Tap Handle #705: Next Level

October 24, 2018

Tap Handle #705: Next Level

Tap size: 12.5"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: small 3/8" ferrule with set screw

I was excited when the wonderful people at Next Level Brewing hooked up the Museum with one of their taps, despite being located halfway around the world from me. They describe this tap as "a curious pirate kraken that symbolizes their focus on independent taste off the mainstream." It's fair to say this absolutely gorgeous tap is also one of the most colorful I've ever seen. The colors transition from a light blue to purple then red, in what looks like an airbrush effect. Even the one good eye shows a great attention to detail. The brewery's name is on the bottom, and there's room to place a label or write the name of a beer variety. I have chosen to profile their award-winning Lemon Thyme Gose.

Click through to read more about Next Level Brewing, their Lemon Thyme Gose, and to see more photos of this spirited tap...

Next Level Brewing was founded in 2015 in Vienna, Austria by Johannes Grohs and Alexander Beinhauer. Grohs was a perfectionist, a Beersommelier and formerly worked in the building industry, while Beinhauer was also a Beersommelier and multiple winner of the Austrian Homebrew Championship. He studied chemistry and earned a master degree in biotechnology. The two men met each other in the Viennese Homebrewscene and formed a partnership. They both had the enthusiasm to bring highly aromatic, unique beer into the world. They wanted to show that beer can be more than cheap booze. Grohs took responsibility for the economics of the business, while Beinhauer concentrated on the quality standards. They contract with other brewers to have their beers brewed; in fact, they call themselves "gipsy brewers", meaning they work with several different breweries in Austria. In the interest of full transparency, the info about where the beers are brewed can be found within the description of their beers.

The brewery focused on international beer styles that weren’t well known by Austrians, and creating new beers that the world hadn’t yet tasted. As Austrian brewers they are not affected by the German purity law and can brew what they want. That includes only natural ingredients and they never use concentrate if they brew with fruits. At 2016 Meiningers International Craft Beer Award in Germany they won their first PLATIN Medal with their Lemon Thyme Freestyle Gose. At the Austrian Beer Challenge they won 3 medals in 2016 and another 2 medals in 2017. Also, in 2016 they won "Best New Brewer in Austria“ at RateBeer.

Next Level's award-winning Lemon Thyme Gose is a freestyle version of the ancient sour and salty German beer style, and is spiced up with lemon juice, thyme, Indian coriander and sea salt. This beer is delicately crisp, tart, slightly acidic and enormously refreshing with a hint of lemon and thyme. Recommended food pairings are seafood and fish, or just drink it as a great thirst quencher.