Pete's Wicked Ale

In my humble (and not yet terribly alcohol-experienced) opinion, Pete's Wicked Ale is pretty good stuff. Better than most things you can get in a small-town Tennessee supermarket when too low on cash to afford import beers. (Discovered upon following the joking request to "Get some beer" along with the maple syrup to go with pancakes this household enjoyed early this morning before heading off for the Tennessee Renaissance Festival.)

The note on the label (the one from Pete, not the surgeon general) is as follows:

Hey! Thanks for trying my very first (and favorite) brew in the world. Do me a favor. Before you take your first sip, take in a big, deep breath of the dry-hopped, roasted caramel aroma. Then hold it up to the light. See the rich, ruby brown color? The results of the perfect blend of the finest pale caramel and cocolate malts and Brewer's Gold hops. Back in 1986, who would have guessed it would be one day hailed as the "Original American Brown Ale." -Pete Slosberg

Pete's Wicked Ale is put out by Pete's Brewing Co. and has a webpage at www.peteswicked.com or an info-line at 1-800-877 PETE. Other than pictures (most notably a relatively happy-looking guy with a glass raised who might just be Pete) and warnings, that's about it for the info on the label.

Pete's Wicked Ale is a medium-stout brew made by a division of the August Schell brewing company in New Ulm, Minnesota. It is one of the finest of the domestic pseudo-microbrews to appear in the late 80's/early 90's. The flavor, while not as dense and rich as some of the imports (Sheaf Stout comes to mind), is a touch sweeter and nuttier than its contemporaries.

An interesting bit of trivia -- in California, Pete's was available in two sizes, a standard bottle and a big boy. In Minnesota, I was amazed to find the large bottles did not seem to exist.

Pete's has since been eclipsed by other brews, either more uniform offerings by larger breweries^* or quirky individualistic brews from "real" microbreweries.

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* Samuel Adams Double Bock