United Nations of Beer

Raven Special lager

by Joel Perry
(Beer Delegate, MD, USA)

Raven Special lager (5.5% ABV
Baltimore Washington Beer Works, MD, USA

I’ll dispense with quoting Edgar Allen Poe... (Nevermore! Ed.)

The story behind Raven lager is an interesting one. Originally this beer was brewed in Germany (though it is an American beer and always has been) because the brewers wanted to capitalize on the European market before brewing it in America.

They knew that there weren’t many "respectable" American beers in Europe and so they wanted to be one of the firsts. It was actually served at the American embassy in Bonn Germany in 1997 for their 4th of July celebration. It was well received and so they then began brewing it here in the states in Baltimore City (if you're still following, that’s right: an American brewery first brewed their beer in Germany and then brewed it here).

Regardless though of how it got here I must say that this is an excellent Lager. I did some research in an attempt to find what hops are used but couldn’t find anything, same for the barley. However I do know that it has an abv of 5.5%.

Raising it to your nose, there’s a hint of caramel and malt. It pours a dark red amber and settles with a thin off-white head that seems to disappear and reappear as it goes down.

It's smooth as silk on the palette with a semi-sweet, maltly taste (maybe earthy as well). It finishes with just the slightest hint of hops and vanilla.

When drinking The Raven Special lager, it's readily apparent that the brewers put a lot of effort into crafting a beer that would appeal to both the macro and micro crowd.

I’ve read that Baltimore Washington Beer Works is a Macro brewery. However, Raven Special Lager is the only beer I know of that they brew (perhaps this designation comes from the volume they move in Europe).

If they are in fact a macro, then Budweiser and the like should be ashamed of themselves. This is what a decent everyday lager should taste like and I’m certain that if they suddenly choose to care about their beer, this is what theirs could taste like as well.

I would definitely recommend Raven Special. It's an excellent addition to the American lager scene.