The August Schell Brewing Company is a brewing company in New Ulm, Minnesota. It was founded by German immigrant August Schell in 1860. It is the second oldest family-owned brewery in America (after D. G. Yuengling & Son) and became the oldest and largest brewery in Minnesota when the company bought the Grain Belt rights in 2002. In September 2010, it celebrated its 150th Anniversary with a two-day festival. Every year Schell's also celebrates traditional German holidays with Bock Fest and Oktoberfest.
August Schell (February 15, 1828, in Durbach, Grand Duchy of Baden – September 20, 1891, in New Ulm, Minnesota) emigrated to the United States in 1868. He worked in Cincinnati as a machinist before moving to New Ulm, where he established a mill and then a brewery. The brewery grew in size and production. When August Schell died, he passed ownership to his son Otto Schell; Otto Schell died in 1911. George Marti, August Schell's son-in-law, took over the brewery, and it has been in the hands of the Marti family since that time.
Original (aka Deer Brand), ABV 4.8%, Straw colored classic American lager. Mild malt flavor and hop bitterness.
Original Light, ABV 4%, Light straw color. Mild maltiness complemented by mild hop bitterness and slight hop aroma. Light, crisp body.
Grain Belt Premium, ABV 4.6%
Grain Belt Premium Light
Grain Belt Nordeast, ABV 4.7%
Firebrick, ABV 5%, A Vienna-style amber lager that has a reddish-amber hue, a mild maltiness with subtle sweetness and a light hoppy finish.
Pils, ABV 5.6%, Rich malt body accented by a large hop/malt aroma and a refreshing hop tang.
Dark, ABV 4.8%, Deep amber color with a light but classic maltiness.
These beers fill the spot left by Schell's Stout in their year-round lineup. They are both available for roughly six months, and as of release are classified as "year-round" beers by Schell's.
Chimney Sweep, ABV 5.2%, A black lager made with smoked malts.
Goosetown, ABV 4.7%, Schell's interpretation of a German-style gose spiced with coriander and salt.
Schell Shocked, ABV 4.6%, This German-style Radler beer is Subtly sweet with a grapefruit twist.
Seasonal beers include:
Bock, ABV 5.8%, Dark copper color, light caramel flavor, medium body. Lightly hopped with a hint of malt sweetness.
Maifest, ABV 6.9%, Assertive maltiness backed by a huge hop aroma.
Hefeweizen, ABV 4.4%, Fruity, ale character with undertones of banana and clove.
Octoberfest, ABV 5.5%, A rich balance of malt hops.
Snowstorm, ABV NA, Flavor changes yearly, see below for a list of past flavors.
Schmaltz's Alt, ABV 5.1%, The rich, sweet malty flavor with hints of licorice is balanced by a chocolaty bitterness. Dark brown in color and topped by a thick, creamy tan head.
A collection of specialty beers, all Berlin-style wheat beers or Berliner Weisse, aged in rare cypress fermentation tanks Schell’s bought in 1936. Noble Stars are available in select liquor stores and are hand-filled, hand-labeled and bottle-conditioned.
Star of the North, ABV 3.5%, Extremely pale yellow in color with a slight haze and a large, creamy, snow-white foam head. This beer is rather light on the palate and very dry. A lively carbonation accentuates the refreshingly tart acidity. Expect an interesting mix of fruity flavors reminiscent of ripe lemons and apple juice with a touch of spice and a subtle brett character.
Framboise Du Nord, ABV 3.7%, Neon red in color with a slight haze and a large creamy pink foam head. This beer is rather light on the palate and very dry. A lively carbonation accentuates the refreshingly tart acidity and a full raspberry flavor with a subtle hint of brett character.
North Country Brünette, ABV 5.4%, The long, slow, secondary fermentation allowed the authentic Brettanomyces yeast culture to work on the residual sugars that remained in the beer, transforming it into a complex, almost spicy flavor profile. North Country Brünette is very tart and dry, with a fine, rounded acidic profile, and a malty, spiced fruity character. This beer is unfiltered, hand bottled, and bottled conditioned in 750ml cork and caged champagne bottles.
