It’s not every day, or every year, that DC Brau adds a new year-round beer, so when they do, we take notice. Please welcome Dueling Grounds Vienna Lager (5% alcohol by volume) to the Brau portfolio, their first new regular offering since The Imperial!
A history lesson on the name: “Just a stone’s throw from DC Brau lies the infamous Colmar Manor Dueling Grounds, where Washington’s elite once settled scores with pistols in hand. Known as ‘The Dark and Bloody Grounds,’ it saw duels rage on—even after Congress outlawed them in 1839—until the eve of the Civil War,” notes a press release about the beer. As a bonus, they have the blessing of Colmar Manor’s mayor! “I’m thrilled to see DC Brau honor our town’s rich history with this new brew!” says Mayor Monica Casañas. “The dueling grounds are a legendary part of our past, and this launch is a creative way to celebrate our unique story. Cheers to history, community, and great beer!” Mayor Casañas will be at Brau on Friday, April 11th at 4pm for the launch. She will issue a mayor proclamation naming it the official beer of Colmar Manor. Can’t make it? Select bars, restaurants, and retailers will have the beer as well.
Why a Vienna Lager, a style with a reputation as a brewers’ beer, and one that pairs very well with Latin American as well as Teutonic cuisines, might we add? “Dueling Grounds gives us a chance to produce something so rare in craft brewing that’s always been very near to my heart – a beer in perfect balance,” says DC Brau Head Brewer Alex Spencer. “Just enough malt, just enough hops, clean and refreshing, really just the best of everything. As the popularity of highly-adjuncted extreme-flavored craft beers starts to wane, and lagers and ‘beer flavored beer’ make a comeback, Dueling Grounds is the perfect fit both for who we are as a brewery, and where the beer market is heading.”
Brau is pretty cautious in terms of rolling out new beers, so this could be a good sign for the local beer market. Hopefully they have read beer drinkers correctly, though even if not we’re going to get a Vienna lager out of it, so it’s win-win for us! Outside of Devils Backbone, there aren’t many year-round Vienna Lagers in the area, though they do make for a popular fall seasonal, especially in the run-up to Oktoberfest.
This beer is a “crime of opportunity” for Brau in that the brewery is a large buyer of many ingredients that go into a Vienna lager. Let’s nerd out a bit. Brau Pils uses Hallertau Tradition hops and Corruption uses a fair amount of honey malt, both featured in Dueling Grounds. “The beer is based on a blend of Munich and Pilsner malts, with a decent helping of Honey Malt and a little bit of Caramunich to add depth/sweetness and toasty complexity,” Spencer tells us. “We’re using a very traditional European step mash protocol, as we do for most of our lagers. Magnum gives us a clean smooth hop bitterness, and a bit of Hallertau Tradition in the whirlpool for a pop of spicy/earthy flavor and aroma.” He adds that drinkers will note a “slightly higher bitterness level… to really set this beer apart from other available examples in our region, that tend to be on the sweet side.”
In sum, Brau looked at what was on hand in terms of hops and malt; what was in the market–not Vienna lagers, evidently; what Spencer wanted to brew; and what their sales reps and distributors wanted to carry. I’ve got a soft spot for the style via Brooklyn Lager, which is basically a Vienna with Cascade hops, and Jason Oliver’s version at Devils Backbone, which is one of the better beers I can buy at Capital One Arena. Here’s hoping you enjoy the style as much as we do, and we’ll see you at Brau on the 11th!
