Pale Raspanero Release at Black Forest Brewing

Black Forest Brewing Company has started a series of Pro-Am brews. If you aren’t familiar with the practice, it’s when an amateur brewer’s recipe is ramped up and brewed on a commercial system. Breweries have been doing this sort of thing for awhile now, and some home brew competitions award the winner a pro-am session with a brewery.

This Saturday, after the Black Forest Festival, the brewery launched a pro-am recipe from our friend Jerry, who has taken part in a few of our weekly brewing visits.

The beer is a Raspberry Habanero Pale Ale. When Jerry first told me about this beer, I was immediately intrigued. I love both fruit and chili beers, and conflicting flavor sensations are usually a hit.

From what Jerry says, he was in a market in Seattle trying various jellies and jams, when he tried a Raspberry Habanero jelly. He was so intrigued by the flavor combination that he decided he wanted to go ahead and make a beer that tasted like it. The resulting homebrew was a hit!

Black Forest Brewing Company’s version did not dissapoint. It starts off with a light raspberry aroma, which carries through into the flavor. The beer has a light to medium mouthfeel, as you would expect from a pale ale. Then, it finishes with a light spiceness that lingers in the back of your throat.

It’s a really well balanced and unique beer that you can find at Black Forest until it runs out.

Our other friend, Dave, had his Irish Blonde featured in the last Pro-Am competition. That was also a tasty beer, and I wish I had taken some better notes and posted something about it. It was also delicious.

[update 12/16/19 – At his Christmas party, Dave busted out some crowlers of the Irish blonde that he had stashed away. It was pretty tasty! Nice and light, with a slight roasty flavor to it. The hops come in near the finish too. I’m glad that I was able to sample some again and get a bit better of a description.

On a side note, I’ve been to Black Forest quite a few times now, and I had saw the line “A Black Forest Gathering Place”, on much of their merchandise and decorations, but I don’t think I really got it until today.

The brewing company was taking part, rather heavily, in the Black Forest Festival. They were in the Parade, and even had an outhouse for the Outhouse Race.

If that isn’t enough, directly after the release for Raspanero, they held a kids and adults Pinewood derby.

I had seen the announcement on the facebook page, but I figured it wouldn’t be terribly popular, but I was wrong. The race was very well attended, with the entire second room of the building being filled up with racers and spectators.

The track itself might have been a little low tech, as pinewood derby tracks go, but it was really a blast. I think next year I might have to get a car together.

I thought my Pinewood Derby days were over, after my kids bridged out of Cub Scouts, but that doesn’t have to be true 🙂

All in all, I bet it was a very fun and eventful day for the residents of Black Forest. I know a lot of breweries are trying to be a gathering / get together place for their area, similar to how pubs are in the UK, but Black Forest is really doing a great job of it.