Robin Shepard
Hinterland Brewery of Green Bay will be one of the anchor businesses within the Packers’ new “Titletown District,” to run roughly from Lambeau Field westward along Lombardi Avenue to I-41. Groundbreaking has not yet taken place, but the brewery’s newest beer, Groundbreaker Double Pilsner, is already looking forward to the celebration.
What is it? Groundbreaker by Hinterland Brewery of Green Bay
Style: The double or imperial pilsner is a bolder take on the pilsner. These are often deep golden-colored beers with a firm, hoppy aroma, with strong malty background that provides a rich flavor and some balance. Along with the more assertive bitterness and malty backbone is a higher alcohol content, ranging from 6.5% to 9% ABV. The imperial pilsner is growing in popularity, yet it remains a style not commonly found.
Background: “Groundbreaker is basically a bigger version of the brewery’s Packerland Pilsner,” says Hinterland brewer Joe Karls. The craft pilsner has become more popular over the past few years. “I like this style,” says Karls. “It’s not overly complex, just clean like a pilsner with lots of alcoholic warmth.”
Groundbreaker, like Packerland Pilsner, has a European backbone. It’s made with a Czech lager yeast, lots of two-row and pilsner malts, and German Hallertau hops. “That malt bill helps ensure a light body, yet it’s still a big beer,” says Karls. It finishes at 7% ABV and around 30 IBUs. It’s sold in six-packs for around $9. Groundbreaker should be available on store shelves through March. It will become part of Hinterland’s seasonal lineup and will be brought back next January.
Hinterland’s new brewery will be nearly directly across from Lambeau Field at the corner of Lombardi Avenue and South Ridge Road. Final blueprints are still being drawn up, but the new restaurant and brewery will have around 25,000 square feet. The brewery has outgrown its current space closer to downtown, where brewing is done until mid-afternoon, then the restaurant business takes over for the evening. The dinner crowd has to walk by stacks of beer cases on pallets waiting to be handed over to the distributor. The new location will allow the brewery to quadruple its production from 5,000 barrels a year to over 20,000 barrels, and not interfere with the restaurant. Hinterland’s new brewery and restaurant is expected to be open by summer 2017.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: A light spicy-herbal hoppiness from the Hallertau hops.
Appearance: Deep golden-copper color and clear. A thick, bubbly, tan head.
Texture: Medium- to full-bodied and bubbly.
Taste: A smooth, bready-maltiness with spicy-herbal background.
Finish/Aftertaste: Clean, with crisp herbal-dryness.
Glassware: A big pilsner like Groundbreaker deserves a heavy-footed pilsner glass to show off its rich golden color and effervescence.
Pairs well with: This is a great beer for a hearty pasta, especially those with rich, mildly spicy tomato sauces. Allow it to warm slightly above refrigerator temperatures to bring out the bready sweetness of the base malts, which blend beautifully with the spiciness of the German Noble hops.
The Verdict: I really enjoyed the full body and sweetness of Groundbreaker. It’s bold, crisp and flavorful; there’s warmth from its 7% ABV that deserves some respect. Given all that flavor, it finishes remarkably clean with a kiss of herbal-spicy accent from the German Hallertau hops. This is a well-made beer that will surely find a following. Hinterland is showing creativity as it launches into a new phase of business, and this beer is a Groundbreaker in more ways than one.
