Denizens Brewing Co. is offering a taste of the past, literally.
At the Riverdale Park taproom, you can try a German bock made from a 1930s recipe found in the archives of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Long a hobby among some foodies, digging up historical recipes has become a trend recently among independent and craft brewers. (You can even try some of Hyattsville brewer Christian Heurich’s beer.) These recreations are especially significant in the U.S., where Prohibition shuttered a generation of small brewers.
Called Bock to the Future, Denizens’ brew is based off a recipe from German-American brewer Walter H. Voigt uncovered by beer historian Michael Stein and shared with Denizens.
A single pint tells a story of America. Early immigrants tended to drink ales like those they’d had in England, but German immigrants brought with them recipes for lager.
Over time, the German beers became more popular in America, with a key moment coming at an 1876 Centennial Fair in Philadelphia, where pro-temperance activists had managed to get hard liquor banned, but not beer.
Bocks were a complement to the lagers, made with corn, rice and sugar as well as barley since brewers didn’t have access to the same ingredients as in Germany.
“Bock to the Future pours a deep copper color with bright ruby highlights,” wrote Stein. “Aromas of bready malts and spicy hops, like a pumpernickel loaf with raspberry lavender jelly spread atop. While distinctively craft with American malts and hops, it emulates the classic bock beers of Germany: sweet upfront with a dry and bitter finish.”
