Victor, ID – Grand Teton Brewing Company introduced a new beer, Persephone Imperial Pilsner, to their ‘Cellar Reserve’ program for 2011.
Persephone, which checks in at 8.8% ABV and 70 IBU, is the first of 4 new beers to be released this year through the Cellar Reserve program. The program began in 2005 as a way for the brewing team to ‘stretch their wings,’ according to Brewmaster and C.O.O Rob Mullin.
“As a group, we tend to focus on traditional styles, sometimes updated or subtly tweaked, and we try not to repeat ourselves,” said Mullin. “For 2011 we asked the brewers to come up with a list of the beers they'd like to tackle, and Imperial Pilsner was at the top of their list.”
According to the official press release Persephone Imperial Pilsner was brewed with ‘one foot in the past and one in the present.’
Grand Teton Brewing Co started by creating this beer in the German style, an offshoot of the original pilsner that features German noble hops and a lighter, crisper body than its Czech counterpart. They also used a blend of domestic Idaho 2-row barley and imported German malts as well as German Hersbrucker hops for flavor and aroma. Lastly they made it ‘imperial’ or twice the strength of a regular pilsner, which contributes to the higher than normal ABV.
“This beer is especially crisp and smooth thanks to the care given it over 10 weeks of lagering by our Cellarmaster, Reid Stratton,” said Mullin.
Grand Teton made a single 90 barrel batch. They will bottle about 800 cases and fill about fifty kegs.
The next available 2011 offering from the Cellar Reserve program will be ‘The Grand Saison Farmhouse Ale.’
Grand Teton Brewing Company was founded in 1988 as the first modern “micro” brewery in the state of Wyoming.