Middlebury, VT - Everyone knows beer and tacos go hand in hand.
The crew at Vermont’s Otter Creek Brewing Company are taking that notion to the next level with the release of All Souls Lager; a crisp, refreshing amber-hued brew created with local organic hominy from Burlington’s All Souls Tortilleria.
“I love working with new grains,” said Robbie Leeds, beer production manager at Otter Creek Brewing, “and I was blown away by the aroma when we opened the bag of All Souls hominy.”At All Souls Tortilleria, organic Wapsie Valley corn -- grown in Vermont’s Champlain Valley and the Finger Lakes region of New York -- is prepared using an ancient technique called Nixtamalization, which turns the corn into hominy by cooking the whole kernels in a solution of slaked lime and water before it’s ground into masa, or corn dough, using hand-carved volcanic stone.
The resulting masa is added to a grain bill of Vienna and base malts and creates a clean, delicious beer, according to Leeds.
“We’re really glad to see people interact with heirloom corn,” said Joe Bossen, co-founder of All Souls Tortilleria. “It’s still kind of the exception to the rule in New England that we get to work with local ingredients.”
For the team at All Souls Tortilleria, this project brings heirloom corn beyond the tortilla.
“[All Souls Lager] gives a new format to highlight this amazing corn,” said Sam Fuller, co-founder of All Souls Tortilleria. “When this collaboration came about it was exciting to see a new format for hominy to be present and brought to people.”
“Having cold beer to partner with hot tacos works really well,” Bossen added. “To have a brew that can play off the flavors already present in the flavor palate; it’s just nice.”
All Souls Lager will be available in six-packs and 12-packs of 12 ounce cans, on draught and in Otter Creek’s Can Jam Variety Pack. For more information about the project, upcoming release parties, and more; visit www.ottercreekbrewing.com/allsouls.
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