Local homebrewers set to recreate, redo Champale for modern tastes

After nearly 20 years of being a Mercer County resident, I have finally completed the Trenton Sextuple Crown.

Taylor and Case? Check and check.

DeLorenzo’s Pizza and DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pie? Check and check.

Extra Dry and Golden? Check and check.

I’m talking of course (of course?) of Champale, the once-Trenton made swill that’s been out of the city since 1986, that’s still being produced by Pabst, that’s still being drunk in … a three block radius in Brooklyn, apparently.

That’s at least where Andrew Koontz, current Mercer County Freeholder and longtime member of the PALE ALES Homebrew club, found it. (BTW, “PALE ALES?” Stands for “Princeton Area and Local Environs Ale and Lager Enjoyment Society, as created by Joe Bair, the owner of Princeton Homebrew on Route 29 in Trenton.) (And don’t hate on Bair for calling his business “Princeton” when it’s in Trenton; he started in Princeton and … let’s get back to this Champale story …)

Koontz was driving back from a freeholder meeting and found himself thinking about … pork roll.

“It was just going through my head how pork roll has become this cultural staple, with the festivals and all that,” he said. “My thoughts then went to Champale, and how it would be great to bring beer brewing back to Trenton.”

So Koontz got the idea to A) have a Champalethemed evening at a PALE ALES monthly meeting and then B) challenge the members of the group to come up with their own spin on the beverage.

“There’s nothing sacred about this stuff,” Koontz said. “So we worked up a style guideline for homebrewers to create their own version of Trenton Champagne Ale. We’re kind of asking the question of ‘what if Champale had not gone out of business here and still remained a local beverage?’ It for sure would’ve gone through some creative tinkering like all other brews from the 1970s. If champale had gone through the craft beer revolution, what would it be today? We’re going to find out. And these guys would be the ones to do it.”

But first Koontz had to get his hands on some Champale. Pabst stopped production of the pink variation years ago, so it was down to the Extra Dry and Golden. Koontz enlisted the help of current PALE ALES president Marc Leckington and the duo headed out to the closest facility that distributes Champale out in Brooklyn.

They brought back a few cases, announced the plan, and about three dozen homebrewers gathered at Firkin Tavern in Ewing last week to get their hands on the style guideline and taste test the infamous Champale.

First up was a local history lesson of the beverage led by Elizabeth Yull. She told of the beer brewing history of Trenton, along with the story of Champale.

And then it came time for the testing. Small five ounce glasses were handed out. Bottles of Champale, both types, were placed on the tables. The tension in the room was rising.

First up was Extra Dry, which was … not terrible. Mind you, it was not good, but it was certainly not terrible. It tasted like almost … nothing, at least to my unrefined palate. I give it a hearty “whatever” review.

But the Golden … oh the Golden … imagine carbonated cough medicine and you have an idea of what it tastes like.

“Extra Dry is drinkable,” Koontz confirms. “Golden is … I don’t know.”

Leckington was more to the point.

“It’s rough,” he said. “I tried it and had a headache in 15 minutes.”

At any rate, the taste test came and went and the PALE ALES members discussed future plans.

Yum?