If you haven't been to Northeast DC's Lost Generation Brewing Co., you should. Led by an ensemble cast of experienced brewers and restauranteurs, Lost Generation just celebrated its first birthday and has quickly become a fixture along the Metropolitan Branch Trail (or, as it is coming to be known, the Metropolitan Beer Trail.)
One of their standout brews lately is “Tiger Spirit”, a 4.80% ABV witbier made with chrysanthemum tea, coriander, orange peel, and Szechuan peppercorns. They're flavors not usually found it a witbier, so what's the story??
Anne Choe, the principal owner, wanted to brew something special for Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history month last May. Lost Generation is partnering with Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, a group started by DC chefs Tim Ma and Kevin Tien to "spread awareness about anti-AAPI violence and AAPI racism, and raise funds in support of AAPI victims, AAPI organizations and other social justice issues that support AAPI solidarity." This organization started during the pandemic when the world saw an elevated amount of anti-Asian racism.
Anne and the team wanted to make a food friendly beer that would pair with Asian cuisine, so in partnership with Chefs Ma and Tien (and DC's own Bluejacket!) they created Tiger Spirit. The standout ingredient here are Sichuan peppercorns by 50Hertz, which Lost Generation serves as bar snacks. "The witbier style lends it self as the best vehicle for the spices we are using," said Jared Pulliam, who runs the brewery with his wife Anne. And so they popped in the peppercorns, and "we amped it up with some tea and more orange blossom fragrance. We wanted to make something you want to drink with your meal."
They brewed it last year and loved it so much they re-brewed for their anniversary, and increased the amount of peppercorns. Let's dive in.
It's straw-yellow in the glass and generates a soft aroma, with some notes of baking spice and orange oil. So far so good!
If you're worried about this being too spicy, fear not - it's soft, approachable, and not overpowering at all. The 50Hertz peppercorns certainly add a snappiness to the beer, providing a nice highlight to the base of flaked wheat / orange oil / tea. The peppercorns linger a bit on the short finish, but present more flavor than spice.
I think they hit the mark here, looking to create an approachable beer that's crisp and light enough to enjoy with food but also something that's unique. They also sell it in pint cans, which of course I grabbed a few 4pks to enjoy / give away to friends.
There's an evolving part of this story – the 50Hertz team (Yao Zhao and Lois Goh) are friends with famed author Amy Tan. The 50Hertz team gave Tan some Tiger Spirit and loved it, taking a photo for the Lost Generation team. "This was a nerd moment for [me], as [I] grew up reading Joy Luck Club...the way she normalized the first-generational upbringing in an Asian household really defined the person I have become," said Anne.
So make it a point to head out to Lost Generation and have yourself a dose of Tiger Spirit, pronto! They've also got a new music series coming up, called "Live at Lost Gen", which takes place every Friday and Saturday night from 8- 11pm. You can check the events calendar here!
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