Galena Beer Company - Fevre River Ale: Does history have to repeat itself?
Monday, October 4, 2010 at 9:35PM | by Steve 
I am a bit of a history buff and I especially enjoy when that history is the history of people and places and culture that surrounds me. I enjoy feeling connected somehow to what came before me. I marvel at technologies that have come and gone and become awestruck by the sight of architecture that tells a story of a bygone era. I was quite intrigued when Jason put in my recent six-pack of beers for review an offering from Galena Beer Company who is steeped in brewing tradition from 1930’s. I was also excited because it’s located right here in the great state of Illinois. I was given a bottle of Fevre River Ale which is a hefeweizen. The bottle is gorgeous with a black and white photo of steam ships on the river and the town just behind them.
Fevre River Ale pours out cloudy and with a faint golden color. It has a beautiful thick head but the carbonation was a bit overpowering. Instead of the banana and clove that I was looking for in the aroma I found an overpowering smell of active yeast like opening a fermenter after drawing off the beer. The flavors that I was expecting from a hefeweizen were subtle and I was surprised to find a quite present alcohol burn from a beer of a modest 5.52% abv.
I would have to say that I was pretty disappointed from a beer that I initially really wanted to like. I did notice that the label says that it was contract brewed for Galena Beer Company by Sand Creek Brewing Company. I also noticed that Galena Brewing Company opened a Brewpub in July 2010. It is now October and this beer was most likely brewed before the opening of the brewpub. I’m not sure if Sand Creek still brews this beer for them or if they have taken over the reins. I would hope that the problems that I had with this beer are due to the bottle being on the shelf a bit longer than it should have and that if I were to have one fresh that it would be a more enjoyable experience. If this is the way the beer was intended I would rather have this part of my history left in the past.
ABV: 5.52%
Consumed: Mother Earth Globe Glass
Verdict: Skip it
