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Here is a sneak peak article from the newsletter.

JOHN’S COVETED BEER CORNER:

Welp, y’all… it’s Summer time. Hot as hell days are here… time to slay some lagers, right?!

In the spirit of the warmest season (but let’s be honest, lagers are lovely & are perfect to be

consumed all year round, regardless of the seasons) we hatched an idea for a super crispy

libation with our buddies down the street at Nixta Tortilleria. Out of our very brief brainstorming

session – we already knew what we wanted to do – we came up with a Mexican Corn Lager!

 

Gustavo (owner/proprietor/chef/mazieologist) & I are both big fans of lagers of all kinds. We laid

out a corn lager recipe that utilized the heirloom corn he sources directly from Mexico. A custom

blend of pink, red, yellow, white, & blue corns were weighed out. Gustavo then prepared the

corn in a process called nixtamalization. The corn was soaked & broken in an alkaline solution

using calcium hydroxide obtained from limestone. It was then drained, washed, & hulled/ground

to a coarse consistency to use in the brewing process. This whole process makes a more

robust, more flavorful/aromatic, & more nutritious presentation of the heirloom corn.

 

The corn was added to the mash along with some choice local MN pilsner malt from Maltwerks

(Detroit Lakes) & additional flaked corn. A light hopping in the kettle of Sterling hops were added

for light balance. Oh! We also added the drained off water from the nitxtamal process to the boil.

The nixtamal water was extremely aromatic (smelled of a freshly opened bag of Gustavo’s

spectacular tortillas!) and full of trace minerals & will add another delicately complex layer to the

overall finished product.

 

Being that it’s a lager… it’s going to take a nice long while to ferment out and cold-condition for

the beautifully nuanced experience we want y’all to have & enjoy in a tall pint. Look for this

crispy & refreshing summer banger sometime in late July!!

 

*Brewed on 6/17/21*

 

Cheers!

– John

P.S. – this beer will pair perfectly with anything on Nixta’s damn delicious take-out menu!