Robin Shepard
Tanner Luke (left) and Mark Garthwaite represented the Wisconsin Brewers Guild.
When Sierra Nevada’s 2016 Beer Camp Across America fest rolls into the Midwest this summer, it will be serving a brew created with assistance from the Wisconsin Brewers Guild.
Wisconsin Brewers Guild executive director Mark Garthwaite and Tanner Luke of Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls traveled to Chico, Calif., in March to brew with other guilds from across the country to create a saison made with rye, oats and Amarillo hops. That draught-only beer will be served at the six national Beer Camp festivals. One of these regional fests will be in Milwaukee on June 11 at Veterans Park, 1400 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive. This is the first time brewery guilds have directly participated in making a beer to represent their groups.
The festival also showcases the six collaborative Beer Camp brews made by commercial brewers from six regions across the country. These are bottled and go into one-time-only variety six-packs. The 2016 Midwest beer is called Family Values; it’s an imperial brown ale made with cocoa, honey and Minnesota wild rice. Several brewers from the north central U.S., led by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minn., devised the recipe.
Another collaboration
A drop-in visit last March by former Capital Brewery brewmaster Fred Scheer became the basis for a collaboration beer. Scheer, who brewed for Capital from 1985 to 1987, joined current brewmaster Ashley Kinart in the brew house on May 24 to re-create a pilsner based on his original recipe. The collaboration is among several special releases that the brewery has planned this year to mark its 30th anniversary.
Capital is also testing home delivery of beer in the western U.S. The brewery is using a third-party delivery company to ship beer directly to customers in Arizona, California and Colorado. Brewery president Scott Wiener describes it as a beer-of-the month-club type of program.
Taking flight
With an eye to wider distribution, Pigeon River Brewing has started construction on a new brewery in Marion, Wis., about 140 miles north of Madison. Owner Nathan Knaack says he’s looking to send his beer to Madison, a large potential market for him, by late summer or early fall.
Knaack’s expansion plans involve combining forces with Northwinds Banquet Hall to create a brewpub with a brewery, bar and dining area. Knaack also purchased bottling equipment from O’so to turn out six-packs of 12-ounce bottles on a regular basis. He expects the first beers in Madison to be his Townie cream ale and Wet Willy oatmeal stout.
Beers to watch for
House of Brews is out with Duplexx Double. It’s rich in dark caramel, oak and vanilla from three months of aging in bourbon barrels. At the recent Dells Rare Barrel Affair festival, this was one of the best I discovered.
Lakefront Brewery’s summer seasonal, SMaSH (“single malt and single hop”) ale has arrived in Madison. It’s made with Vienna malt and Willamette hops. This is a light, crisp hoppy beer, great for summer.
Ale Asylum marked its 10th year in business with an anniversary party last week at which it released a Belgian pale ale called Rictus Grin. The label art is as special as the beer; it was created by designer Emek x.
(This story has been edited to reflect the correct location of this year's Beer Camp Fest in Milwaukee at Veteran's Park.)
