Beer of the Week: FrankenStout

Over the past three decades, certain locally produced ales and lagers have claimed vaunted spots in the San Diego beer pantheon. They go by singular, popular names – Swami’s, Sculpin, Speedway (and that’s just the beers that start with an “S”) – and their reputations among craft-beer fans extend well beyond our region. As one would expect from a locale with its own style of IPA, the majority are hop-forward, but I’m here to make a case for a beer that is not only dark and malty, but produced in limited quantities and unavailable via distribution. I know…I’m really digging a hole for myself here, but that’s how unique this local creation is. So I ask you to bear with me as I tell you about this week’s featured beer, FrankenStout. Introduced in 2013 by Miramar-based yeast and fermentation company, White Labs (check out the “Birth of FrankenStout” here), it is an imperial stout…but not just any imperial stout. Whereas most beers are fermented using a single yeast strain – with an infinitesimal fraction of a percentage utilizing multiple cultured strains – FrankenStout is conjured using…wait for it…96 different yeast strains! I rarely dole out exclamation points, but that factoid demands simultaneous depressing of the shift and number-one keys. Multiple ale (California, Belgian, English, German, Czech, Polish, San Diego Super and more) and lager strains commingle, converting sugars to alcohol while lending the resultant beer their unique aromatic and flavor characteristics. In the past, I’ve tasted everything from dried fruits (dates, figs, prunes), berries (blueberries, blackberries), bubble gum, anise and floral notes (jasmine, geranium, lavender) against this strong stout’s classic chocolate-coffee backdrop. To put it simply, there is no beer that’s produced in this manner or offers so much from a sensory perspective, not just in San Diego, but anywhere! (There I go with the exclamation point again.) And the fact it smells and tastes different each time it is brewed makes it even more special. In this year’s edition (which was recently released in 16-ounce cans available at White Labs Brewing’s tasting room), I picked up bright blueberry with subdued fennel and mineral undertones, all of which brought delicious depth to a style that can often come across as one-note. Most local-fixture brews are reached for time and time again because of their consistency, whereas FrankenStout elicits return customers who are curious about how each iteration turns out. That’s pretty special, and for my money, special is what hallowed beers are – or should be – all about.

Back in 2013, we embarked on an incredible journey with local company Illumina to fully sequence the genome of 96 of our brewing yeast strains. We painstakingly propagated small batches of these strains and dispatched even smaller samples for analysis. As passionate yeast advocates, we were determined not to let the precious leftover cultures go to waste. Thus, the brilliant idea of amalgamating them into a single culture and crafting a unique beer was born. After much consideration on which beer style could best showcase the complexity of 96 strains in one fermentation, we proudly introduced FrankenStout to the world. Much like Frankenstein’s original creation, this beer exudes an enigmatic, rich and multi-faceted character that we are truly excited to share with fellow beer enthusiasts.”

Neva Parker, Director of Operations, White Labs

White Labs Brewing is located inside White Labs at 9495 Candida Street in Miramar