Cheers to a timeless classic!
North Coast Brewing Company (NCBC) is kicking off the spring season with the release of Acme Beer.
NCBC is thrilled to reintroduce this crisp, delicious, and refreshing lager that embodies the essence of a classic pre-prohibition beer.
In the first decades of the 20th century, the flagship beer from San Francisco’s Acme Breweries was called Acme Beer. It was a light, pilsner beer, a style that was produced universally by North American breweries throughout the early 20th century. NCBC’s Acme Beer is brewed as an homage to the original beer produced in 1907.
Once the leading California-grown brand, Acme originally brewed only in San Francisco before expanding in 1935 to a second facility in Los Angeles. Acme later changed hands and in the late 1980s, it was briefly revived by a microbrewery near Santa Rosa, California.
Dedicated to preserving California’s brewing heritage and the Acme beer brand, North Coast founders Mark Ruedrich and Tom Allen acquired trademark rights to the iconic Acme brand in 1995.
NCBC’s Original Brewmaster Mark Ruedrich recounted, “Before anyone had conceived of North Coast Brewing Company, founding partner Tom Allen and I were interested in acquiring the rights to the Acme brand name so that we could honor the tradition of making this great beer.”
“Acme Beer is fermented cold with a lager yeast strain,” explained current Brewmaster Chuck Martins. “We selected this yeast strain to spotlight the bready, biscuity malt character. It is light-bodied, straw-colored, and firmly bittered for a dry, thirst-quenching palate.”
The alcohol content is 4.4% ABV (alcohol by volume), which makes this an ideal beer for “session drinking.” The beer is a true lager, hopped, as were the original pilsners from central Europe, with a noble hop variety that produces a very subtle spicy/floral character on the aroma. The yeast strain contributes a “European” character, reminiscent of malted grains.
Terry Bunch
