Quincy Brewing Company creating special beer for Germanfest for second straight year

QUINCY — What’s Germanfest without beer? 

The Quincy Brewing Company, 110 S. Sixth, will be adding a local touch to the event for the second year in a row in South Park on June 2-3.

Jim Robesky, head brewer at Quincy Brewing Company, said the brewery is providing for the second year a Munich Helles lager.

“It’s kind of like a pilsner, but there’s actually no pilsner in it,” he said. “It looks the same. It’s made with mostly Munich malt, and it’s a really light, crisp, drinkable beer.”

Last year’s German Helles created a challenge for Robesky. 

“It was our very first lager we brewed at Quincy Brewing Company,” he said. “It’s a different process on the fermentation side. It requires a little more effort and a lot more time. We can have an ale out the door in a couple of weeks, where a lager can take a couple of months or longer.”

Helles beer originated in Germany in the 19^th century in Bavaria. Germans were looking for something to compete against the Czechoslovakian pilsners which dominated the market. With its short history, Helles beers are relatively young compared to their cousins. Helles beers traditionally favor a sweeter taste than a pilsner with a golden yellow color and medium body.

Robesky loves creating a specific beverage for the event. 

“It’s really exciting for me to be a brewer at the only brewery in Quincy which is well known for its German heritage, especially in the brewing process,” he said. “I think of all the breweries that have been here in the past, and we’re brewing a true German lager in the sense that we’re using the same processes. It’s just exciting to be able to brew a beer again in Quincy, that has those kind of roots and heritage. Yeah, that’s cool.”

Will it be any good?

According to Robesky, “It turned out fantastic.”