By Timothy Long

I visit Aslin Brewing Company’s Alexandria location every Spring. It’s a great brewery. And their lagers are always extraordinary. The brewery has a cool tasting room. Unlike most breweries, their tasting room is large and organized, with a very modern look. They have several big screen televisions, so sports watching is a big part of the experience. The menu features pizzas, smash burgers, and chicken sandwiches. It’s very Americana, as a brewery menu should be. But the reason to visit is the beer. This is a brewery. Beer is the star.

I met in the tasting room with Tim Parrott, Aslin’s Director of Marketing. I almost always meet with brewers and owners. So, meeting a marketing person is quite a treat. I have an undergraduate degree in marketing. And I’ve done marketing consulting work for a number of companies. This is going to be a fun conversation.

Aslin has a huge variety of beers. But I’m there to taste the lagers. So, Tim immediately brought out draft tastings of six lagers. He also provided me with a tasting sheet describing each beer, which impressed me. I usually take copious notes. Tim also put some packaged beer on the table. The beers are the same lagers that we are going to taste. All are in twelve-ounce cans. I’m surprised. The trend in the craft beer industry right now is four packs of sixteen-ounce cans.

He explains that they switched the lagers to twelve-ounce cans for a couple of reasons. It creates uniformity in that line of beer. The smaller cans also do not get warm as quickly, and store easier in a cooler. We’re headed into picnic and beach season, cold beer during this area’s hot and humid summers is a must. All the lagers are in six packs, except for their Old Town Lager. It’s sold in a twelve pack. Which makes sense, it’s one of their flagship beers and very popular.  I love the entire marketing strategy. It’s simple, yet brilliant. Packaging is a huge part of both promotion and distribution in marketing. The twelve-ounce cans not only have more utility than their sixteen-ounce counterparts, but they’ll also stand out on a grocery store shelf next to other craft beers. This is a marketing homerun.

Tim poured us Aslin’s Old Town Lager, Esperante Mexican Lager, a rice beer called Reis, De Gens, which is a German Pilsner, and Much Ado, a Helles Lager. Only the Old Town Lager and the Esperante are available in stores. You need to come to the brewery to drink or purchase the Reis, De Gens, or Much Ado.

The Old Town Lager tastes clean and crisp with a dash of floral hops and a touch of malt. The Esperante has notes of graham cracker up front and lemon-lime throughout. The Reis is different and fun. It’s brewed with yuzu, jasmine, and green tea. All come through on the palate, with the green tea prominent at the end. The De Gens is a true German Pilsner. A light lemon flavor pops up front. It’s clean with toasted bread, graham cracker, malt, and that great crisp noble hop bite at the end. The Much Ado is also crisp and dry with subtle notes of lemon and caramel.

Each lager is markedly different. There are great nuances in this line of beers.

“Variety is important,” Tim explains.

I wholeheartedly agree. I mention that I usually judge a brewer by their lagers. The better brewers do them very well.

Tim nods in agreement, “You can’t hide behind hops with a pilsner or lager.”

Truer words were never spoken. When it comes to lagers and pilsners, the brewer is naked. It’s all there, good, or bad.

One of the owners and co-founders, Kai Leszkowicz, joins us. Kai founded the brewery with his brother-in-law, Andrew Kelley, in 2015. Each married a daughter of the Aslin family, hence the name. They started as home brewers and the company grew from there. As Kai put it “We were home brewers who got lucky.”

Kai and I talked about craft beer and the industry for a while. Kai and Tim then tell me about their upcoming Spring festival. Frühlingsfest is celebrated in Germany in the Spring. It started in 1964 and is celebrated with lagers, much like Oktoberfest. Frühlingsfest celebrates the planting season and highlights local showmen and women. In Munich, this festival is marketed as Oktoberfest’s Little Sister. It’s mostly been attended by locals, but today tens of thousands of celebrators are there every year.

My wife and I attended the festival at Aslin. They were pouring twenty different lagers and pilsners from various breweries. The beers were great. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The love of beer demonstrated by the attendees ended up being the greatest part of the experience. Why? It rained. It rained all day. Not heavy rain, but just enough to be annoying. Yet the festival had a huge crowd. This is what I love about craft beer drinkers. It would take a lot more than a little rain to keep them away. The festival ended up being a true testament to their will, determination, and fortitude. There were people standing at cocktail tables in the rain holding an umbrella with one hand and drinking a beer with the other. I proudly viewed this display of true grit while seated, comfortable and dry, under a large canopy. I love craft beer as well. But I don’t have anything to prove to anyone. I’ve survived multiple trips to Oktoberfest in Munich. My record stands for itself.

Do yourself a favor and visit Aslin Beer Company. They have breweries in Alexandria, VA, Herndon, VA, Virginia Beach, VA, Washington DC, and Pittsburgh, PA. And they often have great events. The atmosphere is fun and lively. But go for the beer. They’re a brewery. And their beer is definitely the star.

Tim’s Whiskey (Rum) and Cigar Recommendation

HSE Grande Reserve XO

It’s Summer, let’s talk rum. Or as they spell it in the French West Indies, rhum. This is an exceptional Agricole rum out of Martinique. It has a deep amber color. The bouquet has orange, pepper, fig, and vanilla. It’s soft on the palate with wood, vanilla, nut, and spices coming through. It finishes long, with intense notes of roasted nuts, cocoa, tobacco, and wood. This wonderful rum is 86 proof and goes for about $90. It’s well worth it. For the best experience, drink it on the rocks and sip it slowly.

My Father Le Bijou 1922

You’ll need to pair that fine rhum with a good cigar. May I suggest the My Father Le Bijou 1922. This smoke will hit you up front with spice, but these cigars are never harsh. The spice blends with a subtle sweetness as you smoke it. This cigar is captivating. It’s moist, chewy, and delightful. And the spices will blend well with the HSE Grande Reserve XO rhum you’ll be drinking. Enjoy. This cigar available at John Crouch Tobacconist. See ad in this issue.

About the Author: Timothy Long is an educator, writer, consultant, and experienced restaurant operator. Email: tlong@belmarinnovations.com. Instagram and Twitter: @wvutimmy. Blog: What is that fly doing in my soup? http://whatflyinmysoup.com