Prairie Artisan Ales Brewmaster Michael Lalli Talks Bomb!

We spoke with Prairie Artisan Ales Brewmaster Michael Lalli about Bomb!, one of the highest-rated imperial stouts in our history.

Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
In one way or another, everyone here at Prairie has been involved in this beer, from the grain bill ideation, to the brewing process, to the adjunct-sourcing, all the way to the complicated cellar work required, everyone at the company has had a hand in this beer’s creation. It’s been a total team effort across the entire company.

What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
That would be everything we learned making this beer, which started life as a one-off 15bbl batch of imperial stout that turned into something we didn’t expect. I’ve been brewing professionally for over 30 years and Bomb! is without a doubt the most challenging beer that I’ve ever brewed.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
If you can believe it, no one can seem to remember where the name came from!

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
I had a customer describe it as one of those beers you’ll either respect or regret, which I think is a fairly apt summation.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
Back when collaboration beers were the thing, we did plenty of them. Once the email stream would get started, I’d fire off an email with the recipe for Bomb!, and I was always surprised that almost everyone we collaborated with was shocked that we were never secretive about the beer’s recipe.

What’s a good food pairing for this beer?
New York-style chocolate cheesecake.