Robin Shepard
Belgian beer styles are growing in popularity, and the American IPA (among the most popular craft beers currently) becomes quite distinctive when made with Belgian yeast, creating a “Belgian IPA.” The result is an inviting blend of hoppy flavors and yeasty, fruity esters.
Door County Brewing, known for its Belgian-inspired farmhouse ales, has released Sideshow, a hop-forward beer that’s a great representative of this growing style.
What is it? Sideshow from Door County Brewing Company of Baileys Harbor.
Style: Door County Brewing calls Sideshow a Belgian IPA, a relatively new style when it comes to competitive judging. Belgian IPAs fall between hoppy American IPAs and yeasty Belgians like the strong golden and the tripel. At their core lies Belgian yeast, which lends spicy tones of clove and pepper, often alongside fruity flavors of apple, pear and sometimes the sweetness of banana. For hops, American brewers tend to favor assertive piney and/or tropical varieties with a boldness that can be tricky to blend with the Belgian yeast. The Belgian IPA is usually golden to a hazy orange-copper color with strength ranging from 6% to 10% ABV.
Background: A hop-forward beer like this one is a departure for Door County Brewing, and so the name Sideshow fits. Since brewing began in 2013, Door County has become well-known for its saisons, a style that originated as a farmhouse brew in the French-speaking region of Belgium.
Brewmaster Danny McMahon uses a grist of pilsner malt and a high percentage of wheat (much like a Belgian wit, only without the coriander and orange peel) as the starting point for Sideshow. The beer is hopped with U.S.-grown El Dorado and German varieties of Hüell Melon and Mandarina Bavaria. That blend of hops creates a bright, fruity, tropical dryness with hints of juicy melon and light candy sweetness. Added to that is a Belgian yeast strain that also offers dryness and hints of spice and pepper. This all makes for a complex flavor profile. As a comparison, Ale Asylum’s Bedlam is a well-made local example of the Belgian IPA (I chose it as my best beer in 2010); however, Sideshow is lighter in color and body and more crisp and dry. Sideshow finishes at an estimated 40 IBUs and 6.2% ABV. It’s sold in six-packs for around $7-$9/each. Sideshow is part of Door County’s year-round lineup.
It first appeared on tap in the Madison area about a month ago, most notably at the Old Fashioned when it took a turn as beer of the month. However, its recipe has been tweaked slightly since then with changes in the dry-hopping process, to bring out more of the hop aroma.
It’s also worth noting that Door County Brewing also recently switched its bottle production, including the brewing of Sideshow, to Octopi Brewing in Waunakee. Up until February, Door County had been contracting with Sand Creek Brewing in Black River Falls to make its year-round beers. Door County Brewing is also building a new brew house in Bailey’s Harbor that is expected to be up and running by spring 2017. Even once his new brewery is operational, McMahon intends to continue having Octopi make his core brands.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: A complex aroma with bright fruity and spicy hoppiness up front. Also with light hints of apple, pear and earthy-yeasty tones.
Appearance: Yellow-golden. Slightly hazy. A medium bubbly, marbled, white head.
Texture: Medium-bodied, bubbly and dry throughout.
Taste: Begins with a fruity, dry, crisp hoppiness. There is a light pepper yeastiness in the background.
Finish/Aftertaste: Crispy, dry, bubbly. The complex light spiciness continues to linger.
Glassware: The goblet is a great beer for the bold nature of the Belgian IPA. With Sideshow, I suggest finding one with a slight inward flare at the lip to focus the hoppy aromas under the nose.
Pairs well with: The spicy dryness of this beer pairs well with entrees that carry modest spicy heat of their own. Don’t overdo the spice, but Asian cuisines (especially Thai) are excellent companions. Cheese pairing: This beer’s dryness and fruity-hoppiness matches well with musty blues like gorgonzola.
The Verdict: Sideshow is crisp and dry with a topical hop forwardness that’s reflected in light fruity hints of melon, apple and pear. The flavor and body were lighter than I was expecting (I admit, Ale Asylum's Bedlam influences my perception of this style); however I still really enjoyed it because it’s so crisp and approachable. It’s similar to a White IPA or spicy saison. Serving it cold at refrigerator temps will bring out more of the spicy dryness, while drinking it warmer, in the low 40s, allows the fruity melon flavors from the German hops and the yeasty esters to emerge. This is a very nice Belgian-inspired beer with great drinkability.
