Beer of the Week: Oracle of Time

From the Beer Writer: We live in a day and age where no style of ale, lager or wild thing is off limits or unthinkable. Brewers are free to experiment and create beyond boundaries the old guard of this county, this country or the Old World would likely ever have thought possible. (Seriously, who could have seen peanut butter, marshmallows and edible glitter coming?) Yet, it’s those traditional styles crafted by brewers well over a century ago that still not only entrances today’s craftspeople, but also challenge them. A crisp, clean Czech-style pilsner seems so simple—and on the palate it is—but getting one just right is difficult. Ask any brewer. With a beer so light in body and substance, there’s nowhere for flaws to hide. They are amplified by the beer’s nakedness, making a style like this a test of a brewer’s ability and something of an Everest. The Bohemiam pils was just that for Black Plague Brewing Head Brewer Aeryk Heeg, who did his homework then put lessons learned to use in coaxing this week’s featured beer, Oracle of Time, to life. Not flashy or flamboyant, sexy only to fermentationists and true beer nerds, this Czech pilsner is light gold and crystal clear, tasting of dewy hay and water cracker with that snap in the finish that is the hallmark of the style done correctly. Few hazy hounds, pastry shoppers or members of the smoothie contingent will be into this, but that’s OK. This isn’t for them. It’s a brewer’s beer through and through.

From the Brewer: “Since our inception, we’ve always wanted to offer a Czech-style pilsner brewed with the quality and care to proudly represent a style that helped pave the way for modern-day brewers. Using Bohemian floor-malted pilsner and classic Czech Saaz hops, we created a crisp, refreshing pilsner, pale straw in color with earthy malt flavor and notes of biscuit and honey. It’s delightfully well-balanced, with a light body weighing in at 5.3% ABV (alcohol-by-volume) and 25 IBUs (international bittering units). We are super-proud of our head brewer Aeryk Heeg’s attention to detail and passion when formulating these recipes. In this case, he has truly outdone himself. We have a feeling this one is going to be in rotation for years to come.”—Jordan Hoffart, Co-founder & President, Black Plague Brewing