Press Release: 

(Chicago, IL) – This April, evolving Midwestern brewery Berghoff will debut their first beer within a specialty line of uberbiers, Berghoff Stock Ale. A modern update of a classic American strong ale, the brew combines rich malts with Belgian brewer’s brown sugar and the finest hops and is slowly aged and fermented with toasted oak. Available in limited quantities, while supplies last, Berghoff Stock Ale is an exciting next step for Berghoff and owner Ben Minkoff, as the brewery continues to re-imagine one of the Midwest’s oldest, longest running brands and embrace the ever-growing craft beer movement.

“We’re thrilled to expand our appeal with Stock Ale, a forward-thinking collaboration that represents the future of the Berghoff brand,” says Minkoff, whose family has owned General Beverage Distributors in Wisconsin for the past 80 years and purchased the Berghoff brand in 1994. “We are brewing four new seasonal offerings, all of them catering to the modern beer drinker. We hope they will proudly display Berghoff’s versatility by updating historic recipes and brewing techniques, while carrying on a century long commitment to using exceptional ingredients.”

Through careful study of stock ale recipes of centuries past, the new Berghoff Stock Ale closely follows the tradition of these heavily hopped and aromatized brews with minor tweaks for modernization and improved drinkability. The hoppy, malt-y ale is fermented with toasted oak spirals for a soft vanilla aroma and slightly crisp finish that registers at 10% ABV. Berghoff Stock Ale uses the classic combination of 2-Row Pils, caramel and black malts, along with some Belgian brewer’s brown sugar to lighten the body. The 2014 line of specialty release beers, including the new Stock Ale, will demonstrate the ways Berghoff continues to stay true to its traditional German roots while also catering to the wants and needs of an increasingly demanding craft beer audience. Stock Ale will be available on draught and in four packs at top craft beer bars and shops throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. The next beer in the Berghoff limited release line will be introduced in June.

Minkoff consulted with brewing experts Randy Mosher and John Hannafan to create the recipes for the top-notch German-style beers that where brewed at the Stevens Point production facility, located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Mosher is an acknowledged craft beer expert, whose books include Tasting Beer (Storey, 2009) and Radical Brewing (Brewers Publications, 2003.) An accomplished designer, he also contributed to Berhgoff’s new packaging and brand messaging. Hannafan, who until recently ran his own successful Chicago-based brewery and brewing consultancy firm, is now the director of education at the world-renowned Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago.

The first batch of Berghoff beer was brewed in 1887 by Herman Berghoff and his three brothers, Henry, Hubert and Gustav. Demand for their beer grew with astonishing speed, and by 1890, the brothers were producing 90,000 barrels of lager annually. A showcase at the 1892 Chicago World’s Fair put Berghoff on the national map, expanding their reach into new markets and introducing hundreds of thousands of new drinkers to their authentic German-style beers. During World War I, the brothers cemented their brewing company’s place in American history, changing their slogan from “a real German brew” to “a real honest brew” in honor of their adopted homeland. In a bold show of American ingenuity, Berghoff produced soft drinks, including a root beer and a malt tonic, throughout Prohibition, and was the first to return to production and sale of alcoholic beers when the Volstead Act was repealed, pouring at The Berghoff, the first liquor license to be re-granted in Chicago.

For more information about Berghoff, including full descriptions of all their beers and where to find them, please visit www.berghoffbeer.com, follow them on Twitter @BerghoffBeer and like them on Facebook.