I grew up less than a mile from the Three Floyds brewery. Of course, FFF didn’t arrive in Munster until after I moved to Chicago, but when I go back to visit the family, there’s now a quality place where we can hang out and--after a couple—communicate as a family.

Thus, when FFF came out with their Munsterlager, I looked forward to seeing what it was like. Would they try to make it reflective of the town? A celebration of Northwest Indiana? Or would they try to make a beer with more character?

With a label that read, “Es ist nicht normal,” (“It is not normal” in German) I had high hopes for this beer. From the pour, it didn’t look quite so normal, and I was sure it wouldn’t reflect the dime-a-dozen middle/upper class Chicago suburb where it was brewed. With a huge head and a beautiful reddish color, it didn’t look like any lager beer to me, but then again, it’s an Oktoberfest. It had a nice lager aroma that hinted at being a little fruity. The taste hits right in the front of the mouth and then spreads wide, with caramel notes and big malty flavor.

Although this combo sounds good, it ultimately struck me that this was kind of average. I could taste and appreciate the craft behind the beer, but I didn’t feel that “Wow!” that I’d hoped to get. This beer may have been “nicht normal,” but only when it came to the mighty belch I could produce afterward. Otherwise, to me it seemed a little ordinary.

Reviewed by Jill Jaracz on March 9, 2007.

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