Here’s a beer I picked up in Nashville on a (not beer) trip: Lucky Bucket Jug Thumper Malty Brown Ale. Now, I like malty. Don’t you like malty? You should like malty. Oh sure, we all like hoppy, too. But let’s not forget malty, which has been around a lot longer than hoppy. Don’t think so? It’s true.

Many American beer geeks today think they started the trend for hoppy beers, but that is absolutely not the case. Hops have been used to season beer (and remember they are but a seasoning, the malt is the lifeblood of the beer) for about 1200 years, roughly speaking. The Sumerians really loved their (malty not hoppy) beer, and a tablet found showing them drinking beer is about 6000 years old. An intact recipe that included barley bread (no hops) for making beer is almost 4000 years old. So, you see, malty, dark ales like Lucky Bucket Jug Thumper have some history.

Omaha, Nebraska’s Lucky Bucket does not have any information on their beers on their website, but the label says this:

For every craft bee lover, there comes a time to put those hoppy beers aside and enjoy an ale that lets the barley shine! Just as the jug player was the backbone of old time bluegrass bands (a favorite of the Lucky Bucket crew!!!), malted barley is the backbone of great beer. Jug thumper Malty Brown is packed with a plethora of delicious barley varietals - 2-row barley, caramel malt, and chocolate malt. So pop that top, enjoy the brew, and wind down with a Jug thumper Brown Ale.

See? These folks think like I do! Lucky Bucket Jug Thumper has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume. It was running $9.99 a six-pack at Red hare Beer Company in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Lucky Bucket Jug Thumper Malty Brown Ale pours to a dark murky brown color with a medium head of foam and a soft chocolate chip cookie nose. Taking a sip, the beer offers chocolate and toasted nuts and a hint of molasses. It finishes gently balanced with a grassy bitterness, enough to balance, but the malt is the true star here.

Oh, I would surely buy this one again my friends. All this malt goodness is just what the doctor ordered.

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