Beers of the Week: Wee Gus & Big Gus

From the Beer Writer: Small, neighborhood breweries and brewpubs have a luxury that larger operations don’t in that it’s relatively easy to brew up beers on a small scale (because it’s the only scale available) and get new creations on tap without having to fret. Meanwhile, craft breweries equipped with the greatest production capacity have the least flexibility. If they want to introduce a new beer to their fans—often in multiple states—they need to thoroughly think the process through, solving for X as far as what they’ll brew, how much they’ll brew, if there’s enough demand for the style, if it’ll be a core beer or a seasonal, how they’ll get it to market and capture attention on store shelves once it’s there. It’s a dicey, high-stakes game. So, the team at one of San Diego’s largest beer producers, Ballast Point Brewing, put a lot of thought and R&D muscle into its newly released duo, Big Gus and Wee Gus. These companion core beers both focus on giving craft-beer drinkers what it seems they want above all else these days: highly drinkable beers that peel back malt bills to expose hop character in a major way. Wee Gus, a hoppy lager, lands right in the wheelhouse of lawnmower luggers who crave a refreshing beer but don’t want to give up green, hoppy oomph in the name of lower alcohol content. That beer’s bigger, bolder sibling, Big Gus, is a 6.5% ABV (alcohol-by-volume) IPA with largely tropical aromas that come through big on the palate thanks to a bone-dry texture borne of pilsner malt. The lighter, crisper body makes it more of an everyday outdoor sipper than most IPAs. Both beers feel right on-time as far as consumer desires and particularly well suited for San Diego’s upcoming ten straight months of summer.

From the Brewer: “We’ve brewed several versions of hoppy lagers at our R&D brewery in Little Italy. This was the birth of Wee Gus, which is a sessionable lager at 4.2% ABV. Brewed with Pilsen malt and dextrose, this lager is designed to be extremely light in color and dry in finish. German Northern Brewer and Hallertauer Mittelfrüher hops take center stage, contributing a floral, somewhat spicy (black pepper) and minty flavor and aroma. While these hops are typically used in more delicate beers, we are more heavy handed with them in Wee Gus, using them both in the whirlpool and dry-hop. This enhances the overall hoppy mouthfeel by adding some astringency. Big Gus has a similar malt profile as Wee Gus, so it looks like a light lager, but has punchy aromas and flavors. The higher alcohol content contributes a fuller mouthfeel. Amarillo, Mosaic and Cashmere hops are added to the whirlpool and again for the dry-hop. This combination of hops create a white-wine-like aroma with robust orange, lemon and guava flavors. No bittering hops are added during the boil, so Big Gus has a soft and approachable bitterness. It’s the perfect marriage between a West Coast IPA and a light lager!”—Aaron Justus, Director of Research & Development, Ballast Point Brewing