Brew for Thought: Schell’s Brewing Company Bock

Courtesy of Schell's Brewing Company's website

I come from a large German-American family of story-tellers. Even though I know these stories are embellished, the actual retelling  is captivating and I find myself wanting to believe. At family holidays, we sit around the table after dinner and listen to how it used to be growing up on the farm or about the town drunk who my grandpa talked into ordering 3 gallons of mustard at the family grocery store. My parents think back to the mischief they got into as kids and how they inevitably were caught by my once strict grandparents.

The stories give me the chance to look back at how our family tradition developed and allows me to see where the Kaufenberg’s stubborn pride and laughter and the Monnens’ boisterous irreverence comes from. It creates an enduring family lineage of tradition and light-hearted revelry that I take pride in.

Pouring a Schell’s Bock tells the story of the Schell’s Brewing Company and how it has lasted to become the second oldest family-owned brewery in the nation. Each sweet, malty sip of Bock is a nod to the German brewing tradition that came to the US with the German immigrants of the 19th and 20th centuries. The lively carbonation dances on your palate like the polka floor at the Essen Haus in Madison, leaving you with a roasty  flavor to savor as you sigh contently.

This is the perfect, sessionable, Midwestern bock to sip on during the winter months. It feels like it is a part of your own family history and should always have a place in your fridge.

Best Enjoyed: Cold, out of a glass and with family.

Best Paired With: Pork and sauerkraut or, if you’re not really into the German fare, how about a Wisconsin brat.

Where to Find: Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania (go figure).

To find more information about Schell’s Brewing Company, visit their website.