Will there be Dissent?
This is the beer event that’s so big it had to be pushed from June to August for more planning. It’s the first go-round for what is expected to become a major annual Madison beer release party for Ale Asylum.
“Ferment Dissent” will be held Aug. 29; tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on July 13 through aleasylum.com.
The party will mark the brewery’s release of its Russian Imperial Stout, a robust, full-bodied style made for the czars of Russia in the 18th century.
Brewmaster Dean Coffey has made two versions of this big (10% ABV), boldly flavored brew. One is called Impending Descent, a traditional take on the style made with British yeast. The other is Impending Dissent, made with Belgian yeast.
Up to 2,000 tickets at $40 each will be available online; each comes with a commemorative glass and two drink tickets, good for one 6-ounce sample of the Imperial Stout (one for the Belgian style, the other for the British).
The only way to buy bottles of the beer will be with a separate $40 ticket (online, advance only) that buys a 22-ounce bottle of each brew, available for pickup at the event. Tickets for the Ferment Dissent Party and for purchasing boxed sets of the Imperial Stout are available through Eventbrite: fermentdissent.eventbrite.com.
The Ferment Dissent party will feature other Ale Asylum beers on tap, including many aged and vertical flights; these are paid for by the pour. The headlining musical group will be the Reverend Horton Heat.
[Editor's note: Separate tickets are being sold for the imperial stouts for $40. These can be purchased without purchasing tickets to attend the festival but the beers need to be picked up during the festival. ]
Back to the stone age
Wisconsin Brewing Company, 1079 American Way, Verona, will host Depth Charge on July 12 beginning at 11 am. This event celebrates the old method of brewing called Stein Bier, in which the wort is boiled by tossing in a superheated rock. Here, after being heated in an outdoor fire pit, the stones will be dropped by crane. The rock drop happens at 1 pm. The beer will be a Scotch Ale, and attendees will be able to reserve bomber bottles. Party-goers will also get a taste of this year’s Big Sweet Life Maibock.
The twinning of the trends
Levi Funk of Funk Factory Geuzeria has teamed up with brewmaster Ryan Koga of Karben4 to make a special batch of Fantasy Factory IPA that’s fermented with Brettanomyces. This one-off batch of beer is very limited. It’s noteworthy because it displays the creativity of Funk and Koga in an experimental project that merges two huge trends in beer tastes — the bitter IPA and the use of wild yeast to make sour beers. Watch for a special tapping at the Malt House in the next week or so.
Capital Brewery’s new beer patio
Middleton’s Capital Brewery christened its new patio last week. The brewery converted a small area between its front door and the sidewalk along Terrace Avenue into a mini beer garden. The patio features brickwork, a mural on the brewery’s south wall and several umbrella tables. It will be used for small gatherings and to handle overflow from the main Bier Garden.
Beers to watch for
Cervezarita from MobCraft
The Imperial Mexican Lager is made with lime peel, agave nectar and sea salt, then aged for six months in 60-year old mezcal barrels to give it a margarita-like character. It’s being released in 22-ounce bomber bottles and available widely, where other MobCraft beers are sold.
Hoppy Heifer from MobCraft and Badger State Brewing
This hefeweizen (wheat beer) is made with Sorachi Ace, Meridian, and Columbus hops. It’s sold in four-packs of 16-ounce cans at the House of Brews.
