Speciation Artisan Ales Owner Mitch Ermatinger Talks The Laurentian Series, Lake Superior

We spoke with Speciation Artisan Ales Owner Mitch Ermatinger about The Laurentian Series, Lake Superior.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
This is essentially the same as all our other beers, minus the oats! It contains only pilsner malt and wheat!

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
My favorite aspect of this beer is the extreme amount of funky peach & apricot aroma and flavor.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
The Great Lakes Water system is also known as the Laurentian Great Lakes. We decided it was the perfect name for our series of spontaneously fermented beer. 

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
Absolutely not. My desert island beer is Pilsner Urquell!

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Hay, Peaches, Apricots, Oak, Malt.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
It was my wife (and co-owner of Speciation) Whitney's idea to do the Laurentian Spontaneous Series. We were sitting at Crooked Stave (long before we opened, when I was still working at Black Project) and we were talking about grand scheme ideas including brewery name, beer names, beer ideas, etc.. The topic of mobile coolships came up and Whitney just had a flash of inspiration about capturing the unique microbial terroir of each lake. The rest of the project came together quite easily after that initial idea.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
Lake Superior Whitefish, of course!

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