam”, and the name seems to have stuck.
I was, at first, a bit skeptical about how authentic this beer would be. Anchor Steam is an exceptional brew, a world-class one in fact, so Barbary Coast had a lot to live up to. Steam beer is best when exceptionally fresh, and that was one thing Barbary Coast had going for it. The bottles were gleaming and as I popped the cap off a huge scent of fresh malt came wafting from the bottle.
Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer pours to a ruby gold color with a thick creamy head and lost of carbonation. A persistent stream of bubbles rises to the top of the glass, while a good amount of foam clings to the sides of the glass on the way down. The nose is fruity with a generous dose of malt aroma. The palate is full bodied with a chewy, toasty malt base and a generous amount of fruit. The finish is slightly bitter with a subtle grassy hop character.
Overall, this is a very good example of steam beer. It reminds me a lot of New England Atlantic Amber, a steam-style beer from Connecticut. Were this beer sold separately, I would more than likely stick with Anchor, but as a part of the Beers of America Historical Collection Barbary Coast is well worth your time.
The bottle of Porter said MDI, Chicago Illinois. But wait. The flyer said MDI, St. Paul Minnesota. An internet search turned up little information. Likely a marketing company that had the idea to put these beers together at the holidays to cash in on the microbrewing trend. Moreover, it appears that 2002 is not the first year that these beers have been offered.
There was more information on the bottle, though. “Brewed and Bottled by MDI, La Crosse Wisconsin”. That likely meant the City Brewery as the place of origin for Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer and the rest of the beers in the collection. The City Brewery is a historical landmark in La Crosse. Brewing on this site began way back in 1858 and ultimately laid the foundation for what was to become the G. Heileman Brewing Company, a concern that would one day grow to one of the nation’s largest brewing empires.
In 1999, the Heileman Brewing Company was acquired by Pabst, which was more interested in Heileman’s brands than its brewing facilities. A group of area investors combined with brewery employees managed to raise enough cash to purchase the brewery and establish The City Brewery. The company brews a line of beers under that name, and also contract brews other beers like Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer.
Barbary Coast is a steam-style beer, a style that originated in California. It is also known as California Common, and if you have ever drunk an Anchor Steam beer, you have had one. Steam beer is a hybrid of ale and lager. To brew it, lager yeast is used but warmer fermentation temperatures provide an ale-like character. Most likely, the style got its name from the high degree of carbonation the beer possesses. Kegs of it were said to “steam”, and the name seems to have stuck.
I was, at first, a bit skeptical about how authentic this beer would be. Anchor Steam is an exceptional brew, a world-class one in fact, so Barbary Coast had a lot to live up to. Steam beer is best when exceptionally fresh, and that was one thing Barbary Coast had going for it. The bottles were gleaming and as I popped the cap off a huge scent of fresh malt came wafting from the bottle.
Barbary Coast Brand Gold Rush Style Beer pours to a ruby gold color with a thick creamy head and lost of carbonation. A persistent stream of bubbles rises to the top of the glass, while a good amount of foam clings to the sides of the glass on the way down. The nose is fruity with a generous dose of malt aroma. The palate is full bodied with a chewy, toasty malt base and a generous amount of fruit. The finish is slightly bitter with a subtle grassy hop character.
Overall, this is a very good example of steam beer. It reminds me a lot of New England Atlantic Amber, a steam-style beer from Connecticut. Were this beer sold separately, I would more than likely stick with Anchor, but as a part of the Beers of America Historical Collection Barbary Coast is well worth your time.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
