Beer of the Week: The Name of the Beer is…Rocket from the Crypt
As a fan of live music, I often lament how few quality beer options are available at show venues. Not arenas…I’m too cheap to pay for anything they have to offer, craft or not. I’m talking about smaller, more intimate spots for catching bands of the alt, indie and punk ilk, the likes of which are usually strangle-held by macro-beer conglomerates. It’s OK. The wealth of brewery spots in just about every neighborhood in our fair county makes it easy to make opening acts of tasty IPAs, saisons and stouts. But it would still be cool to have some of that epic liquid fare while watching the main event. So I applaud an act from my heyday, punk band Rocket from the Crypt, for taking care of that for fans who share my opinion – which apparently syncs with theirs – by asking Miramar-based Fall Brewing to brew them something special for a recent show. The result is this week’s featured beer, The Name of the Beer is…Rocket from the Crypt, an adjunct lager that’s several cuts above its other faint yellow, corn- and rice-infused contemporaries. The color of this beer verges on amber, and while there’s rice in the beer, it’s toasted and matched with a malt bill that brings on biscuity flavors. That and generous (for the style) hopping results in a beer reminiscent of a slightly sweet, bready German festbier with grassy, fruity undertones and mineral character from the lager yeast used to ferment it. It’s a thoughtful beer that unlike any lager I could hope to find at a live-music spot – “craft” or otherwise – is worthy of multiple encores.
We were approached by Jon Reis, singer of legendary San Diego band, Rocket From The Crypt. They wanted a ripping lager for an upcoming show and requested it be called, ‘The Name of the Beer is…Rocket From The Crypt.’ With winter rolling in, we aimed to highlight a lesser-known pseudo-style that accentuates some richer flavors for the season. This 5.2% ABV (alcohol-by-volume), ‘toasted’ lager uses a unique combination of toasted rice and biscuit malt to deliver delicate Maillard flavors of toasted whole-wheat bread and almonds. These flavors are complemented by floral-forward noble-hop varietals as well as German Cascade hops to offer a hint of citrus peel. Turn the volume up and crack one open.”
Brian Kim, Head Brewer, Fall Brewing