German-Californian brewing friendship

The brewers from Maisel & Friends (Bayreuth, Germany) and Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. from California stood together at the brew kettle - in Bayreuth. This collaboration arose from a long-standing friendship between the two breweries and the resulting invitation by brewery founder Jamie Dietenhofer to the Lagerville Festival in Buellton, California, which is hosted by the US brewery.

As the name suggests, only lagers, bottom-fermented beers, are served there. For this festival, the friends wanted to brew together. Dietenhofer travelled with his head brewer Kevin C. Ashford to Bayreuth. The result was a "California-style" Maibock, a typical German Strong Lager. Its name is Bockville.

Californian-Style? Well, the explanation lies in the selection and use of the hops. German hop varieties Callista, Saphir and Herkules were used in the hot section, quite classic for German Strong Lagers. The Californian twist is provided by dry hopping with the American flavour hops Simcoe and Mosaic, which is unusual for German Maibocks.


Photo: Brewing friends from California and Bayreuth.
© Maisel Brewery, Germany