Spring is here, and with it comes the return of lighter-body beers! Cream ales are the perfect beer for spring, featuring fresh flavor and the perfect balance of crisp yet creamy mouthfeel. For April's Ale Together Now program, Michelle took us on a journey through the history of cream ales, an original American beer style.
Cream ales have the flavor and appearance of a lager, but are brewed like an ale. This makes them light and easy-drinking, with 2/6 row malt, flaked maize, and American hops lending flavor to the brew. This beer style contains no cream, like the name suggests-- instead, the word "cream" refers to the smooth mouthfeel, or texture, of this beer. They are sometimes referred to as "an American Kölsch" due to their similarity to the German ale.
Our first sample is C.R.E.A.M by Aberrant Ales Brewing Co. in Howell, MI. This beer is light and refreshing, but packed with corn sweetness balanced by malt breadiness and a hint of hops.
Cream ale comes from good ol' American innovation. In the 1840's, brewers were looking for a uniquely 'American' style beer to rival the popularity of German lagers and pilsners. Cream ale was brewed with ale yeast, 6 row malts, grist corn, and American-grown hops, to make a flavorful beer that is still light and crisp. Cream ale is easier to brew than lagers, and was promoted as a temperance-style beer to those who wanted to enjoy beer without the alcohol. Unfortunately.... this was a bold-faced lie in advertising, as cream ales are about 4% alcohol by volume (ABV). During prohibition, Canadian brewers kept the cream ale style alive, and the Canadian cream ale style was born.
Our next sample is Cream Ale by Genesee Brewing Co., based in Rochester, New York, which was first brewed in 1960 and remains a classic cream ale in the industry.
Cream ales are often associated with baseball, and the history of this beer style shows why! Post-prohibition, breweries were back to making beer and wanted to advertise their product as widely as possible. Thinking of American tradition and pride, breweries turned to baseball. They sponsored teams and featured advertisements during and between baseball innings to expose their breweries to audiences nationwide. At the same time, the Baseball League was looking to bring in bigger crowds. It seemed a perfect fit to collaborate with brewers to feature easy-drinking, cheap beer at games. In 1935, Krueger Cream Ale was the first beer to be sold in cans. It was the perfect way to transport and deliver large qualities of portable beer to members of the audience during baseball games. Hilariously, these early beer cans had a flat top that had to be pried open with a key or knife. Looking back on this, it may not have been the best idea to let drunk audiences pry beer cans open in the baseball stands with knives, but hey.... we had to start our canning process somewhere, right?
Next, we sampled Second Deck cream ale by River's Edge Brewing Co. in Milford, MI. At 5.8% ABV, Second Deck is traditionally brewed with malted six-row barley and flaked maize, and also features a light dry-hop for some extra aroma and flavor.
Cream ale is a classic American-style beer that is still popular today. The modern brewing industry enjoys this style for its traditional character, but also uses it as a clean base for adjunct experimentation: ingredients like vanilla cream, orange cream, coffee, berries, and desserts have been added to cream ales. The cream ale is a wonderful bridge between ales and lagers, with its perfect combination of crispness and creamy texture.
To see what a cream ale is like with an interesting adjunct, we sampled Blueberry Cream Ale by Cheboygan Brewing Co. in Cheboygan, MI. This beer features both blueberries and lactose sugar for an extra-creamy, blueberry-packed brew.
We also got to sample a special beer from River's Edge Brewing Co.! This mystery brew is amber in color, with aromas of malt, earth, and.... mushrooms?
April Fools! It's Trufflin', a truffle beer from River's Edge.
Thanks to everyone who joined us this month for Ale Together Now, and for being a good sport about our April Fool's prank. It's never great to be served a truffle beer by surprise, but we appreciate your sense of humor! Be sure to join us for next month's session of Ale Together Now on Wednesday, May 28 @ 6:30 pm. Please join the waitlist if the event is full, and we'll reach out to you if there's room for you to attend! Plus, learn about other upcoming events at the Library by visiting our online calendar.
Enjoy this beautiful time of year, friends. Cheers!