Black Forest Cherry, ABV 5.1%, The maltiness of Black Forest Cherry provides a platform for the tart red cherries to shine through with a highly acidic and fruity character. It is very dry and highly carbonated, with a complex, rounded fruitiness.
Dawn of Aurora, ABV 8.0%, Honey-orange in color with a white foam head. Predominantly fruity notes of pineapple, apricot and pear are accompanied by an intense yet refreshing acidity and sparkling carbonation.
Starkeller Peach, ABV 7.2%, Bursting with tropical fruit aromas and tart peach flavor with a highly acidic and fruity character. Full-bodied, dry and highly carbonated, with a complex, rounded fruitiness.
Apparent Horizon, ABV 5.1%, Moderate, balanced acidity with notes of lemon and cider. The rye lends a spicy dryness and aroma of sourdough and pumpernickel.
Apricot Vista, ABV 4.9%, Bursts with the bold flavor of tart, juicy apricots. It has a moderate lemony acidity and slightly spicy malt backbone.
Orbital Drift, ABV 3.9%, Orbital Drift is a unique brew with earthy aromatic notes and a deep amber hue.
2015 - Wallonian-Style Brown Ale, ABV 6.2%, Draws inspiration from the artisanal and experimental traditions of the Wallonian brewers to create a malt-focused brown ale with hints of nut, biscuit and stone fruit.
2014 - Grand Cru, ABV 6.5%, Deep copper in color with an off white head. The aroma is a combination of fruity esters from the yeast complimented by the citrusy notes of coriander, orange, and lemon peel. This beer is deceptively lighter bodied, with a lively carbonation and subtle warmth from the moderate alcohol. Fruity notes from the yeast carry over into the flavor profile with hints of citrus and light chocolate and a lasting dry finish.
2013 - Strong Belgian Golden Ale
2012 - Bière de Noël, ABV 7.5%, A French style Christmas beer. Expect a light amber beer with red tints that is malt forward with noticeable yeast flavors of white pepper and citrus from an authentic French ale yeast. Slight herbal hop note in the background, with a spicy, citrusy, peppery aroma.
2011 - Wee Heavy Traditional Scotch Ale
2010 - Dunkel Doppel Weizenbock, ABV 7.0%, Brewed with Munich, Wheat, Xtra Special and Midnight Wheat Malt, this Dunkel Doppel Weizenbock has a rich, velvety malt body with notes of milk chocolate. Higher carbonation levels give this beer a full bodied mouth feel and a fluffy, creamy head with a banana and clove aroma.
2009 - Baltic Porter, ABV 5.8%, Few beers fit the season like a Baltic Porter does winter. The 2009 edition of Snowstorm was brewed with copious amounts of Munich malt coupled with three different British crystal malts, and British Chocolate. Snowstorm is dark mahogany in color with a tan head and displays flavors reminiscent of dark fruit, licorice, and chocolate.
2008 - Weihnachtsbier, ABV 6%, Reddish-brown in color with a complex maltiness yielding hints of spicy rye, sourdough and chocolate. Brewed with nine different malts, including copious amounts of Munich and a touch of Rye.
2007 - Belgian Dubbel
2006 - English Stout (Schell's Stout)
2005 - Düsseldorf Alt
2004 - Dark Cream Ale
2003 - Nut Brown Ale
2002 - Scotch Ale
2001 - Cherry Vanilla Porter
2000 - Braggot
1999 - Dunkleweizen
1998 - Vienna Lager (Schell's Firebrick)
1997 - Plum Black and Tan*
1996 - Cherry Alt*
1995 - Raspberry Amber Ale*
1992 - Doppel Alt (Schell's Schmaltz's Alt)**
*1995-1997 Beers were called Blizzard Ale
** 1992 Beer was called Xmas Brew
