La Crosse Lager

Let's go back 20 or so years to La Crosse, WI...The G. Heileman brewing company had grown into a massive corporate powerhouse of regional brands. The brewing industry was and had been for some time a very cutthroat enterprise. The competition was fierce and in some ways G. Heileman was going in the right direction. Enter Alan Bond and his holding company. There was scandal, false valuation of this man and his assets and the whole thing came tumbling down. The pieces that was G. Heileman ended up going different directions to brewers that really had no interest in keeping the good G. Heileman name going and the whole enterprise became a mess where the consumer no longer had any idea who was brewing what.

The last time I was at the La Crosse brewery was when I worked for Crete Carriers hauling their Old Milwaukee beer to Omaha. This was 1998 and the workers said that the brewery was owned at that point by Stroh. Which makes sense as Old Milwaukee was never a G. Heileman brand. Then the brewery closed sometime after that, leaving the employees and La Crosse holding the bag. A local group purchased the brewery, naming it City Brewery. They didn't own the hallmark Old Style name so new brands were created. There was money troubles and an ownership change. The large Old Style sign was removed from the top of the brewery building and they plugged away brewing their new brands. I live in North Dakota and never saw any of the brands but I kept looking. I think that the loss of the Old Style brand was a hidden blessing because any of the cheap incarnations I tasted were not pleasant.

Fast forward to La Crosse Lager with its distinctive label and and fresh new image. Here is a beer that I would visit the brewery for. It has a typical American Premium style to it. It has a crisp hop signature that is satisfying. It has flavor; more so than the major brewers in the same category. I am really impressed by the quality of this product. When every brewer over the years has tried to homogenize the flavor into a smooth soda pop like product, so much so that the only difference the beer drinker can detect is the labeling and supposed image of the beer inside. Trust me, I am saying nothing new about the brewing industry and I am not complaining as the average beer drinker will tell you that the "bad" tastes in a beer are really the hallmarks of a well brewed beer. People don't like an aftertaste and I really do not understand that as the aftertaste is simply the final stage of the tasting process. If your beer has an aftertaste resembling fresh garbage, I can see your point. This beer drinks smooth with a well thought out flavor and finished well in my opinion. This beer is inexpensive and also gives you flavor. Who'd have thunk it?

If you get the chance to give LaCrosse Lager a try, I recommend it and the brewery tour is worth the drive to La Crosse as well. The people of La Crosse have a good thing and they were smart to keep it going.

American Style Pilsner 4.5 points out of 5