Two versions of the same beer go on at The Brewtorium this Friday. One is Dr. Doctor, the Austin brewery's German pilsner, back for the season on draft and in 4-packs to go. The other is a single keg of Dr. McSteamy, that same pilsner tapped over roasted Hatch chiles. The brewery says it will not last long.
The chiles are the reason the date matters. Hatch chiles come out of a stretch of southern New Mexico in a short late-summer window. The roasters that turn up in Texas parking lots every August function as a seasonal marker the way pumpkins do elsewhere. Putting them into a beer built for the tail end of a Texas summer is not much of a leap.
Dr. Doctor itself is 5.4% ABV, brewed on pilsner malt with Tettnang hops. The brewery calls it light, grainy, and refreshingly dry. Tettnang is one of the classic German noble varieties and the most delicately floral of the group. In a pilsner, that means it is doing two jobs at once: the aroma and the bitterness both come from the same restrained place, with very little malt sweetness for either to hide behind.
That dryness is also what makes the chile keg worth thinking about. Roasted green chile contributes a smoky, faintly sweet vegetal character more than raw heat. A beer with nothing left in the tank to blunt it gives that character a clear run at the palate. It would sit well next to anything carrying fat and salt - queso, barbacoa, a plate of migas.
The naming is house style, for what it is worth. The Brewtorium's German-leaning lineup already includes Das Daydrinker, Electric Lederhosen, and Schwarzengiggles. Dr. Doctor arrives with a full prescription-label bit attached, down to the instruction to ask your beertender whether it is right for you. The can carries the joke through in artwork: a pint-sized capsule of pale lager and foam set against a pattern of medical crosses.
Both go on Friday, August 28 at the brewery on Dillard Circle. Dr. Doctor stays for the season in cans and on draft. Dr. McSteamy is one keg, first come.
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JollyPint independently prepares release articles using information published by breweries through newsletters, websites, and other official public communications. Brewery-supplied descriptions and tasting notes are reported as provided, while editorial context is added by JollyPint.