Ultimate 6er | Sorting Beers in Hogwarts Houses
If you are a fan of Harry Potter, you’ve probably taken the Pottermore quiz to see what Hogwarts House you’d be sorted into. As a proud Harry Potter fan, it was only natural to go down the path of sorting some well-known beers into the four Hogwarts houses — Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff– with added picks for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute to complete the Ultimate 6er.
Hazy Little Things | Sierra Nevada
Sorted into: Gryffindor
When you think of a brewery that has a reputation for being brave, daring and leading the way in the craft beer industry, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company might come to mind. Sierra Nevada was founded in 1980 and has been at the forefront of the craft beer world.
One beer that specifically is “brave at heart” is Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Things. Sierra Nevada released Hazy Little Things in January of 2018, a time when the New England and Hazy IPA style was still a little unknown. Sierra Nevada embraced their inner Gryffindor with “daring, nerve and chivalry” and released the first major Hazy IPA to the mass market.
When Hazy Little Things arrives at Hogwarts for the start of the school year and Professor McGonagall sets the Sorting Hat on the can, it will yell “GRYFFINDOR” to The Great Hall in Hogwarts Castle.
According to WizardingWorld.com: Notable members include (of course) Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
‘You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart.’
–Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Ten FIDY | Oksar Blues
Sorted into: Slytherin
Just like the Slytherin common room, a beer you might find in your dungeon is a Barrel-Aged Stout: specifically, an Oskar Blues Ten FIDY.
The Oskar Blues Ten FIDY yearly release has created a great legacy for the first American craft brewery to brew and can their beers. Each year, Oskar Blues releases their traditional Ten FIDY with some different variants. You never know what you’re going to get with each variant. You might get a variant that is strong, brave and cunning, like Snape. Or you might get one you might not like as much, like Crabbe and Goyle.
It is no secret that there is a lot of dark ambition and dislike when it comes to being a Slytherin. The same could be said for Oskar Blues when they released a Mustard Beer in collaboration with French’s Mustard.
So, when Oskar Blues Ten FIDY arrives at Hogwarts for the start of the school year and Professor McGonagall sets the Sorting Hat on their heads, it will yell “SLYTHERIN” to The Great Hall in Hogwarts Castle.
According to WizardingWorld.com: Notable members include Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy and (rather unfortunately) Lord Voldemort.
‘Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.’
–Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Kriek Lambic Beer | Lindemans
Sorted into: Ravenclaw
Ravenclaw is the most mysterious of the Hogwarts’ houses. Like a Ravenclaw, a Belgium Lambic is a style that is not very familiar in the United States. Lambics can only be made in Belgium in the Senne River valley, near Brussels.
A Ravenclaw possesses cleverness, wisdom and wit. Lambics are brewed very differently than most other beer styles. They are fermented with wild, airborne yeast; no yeast is added by the brewers during fermentation. This unusual and clever process is like nothing else in the beer world, giving Lambics a unique taste. Lindemans Kriek is a cherry Lambic beer that has a sparkling, tart, fruity and semi-dry taste profile.
So, when Lindemans Kriek Lambic arrives at Hogwarts for the start of the school year and Professor McGonagall sets the Sorting Hat on its cap, it will yell “RAVENCLAW” to The Great Hall in Hogwarts Castle.
According to WizardingWorld.com: Notable members include Luna Lovegood, Gilderoy Lockhart and Filius Flitwick.
‘Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw
If you’ve a ready mind
Where those of wit and learning
Will always find their kind.’
–Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Prima Pils | Victory Brewing Company
Sorted into: Hufflepuff
One of the most loyal beer styles is a Pilsner. When it comes to Victory’s Prima Pils, you always know what you’re going to get when you crack open a can or bottle. It’s crisp and light but a little hoppy from the German hops used to brew the beer.
Just like Hufflepuffs themselves, Pilsners are a patient beer style. Pilsners use lager yeast and take a little more time to brew than ales. This beer should sit in the fermenter for a few weeks to ensure the beer comes out crisp, light and perfect.
You can never go wrong with being friends with a Hufflepuff and you can never go wrong with drinking a Victory Prima Pils.
So, when Victory Prima Pils arrives at Hogwarts for the start of the school year and Professor McGonagall sets the Sorting Hat on the can lid, it will yell “HUFFLEPUFF” to The Great Hall in Hogwarts Castle.
According to WizardingWorld.com: Notable members include Newt Scamander, Cedric Diggory and Nymphadora Tonks.
‘You might belong in Hufflepuff
Where they are just and loyal
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil.’
–Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Tank 7 | Boulevard Brewing Co.
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic
Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute were introduced in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Both magical schools, along with Hogwarts, participated in the TriWizard Tournament held at Hogwarts. In the movies, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic students are all witches (in the books the school is co-ed).
Beauxbatons students are predominantly French and are portrayed as elegant, beautiful, long-haired witches. They are well mannered and always seem to have a positive attitude. The phrase “beaux bâtons” translates to “beautiful wands” in French. Saison is a French beer style that translates to “season” in French. Saisons can be diverse, but are typically pale in color and brewed at sessionable alcohol levels, making this beer graceful to drink, like its Beauxbatons counterpart.
Tank 7 is the perfect beer for Fleur Delacour and her schoolmates.
According to WizardingWorld.com: Famous members include Headmistress Olympe Maxime and Fleur Delacour.
“Thought to be situated somewhere in the Pyrenees, visitors speak of the breath-taking beauty of a chateau surrounded by formal gardens and lawns created out of the mountainous landscape by magic. Beauxbatons Academy has a preponderance of French students, though Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Luxembourgians and Belgians also attend in large numbers.”
Dead Guy Ale | Rogue
Durmstrang Institute
Unlike their TriWizard Tournament competition from Beauxbatons Academy, Durmstrang students are all wizards (again, in the books the school is co-ed).
Durmstrang Institute is known for its acceptance and teaching of the Dark Arts. The students mentioned by name are Russians and Bulgarians. Durmstrang students wear fur cloaks, fur hats and blood-red robes and are seen as being strong, brutish and unfriendly. “Durmstrang” appears to come from the German phrase, “Sturm und Drang” meaning “storm and distress.” German Maibocks are a style we typically see during the colder, darker months of the year. Dead Guy Ale is a strong, malty German beer with a rich and hearty flavor.
Dead Guy Ale is the perfect beer for Viktor Krum and his schoolmates.
According to WizardingWorld.com: Famous members include Viktor Krum and Gellert Grindelwald.
“Durmstrang once had the darkest reputation of all 11 wizarding schools, though this was never entirely merited. It is true that Durmstrang, which has turned out many truly great witches and wizards, has twice in its history fallen under the stewardship of wizards of dubious allegiance or nefarious intent.”
Feature image featuring Hogwarts Houses from Warner Bros.
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