A Trip Down Plank Road
Plank Road Brewery, a subset of the Miller Brewing Company, takes its name from the Watertown Plank Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the location of the primary Miller brewery since its 1855 purchase by founder Frederick Miller. Though not the original Plank Road facility, the new Plank Road operations now take place just blocks away from the original site, opening its doors in 1995 to serve a niche market of beer drinking consumers. In the 15 years since, the Plank Road family of the beers has established itself as a favorite among Americans over 21, bringing premium brands less directly associated with the mass-brewed Miller headliners to bars, liquor stores and grocery stores nationwide. So which popular beers walk the plank from their birthplace to store shelves?Icehouse Famously brewed below freezing, Icehouse has made a name for itself largely thanks to its 5.5 alcohol by volume and crisp, refreshing taste when compared to other ice beers. Since its first release, Icehouse has been awarded Gold Medals for American-style Specialty Lager at the Great American Beer Festivals in both the 2003 and 2007 competitions, as well as American-style Ice Lager Gold Cups at the World Beer Cup in 1996 and 1998.Red Dog Though some onetime drinkers the product line has been pulled from stores, Red Dog is still available if you know where to look. Containing 5 alcohol by volume, Red Dog is on par with other American-style lagers, a full-bodied beverage though uncharacteristically light feeling and smooth to taste, a great beer for summer but plenty stout enough to be enjoyed regardless of the season.SouthPaw Light Unlike similar light lagers, SouthPaw maintains its 5 ABV, though calling it a light beer at 123 calories per serving is somewhat of stretch by some accounts. Whether good or bad stats may be a matter of perspective, but SouthPaw Light also manages to preserve a little more full-bodied flavor than its light beer bretheren.
