Thunderhead Brewing Co.
Kearney, NE
Available: NE
Cornstalker is a black version of an American-style wheat beer, as opposed to a dunkel weizen. It is brewed with malted organic corn, as well as wheat and barley, with the idea of involving the local farming community, and giving Nebraskans a chance to try a dark beer.
ABV: 5.2
ABW: n/a
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 17
Original gravity: 1052
The label features a desperado about to rob a beer bank. The name Thunderhead Cornstalker is big and imposing, yet the brew is delicate—more lightweight than heavy hitter. Dark as the night before a tornado, the tan head quickly fades yielding a nose with hints of coffee. Pleasant on the palate with little detectable barley or wheat character. We quaffed it with salted and buttered popcorn while watching a movie, about the Wild West, what else!
It’s corn, wheat and barley brewed with a multi-dimensional thick head of foam. A good sign of things done correctly. Mild malt aroma and flavor with an erudite touch of roast character. At 5.2 percent, it’s a refreshing brew with plenty of wit to satisfy both veteran and new beer enthusiasts. It’s a Thunderhead cloud of joy. Confident, compelling and once again I’m reaching for my wallet. Lightning strikes.
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.
