My Shout: Goose Island Going Down Under With An Australian Sparkling Ale
By Ben Kramer in Food on Apr 7, 2015 7:00PM
Via gooseisland.com
My Shout's rare style makes it unique in its own right, but the beer becomes even more unusual once you learn where its yeast comes from. Unlike your traditional brew, My Shout gets its yeast from another bottle of beer, done by using a method called yeast propagation. Yeast propagation works like this (and keep in mind, this is a very, very basic explanation). Goose Island's microbiology laboratory plucks sediment from the bottom of a bottle, in this case a beer from a large Australian brewery that legally we may or may not be able to name, and put that sediment on a spread plate. That sediment contains yeast cells, which they feed and observe underneath a microscope, along with the bacteria growing in tandem with it. When ready, they separate the cells from the bacteria, isolate them and nurture their growth to get them ready to ferment some brand new beer.
It's a case of microbiological recycling and is something Goose Island brewer, and the brains behind My Shout, Daryl Hoedtke is familiar with since he used to do it as a homebrewer, though the homebrewing method is a bit different than the laboratory way.
While the yeast propagation sounds a bit complex, the beer itself is simply built. Malt wise its base is 2-Row, followed by some support from Crystal 40 and Wheat. The quaint malt set up benefits the yeast, allowing the fruity esters, the apricot, the pear to come through more cleanly because as Hoedtke puts it, “You don’t have any roasted malts that battle with it…you don’t have anything that’s going to combat that and distract from (the esters.)”
For the hops, Hoedtke and his crew decided to forgo tradition, choosing Nugget and Super Saazer over Pride of Ringwood, the Australian hop typically used for the style. This decision was made for two reasons. One, they liked how the hops played along with the fruitiness of the yeast and two, because they wanted to showcase the hops of Michigan's Hop Head Farms. The Midwestern connection gives the Australian style an American twist, further pushing this beers special qualities.
Like all Fulton & Wood beers, My Shout is not available year round. Released in early March, this beer will most likely stick around until June since Fulton & Wood beers tend to stay on tap for three months, making way for the next beer in the series. My Shout can be found at Fischman's Liquors and Tavern (4780 N. Milwaukee Ave.) and will be featured at Goose’s soon to be opened new tasting room at 1800 Fulton St.
You may not be able to afford a trip down under, but you can most likely afford this beer. New styles may seem scary, but if you're one who's up for anything (that was not a Bud Light reference) or has an eagerness to expand your beer palate, then My Shout may be one to try. You never know, you might be calling "My shout" by the end of your round.