MARIA STEIN — Nick Wolters, of Sidney, was presented a check for $250 and the first six-pack of Sidney 1820 Export early Wednesday morning from Shelby County Commissioner and Sidney Bicentennial Beer Subcommittee Chair Tony Bornhorst. The presentation was to have been made Thursday evening, but the plans changed to accommodate Wolters’ work schedule. Wolters is a pharmacist with the Kettering Health Network.
Although the first prize included a case of beer, Wolters will have to pick up the remainder of the first case of beer as the beer was not scheduled to be canned until Thursday morning. Moeller Brew Barn plans to can 100 cases of beer. The beer will be available locally at outlets served by Bobby Fisher Distributing. It will be available on tap at The Bridge restaurant and Murphy’s Craft Bar + Kitchen in Sidney, as well as other locations throughout the area.
“Despite the fact that the official tasting was not to occur until Thursday evening, Nick (Moeller) had a keg on tap especially for the presentation,” Sidney Mayor and Co-chair of the Bicentennial Committee Mike Barhorst said. “”It may be the first time in my life that I’ve sampled beer at 10 a.m., but I have to say that it tasted pretty darned good!”
“I really like the taste,” Bornhorst said. “I’ve tasted a lot of different beers and I find this one to be one of my favorites. Nick (Moeller) really did a good job!
“Given the fact that Nick’s has not previously brewed an export, his first attempt was certainly a home run,” Bornhorst said. “I really enjoyed Shelby 1819 Limited (the pilsner brewed for Shelby County’s Bicentennial). It’s pretty obvious that Nick (Moeller) has gotten the hang of brewing lagers!”
“When Nick (Moeller) offered me the second glass of beer this morning, I certainly didn’t turn it down,” Wolters said. “I can hardly wait to return with my dad and see his reaction when he samples ‘my’ beer. In fact, my prize money will likely be my beer money!”
“We are excited and honored to help create ‘Sidney 1820 Export’ – Sidney’s Bicentennial beer. When I learned that Sidney’s former brewery (The John Wagner and Sons Brewing Company) produced an export, I knew that it was something that I wanted to try to do,” Moeller saod.
“Just as ‘pilsners’ originated in Plzeň, ‘exports’ originated in Dortmund, Germany,” Moeller said. “Exports were the indigenous pale lagerbiers first produced there. They tend to use a bit more German noble hops to help balance the bigger maltiness and have a higher alcohol content than the Pilsen lagers.
“It’s been exciting to join Sidney’s leaders in producing a new product,” Moeller sad. “We’ve taken what we know about brewing German lagers and are brewing an export lager. I sampled it this morning for the first time as well. I really like the breadiness and the floral hopstaste, and believe that it will be every bit as popular as Shelby 1819 Limited. It is a bigger bodied beer with a little higher alcohol content (5.5 percent), but it still has a crisp clean finish.”
The beer is expected to have a limited production run, and will only be produced for consumption during Sidney’s Bicentennial. It will be available for purchase locally and at special events during the year, including the Shelby County Fair and various community celebrations.
For a limited time, “Sidney 1820 Export” will join Moeller Brew Barn’s other products. Those beers include Dirt Track Kolsch, Frogtown IPA, Wally Post Red, Honeywagon IPA, Blackberry Prairie Wheat and Baked Oatmeal Stout.
