Hump Day Happiness

I know that Groundhog Day was 16 days ago but the shipment of this traditional lager was delayed getting to my area. The first time I had this was in roughly 2001 and was hands down the worst beer I ever drank. 8 years later it’s time for a revisit.

Ground Hog Brew
brewery: Straub Brewing – straubbeer.com
style: Lite American Lager
abv: 3.16%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: pint
price: $2.75

Overview
Distributed once a year in honor of Punxsutawney Phil, beloved groundhog of Pennsylvania, and Groundhog Day. Straub Brewery is a short 60 minute drive north east-ish of Punxy.

What I think
I admit, I went into this expecting the worse and came out pleasantly surprised. I say this because the last time I drank one of these it tasted like… OK grab a handful of old pennies.Not shiny ones but the pennies you find in your junk drawer and turning green. Now shove them in your mouth.  That is what the original Ground Hog Brew tasted like.

Truth is, this is Straub Light with a special label and honestly it’s not THAT bad. Straub gets a lot of slack around my area for being “your dad’s beer”. Light body, tasteless and fizzy. Kinda like Miller Lite and Bud but without the hookers in bikinis. Sometimes in life you need that. I actually enjoyed this beer knowing the style. Granted the head dissipated within 15 seconds and the aroma could be classified as stale beer but the taste had improved.

Everyone has a “go to” beer that takes them back to their roots. If a beer snob denies this, they’re lying. There’s always one and for me it’s Beast Ice. Locally it’s Iron City or IC Light. You need that beer as a reminder of where you came from. You could go out and buy a Straub Light but honestly,  this is for the novelty. I would like to get a collection of each year but would I ever drink them? Oh hell no. Try opening a can of any macro that’s been sitting for more than 120 days.  Bottle does look cool though

Spoon’s rating: C-