Cicero’s understands that when it come to beer, most people’s favorite is the latest and greatest new beer. Very few beer lovers drink the same beer over and over again. Sure, you might go back to an old standard, but you always try the latest beer first. For that reason, and others, Cicero’s changes their menu every week. When kegs kick, we change them up, unless we decide to keep it tapped for a while longer because it kicked so fast. With that in mind, we strive to keep you, our customers informed on our weekly changes. The “First Pour” series of blog posts will highlight and review the newest beers we have on draft for you. Again, we have a happy couple writing these posts for us. If you see them around, make sure and thank them for their hard work.
By Alaina Kantner and Mike Vecchio
Style: Amber Ale
Hemp: Organic toasted hemp seed
Grain: 2-Row, Crystal and Malted Rye, Victory, Flaked Barley
Hops: German Hallertauer and Summit and American Cascade
23 IBUs
5.5% ABV
Here we have O’Fallon’s Hemp Hop Rye amber ale. After all the legal maneuvering we have a solid hemp flavored local beer (calm down – there is no way the Federal government is allowing the distribution of a beer with any THC in it). The beer pours out murky amber in color with nice head retention on the pour. The smell is a balance of malt sweetness and very light spice from the rye. There’s also a herbally effect from the German hops. The taste is greater than the sum of its parts and is extremely balanced – the herbal bite and citrus pop from the hops, the spice of the rye, the nuttiness of the toasted hemp seeds, all with a solid malt foundation. Only point of complaint was this batch seemed more yeasty than the last time we had it. Overall the beer is really balanced, drinks very smooth, and is a great addition to O’Fallon’s “everyday beer” catalog.
About the Authors – Alaina and Mike moved to St Louis from Ohio in 2008 and quickly jumped into the craft beer scene. Alaina has gone from drinking light lagers almost exclusively to enjoying maltier beers – most notably porters and stouts – and hefeweizens. In her free time Alaina enjoys reading, running, and attempting to teach their dog tricks. Mike has evolved from drinking highly hopped IPAs to enjoying a wider range of pale ales and traditional hefeweizens. Mike enjoys trying to teach his dog not to bark at anything that moves, reading about crime and gangs, and home brewing with his co-workers. Both Alaina and Mike have been attending Cicero’s Beer School for a year and credit it to helping them expand their knowledge of craft brew and assisting them to take the plunge into home brewing with their friends. Hopefully, they will bring in some of their home-brew one day.
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