Confluence Blue Corn Lager

It seems natural for Iowa-based Confluence to offer a corn-based brew. But while Iowa corn makes great bourbon, it’s not so good for beer. So we use open-pollinated, heritage organic blue corn grown in New Mexico. The resulting purple porridge is then mashed conventionally with barley malt causing the color to magically disappear and creating a super sweet, almost clear wort. The entire wort is boiled and we add enough Saaz hops for bittering without overwhelming the blue corn flavor. It’s then fermented with German lager yeast and lagered as normal. The resulting beer is big for its style and refreshing on warm days with higher alcohol content than the classic American pilsner.