Try?
You might think great, handcrafted beer is a modern phenomenon; it’s not. Before prohibition, the American brewing scene was in some ways like it is today, with the landscape dotted by small local brewers. One such brewery was Nashville’s Gerst Brewery, founded by William Gerst and Christian Moerlein in 1890. Moerlein left the project in 1893 but is remembered today for his famous Cincinnati brewery.
The Gerst brewery closed in 1954 but is survived today by the Gerst Haus Restaurant in Nashville; you can read more about the history of the Gerst brewery there. If you go there, be sure to order up a mug of Gerst Amber Ale locally brewed by the fine folks at Yazoo Brewing. I snagged a bottle of this beer that recalls a part of Nashville brewing history on a recent trip to Spring Hill.
From the brewery website:
Check out a piece of Nashville brewing history! Gerst Brewery was the original Nashville brewery, but never recovered after prohibition. We are excited to partner with the Chandler Family, owners of the Gerst Haus Restaurant, to bring this beer back right where it belongs – Nashville, Tennessee.
This is a very “clean” beer, with mostly German malts and a hint of flaked maize, remaining as true as possible to the original Gerst recipe.
Gerst Amber Ale has an alcohol content of 5.1% by volume with 11 IBUs, and Kroger was selling it for $7.99 a six-pack, a real bargain. Gerst, of course, is German for barley. A lucky name for that brewer indeed.
Gerst Amber Ale pours to a deep, well, amber color with a light head of fizzy short-lived foam and a soft caramel malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer is lovely with malt: gently toasty, slightly chewy with caramel, deep and delicious. The fresh, clean malty notes linger on into the slightly sweet, only partially balanced finish that is peppered with herbal hop notes.
As I sipped, I reflected that if I could change one thing, I might add a tad more hops, though I was really loving the wonderful maltiness here. Then I thought better of it and decided I wouldn’t change a thing. This is a very tasty and drinkable beer brewed to a classic recipe, and at a bargain price. I’ll be looking for more the next time I’m in Tennessee.
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
