Before he was a brewer, Matt Brynildson was a hops chemist. After studying at the Siebel Institute, he went on to become the head brewer at Goose Island in Chicago and SLO Brewing Company before Adam Firestone and David Walker purchased the facility. Now we know him for award-winning beers such as DBA or Double Barrel Ale, Union Jack, and Pale 31—beers likely to make it onto anyone’s dream six-pack list.
“It is impossible to pick just six beers! My dream list is at least a twelve-pack,” says Brynildson. Here, in no particular order, is half of Matt’s dream case of beers, which includes selections from Italy, Belgium, Germany, and (of course) the United States.
Orval Trappist Ale
Brasserie d'Orval S.A. (Villers-devant-Orval, Belgium)
This beer represents to me, and to many of my brewer friends, the ultimate achievement in brewing. Orval embodies everything a brewer could ever want in a single beer. It has incredible complexity, balance, and drinkability. This beer is whole-cone dry-hopped. It’s brewed using the best available technology. More thought, time, and consideration have gone into this single beer than any beer I know. Its creators even harnessed Brettanomyces yeast to aid in accomplishing this feat long before Brett was cool. Recently retired Brewmaster Jean-Marie Rock is one of my absolute idols, and if I accomplish 25 percent of what he has in his thirty-plus year career, I will die a happy brewer.
Bell’s Porter
Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
This was the beer that turned me on to craft beer back when I was a college student in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Larry Bell is the craft brew pioneer of the Midwest, and his Brewmaster John Mallett is one of the smartest and most exciting brewers in the country. If it weren’t for this beer, I would be an unhappy doctor somewhere in suburbia. A day spent in the Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo is a day spent in beer paradise.
Temptation
Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, California)
I believe that this is the best American wild ale produced today, and no dream six-pack would be complete with out a “critter” beer. Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo have created a golden standard for the craft brewing community—not only with this beer, but also with their amazing brewery program and pioneering spirit. I could have filled this dream six-pack with only Russian River beers very easily, but I chose this one as my favorite RRBC brew (today). Every time I taste Temptation, I taste the spirit of Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Boon, and the other classic wild beer producers of Belgium.
Plank Bavarian Hefeweizen
Privatbrauerei Michael Plank (Laaber, Germany)
Brewing an authentic balanced Bavarian Hefeweizen is a rare and beautiful art form not often encountered on this continent. If ever you need to be reminded how a Hefeweizen should be made and how it should taste—visit Privatbrauerei Michael Plank in Laaber, Germany. Plank Bavarian Hefeweizen will not be served on draft; it will be served in the proper glassware; and it will be perfectly sublime. This beer proves that sixteen generations of family brewing (all sixteen brewers named Michael!) will result in some great things.
Tipopils
Birrificio Italianio (Lurago Marinone, Italy)
Strangely enough, my inspiration for getting back to studying lager brewing and ultimately releasing Pivo Hoppy Pils is not a German brewery or even a Czech brewery, but a little microbrewery called Birrificio Italianio or “Italian Brewery” located near Lake Como in the small Italian village of Lurago Marinone. Agostino Arioli, an extremely passionate and adventurous brewer, has created a benchmark, beautifully dry-hopped keller pils, showcasing German hops from the Tettnang region. Agostino is so serious about the pilsner style that he created an annual festival called Pils Pride to celebrate the spirit and dignity of the style. I will be there this year!
Zombie Dust
3 Floyds Brewing Co. (Munster, Indiana)
No six-pack would be complete without a hoppy American ale. There are so many wonderful hops-forward American-style pales and IPAs out there that when asked which is my favorite, I can only say “the freshest, cleanest, most well-constructed beer wherever I happen to be at that moment.” At this moment, I just happen to be in Chicago, and Zombie Dust is in my pint glass. This beer is a perfect example of how the American craft movement has put a hoppy flavor stamp on the beer world that will never be forgotten. Nick Floyd, Chris Boggess, and the rest of the 3 Floyds brewers in Munster are true artisans who know hops, and this beer uses Citra hops as well as anyone in the business. I’ll take another please!