The Craft Beer Bash in Amana was a lot of fun and informative, to say the least.
The place to taste MANY beers and all in one place was the Craft Beer Bash, held at Millstream Brewing in Amana. First and foremost, this was also the event that introduced the Rock 108 Rock Bock to the public. I heard a lot of great feedback from people who didn’t know I was connected with Rock 108 at all, so that’s a great sign. I’m excited for you all to try the Rock Bock when it hits the streets and that will be very soon!
I enjoyed many beers that were showcased at the Beer Bash. I will mention one specifically here that blew, me, away…
Kinship Brewing Company from Waukee, Iowa was a stand-out to me, personally. Meeting with the team, which included the owners Zach and Ann Dobek, it was enlightening to hear about their vision and idea behind crafting unique beers.
The one I MUST mention is the Go Wide Vietnam Rice Lager. Holy cow! I have NEVER tasted anything like it and was so impressed with it that if I had a 64oz growler with me, I’d have begged them to fill it up and put whatever they thought was fair on my credit card. Wouldn’t even have beeb worried or concerned what they decided because this beer was incredible and the staff were as genuine as humans come.
Go Wide Vietnam was created to give the taster a vision of where it may have come from, if it were made by the locals in that country. When you think of Vietnam, the climate, the cash crop and food, you imagine rice paddies under moist and humid conditions, ginger and lemongrass. It was only a mouthful before I imagined all of that. It was the flavor of Vietnam.
It’s light and crisp, pale yellow with a nose of clean, organic greens. Hops also have a musty, organic smell, but this was the exact opposite side of the spectrum. The smell was sweet, citrusy and fresh, like the smell of the air just after a good rain. It’s flavorful and not sweet, mild but with plenty of character and the essence of lemon or lemongrass is pevalent. I don’t remember the ABV, but I would think it’s near 7% but not boozy in any way.
If someone were to ask me what beer would I suggest to a non-beer drinker that wants to get into beer drinking, I would suggest this immediately. Its a pleasant beer and easy drinking so it wouldn’t scare them away from trying new beers of the same ilk. Pale lagers or pilsners are a fine way to begin a new journey into beer drinking. Newbies always say that beer is “an acquired taste” and “no one likes beer at first taste”. While I agree and disagree with this mentality, I believe that trying the Go Wide Vietnam Rice Lager would be the best first step into experiencing the taste of a wonderful beer, first one or 500th one!
