Schilling Beer Co.
Our New Hampshire neighbors have got it goin’ on…
The secret is out that some of the best lagers in the world are being made by our great friends over the border in Littleton, New Hampshire. Schilling Beer Co. is a continental euro-styled brewery cranking out some truly great beers. VBS started working with Schilling way back when they were a 3 BBL brewery because, even then, I could tell the beers were something super special. What set them apart was that their beers were indistinguishable from the lagers that I’d enjoyed for years in Europe’s beer capitals. It’s a good thing that Schilling expanded their production with a new, larger multi-vessel brewing system because, with their recent accolades from RateBeer for being the best Dark Lager Brewery in the world (!!), the secret is definitely out. Congrats to John, Jeff, and Stu! They deserve the recognition. Everyone should go to their stunning brewery and taproom in Littleton to get the full monty experience. It is a truly special place right on the Ammonoosuc River.
In Europe, Lager is different depending on the city you are drinking in. Many of these differences come from the unique water profile and terroir of the grains and hops used in production. Schilling uses authentic ingredients such as Moravian Cz malt, Floor malted German Bohemian malt and traditional CZ Saaz hops German Hallertauer hops that contributes to the truly unique flavor of their beers.
Schilling’s dark lagers are delicious and have a great and purposeful sense of place. To get any more authentic than Modernism Tmavý you would need to go to Prague! The Georg Dunkel takes you straight to Munich with it’s full malty goodness in massive steins. And it’s not just their dark lagers, their other pale lagers are just as special and also represent that same sense of place - No pisse Wasser here!
Their flagship Alexandr could be direct from Pilzn, dry and crisp, the Paulus harkens again back to the boisterous beer halls of Munich, full of crackers and sourdough with a slight sweetness. Nordertor with its distinctive bitter hoppiness takes you up to Northern Germany, Bremen perhaps. Boniface could be from Dortmund with it’s higher gravity, maltiness and distinctive minerality.
Their latest release, Glimmen, a Smoked Helles, means “to shine or glow” in German. This deep golden beer could be right out of the beer Mecca of Bamberg, Germany (my favorite beer city in the world ) the city that is known for it’s distinctive Rauchbier, or smoked lager, but also make some of the worlds best other lagers too. Glimmen pours with a big puffy white head and has a lightly smoked aroma and taste that manages to still have a gentle spicy hop character. The beer has a full malt body and finishes nice and dry. If you haven’t had a smoked helles before - this should be your first.
Schilling beers are flying off the shelves right now, so don’t miss out on the new release!