A good week for me trying different beers. Had a few restaurant visits with family, pulled a few selections from the basement bar fridge,  and a beer tasting/sampling for a soon to be opening local brewery, who’s judging panel included a local distributor who brought some shareables.

It was a hard pick though as it came down to novelty or quality. Not that novelty can’t be quality, the level of quality for my pick was great for its style, and also the brewery/outlet that made it.

I was originally looking at Disgruntled Brewing’s Double Stuff Milk Stout out of Perham, MN. Pitch black stout, that miraculously tastes exactly like the chocolate cookie parts from an Oreo cookie. Super creamy mouthfeel and that same slightly burnt and chocolaty taste you get from the cookie. My only critique (besides not getting here more often) was for calling it a double stuff, it lacked the marshmallow creme component. True, it’s a nice milk stout and there’s a little lactose flavor but I expected more creme flavor. No mistake thought, it’s a great beer.

So, what was my fav? A little surprise picked up at a Hy-Vee in New Ulm, MN while on a little mini vacation a few weeks ago. Skillet Creek Pilsner by Baraboo Brewing Co. This pilsner pours super clear and bright with a medium white cap. A sweet aroma of crackers and honey, very low herbal/spicy hops. Flavor-wise, it matches the nose. Crackers, more of the spicy component of the hops and a touch of sweet honey. No sulfur, no graininess, no harshness, and the sweet was very subdued and well balanced. What I liked about this most was how clean it was. All of the flavors were combined in the right levels and all faded equally so instead of being left with a lingering of one particular note, it finished exactly as it started. And super drinkable.

Now here’s the surprise (at least for me); Baraboo Who? We picked it up because it was something we hadn’t tried before. We didn’t think anything more than, “Hey, we haven’t tried this brand before.” Turns out it’s the store brand for Hy-Vee, which is where we purchased it. The contract brewery for Hy-Vee’s beer line is none other than Stevens Point Brewing in Stevens Point, WI. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of Point Beer. I do like some of their Whole Hog series “higher end” beers but other than that, just not impressed. This changes my viewpoint a little. They make a superb little pilsner that I would seek out if we had a Hy-Vee here in central Minnesota.

I tasted a lot of beers this week, and some very interesting and unique flavors, but in my mind I kept coming back to this one beer. Clean, crisp, and slightly sweet without any flaws. Imminently drinkable, high quality craft.

If you have access to Hy-Vee and like pilsners, you owe it to yourself to pick some up and enjoy – preferably on a warm summer day with burgers on the grill – but tucked inside on a cool winter will work just as well.