On the cold nights when, huddled around the blazing fire pit and still bundled up against the elements, I want to have a beer, I’ll pour something malty and strong into a stein and reach for my poker. Officially, the company that manufactures and markets the poker calls it a “beer caramelizer.” And rather than the traditional fireplace versions, the tip is flat, not pointed. Plunge it into the fire, let it get glowing red, and carefully remove and plunge into your beer of choice. The heat takes residual sugars in the beer and creates a foamy, caramelized flavor and enhances its mouthfeel. With roots in Germany, where it’s called “beer spiking,” hot pokers have been used in beer in America since at least the 1700s but the practice has become a solidly Midwestern thing.
I was introduced to this concept in one of the most magical of beer lands: Minnesota. August Schell’s Brewing Co. in New Ulm hosts an annual Bock Festival, and it’s typically held in the dead of the Great Plains winter, outside on the brewery’s sprawling grounds. Temperatures are well below freezing, snow is on the ground (and often falling), and fire pits are set up in strategic locations to keep attendees from freezing.
At each of these pits is a fire tender who is armed with a poker that they will happily dip into a mug of bock, creating a frothy, s’mores-like flavor. A doppelbock, a strong toasty ale that often has dark fruit
This Article was originally published on Wine Enthusiast
