Happy Twosday! I don’t think there’s any better beer to accompany this momentous occasion than New Glarus Brewing’s Two Women Lager – a Classic Country Lager that, even more than a celebration of a completely made up day (Twosday), is a celebration of women and their place in the craft beer industry and in the history of beer, at large.
We talk a lot about womens place in the craft beer industry, currently. We talk a lot about women brewers and women Cicerones and women owned breweries. But women have a much more intertwined history with beer – a history that dates back, literally, thousands of years.
Four thousand years before Christ in fact, Sumerian women created the divine drink of beer. Viking women brewed in Norse society. European Ale Wives were so successful as cottage brewers they were taxed. Artisanal women lost their domination of the daily ritual of brewing during the Industrial Revolution, and men have dominated the beer industry ever since.
Two Women Lager is the result of a collaboration between two women-owned businesses – Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing and Germany’s world-renown Weyermann Malting (hence, the beer’s name – “Two Women” Lager) – using Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops and floor malted Bohemian malts.
THEBASICS
style: Lager
abv: 5%
ibu: n/a
color: Golden
hops: Hallertau Mittelfrueh
malts: Bohemian
stemware: Weizen
TASTINGNOTES
Two Women Lager pours a beautiful light, golden yellow and is topped with a thick, bright white head. I love watching the bubbles in light lagers float to the top, like champagne bubbles and this beer has plenty of them. The aroma is that of a well-executed lager – lemongrass, yeast, a bit of toasty malts, and floral hops.
The flavor follows the nose. Again, this is a well-executed lager – no surprise from New Glarus Brewing, which has maybe the best lager program in the country. This is moderately full-bodied for a lager, but it still provides a crisp, satisfying drinking experience. There are beautiful floral hops and lemongrass flavors up front, with lots of yeast in the middle, and the beer finishes cleanly with honeysuckle and malts.
Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.