Well before AC Boise was formally announced, we had begun working on a special beer together. Members of their leadership and our brew team had known each other for a long time, and our partnership was an organic one from the very beginning. The original objective was to brew something with mass-appeal for the stadium experience, while avoiding the conventional American lagers that usually dominate sporting events.
Instead, we set out to build a beer with European authenticity. We wanted to do something positive rather than reductive, and invite craft beer fans to try something with just a bit more character for game day. The original meeting we had together resulted in mutual enthusiasm for a Kölsch. It’s a traditional blonde beer from Cologne, Germany, and is something of a hybrid between a lager and an ale. Kölsch is fermented with expressive ale yeast, but then treated to a period of cold conditioning, much like traditional lagers are. This gives it a full flavored ale personality, with the crispness and refreshment value of a lager. The best of both worlds!
“a full flavored ale personality, with the crispness and refreshment value of a lager.”
For our Kölsch, we decided to use imported grain from the region. The goal was to be as faithful to the style as possible without taking too many creative liberties. We simply asked ourselves: how good could we possibly make this? We landed on Heidelberg pilsner malt as the primary grain in the recipe, supported by just a bit of our Idaho-grown pilsner malt and a pinch of wheat. Kölsch is not a particularly hop-forward style, but the hops play a key role in the balance and back-end snap. We chose Adeena, a lesser known varietal bred and grown in the Northwest, but with noble characteristics through and through. It’s the perfect compliment to the dry, earthy grain and the slightly fruity yeast complexion.
We brewed a small batch and anticipated a few rounds of notes and revisioning. Maybe additional hops to make it a little more uniquely American, maybe a slightly lighter ABV for the hot summer home games, or maybe a bit more residual sweetness to let it linger on the palate for awhile. But the AC Boise team only had two words: “That’s it!” With no changes at all desired, we moved forward with scaling up production. We worked with local marketing group Against to design the branding and packaging, and to develop a plan for retail and game day. To spread the word, we launched Striker on draft right away, coinciding with the formal announcement of the team and the jersey reveal. We landed on 12-packs for the stores and 19.2-ounce single cans for the stadium. From there, it was game on!
Our team finds Striker Kölsch to be exceedingly easy-drinking, so much so that we put that on the can. Still, it’s not just a basic, cheap throwaway stadium lager. It’s something deeply intentional, designed to give fans of AC Boise a better drinking experience than is commonly found in these types of venues. We are proud of what we created together, flattered to be the official craft beer of AC Boise, and eager to support this team in their inaugural season and beyond.
Huge thanks to the entire AC Boise team for the opportunity, and to all who worked so tirelessly to get this right in every respect. This is a win we can all share!
