Robin Shepard
Back Pocket Brewery of Coralville, Iowa.
This year’s annual Great Taste of the Midwest attracted a sellout crowd of 6,000 craft beer fans to Madison’s Olin Park. The event showcased over 180 breweries, which poured more than 1,200 different beers on Saturday afternoon.
Nearly every beer style imaginable is on hand, but in recent years, hoppy-bitter beers have dominated. There’s also an obvious growing interest in sour flavors.
There are not only more Wisconsin breweries on hand, but the combined presence of Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois now makes up about a third of the breweries attending.
There’s really no way can one person pick the best of 1,200 beers; however, in five hours of tasting, I did my best. Here are a few of my memories about the 29th annual Great Taste of the Midwest.
Best Pre-Great Taste Party
The actual festival is the highlight of the week, but in the days leading up to it, many local restaurants and breweries offer special tastings and pre-parties. My favorite this year was Friday evening at Levi Funk’s Funk Factory Geuzeria. This small warehouse on Madison’s near south side is a facility for aging lambic-style sour beers. Funk hosted fellow sour beer makers O’so Brewing of Plover, Penrose Brewing of Chicago and Yazoo Brewing of Nashville. It was a packed house; seven of the 16 beers offered were gone in just one hour.
Robin Shepard
New Glarus Brewmaster Dan Carey pours Bramble Berry Bourbon Barrel.
Biggest Beer with Flavor, Not Just Strength
Ice Breaker Baltic Porter, Potosi Brewing Company
Rich maltiness and alcohol warmth with a touch of hops in the finish.
Barrel-Aged Standout
Belgian-style Imperial Black Wheat aged in rum barrels from 3 Sheeps Brewing Company
Huge sweetness from rum and oak. Look for a bourbon-barrel-aged version of this beer later in the fall.
Bold and Robust Character
Oak-Aged Anxious from Brenner Brewing Company
A rich American Porter with smooth maltiness.
Big Beer with Flavor
Halucidation, Lucid Brewing
A Belgian tripel brewed with white wine, from the Minnesota brewery. The wine sweetness and oak flavors were enticing, and something to be careful of in a 14% ABV beer.
Bitter with Balance
Death Grip, Pig Minds Brewing Company
This American IPA from this Illinois brewery was solidly bitter from strong citrus and grapefruit notes.
Fruity
Blushing Monk, Founders Brewing Company
This beer was last released in 2011, so finding it at the Great Taste was a special treat. Lots of raspberry-fruitiness alongside Belgian yeast character; strong at 9.2% ABV.
Sour
Bramble Berry Bourbon Barrel Wild Brown, New Glarus Brewing
Sharp and tart fruity sourness, blended with oaky bourbon-barrel tones.
Robin Shepard
Wisconsin Brewing's Kirby Nelson.
Beers to Watch For
Med Jool Belgian Tripel, Wisconsin Brewing Company
Brewmaster Kirby Nelson poured samples from a small experimental batch made with medjool dates. If Nelson can figure out how to economically scale up this recipe (which takes a lot of dates), it’ll be in my fridge for sure.
Twelve Bottom IPA, Port Huron Brewing
Brewmaster Tanner Brethorst has been hinting about making an IPA for over two years, and he’s finally offered one. He made about 10 gallons for the Great Taste to judge how it was received. (Very well, judging from the line at the booth.) This IPA was sharp with citrus bitterness from all Wisconsin-grown Chinook and Cascade hops.
Long Line
Dark Lord 2015, 3 Floyds Brewing Company
I normally avoid long lines at beer festivals; there are so many good beers that might get missed while spending time standing around waiting. However, when Dark Lord appeared on the 3 Floyds chalk board I queued right up like everybody else. This beer is normally available only to fans lucky enough to get winning scratch-off tickets giving them the right to purchase a bottle. At the Great Taste, despite the long line, I was pleased to get my two ounces of this bold, thick, robust Russian imperial stout.
Light and Memorable
Pickle Barrel Kölsch, Flat12 Bierwerks
A cucumber-based beer from the Indiana brewery, aged in bourbon barrels and then made tart with lactobacillus and pediococcus, with a signature dill pickle sourness.
Robin Shepard
Brewers (left to right): Dan Sherman of One Barrel Brewery, Ryan Koga of Karben4 Brewing, and Danny McMahon of Door County Brewing (Bailey's Harbor).
Cask Favorite
A bourbon-barrel version of Sevex, Next Door Brewing
Sevex is a favorite from this east-side brewpub; the cask version made it softer and smoother, with hints of bourbon and oak.
Rookie to Watch
Jim Goronson, Parched Eagle Brewpub
The tap list at the fest included Goronson’s ESB and Hop Bear-er American IPA, two of his many early home runs since opening his nanobrewery last April in Westport, just north of Madison. Goronson has been a longtime member of the event’s sponsor, the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild. After serving as a volunteer at many festivals, this was his first time pouring beer as a brewer.
Non-Beer Find
Meoweewowee, Cider House of Wisconsin
This cider is based on a Swiss monastery recipe, with herbs and spices. It was crisp, tart and refreshing.
Beer/Food Combo of the Day
Smokin’ Cantina’s pork tacos with cilantro, onion and lime paired with grapefruit-tartness of MobCraft’s Hop Gose the Grapefruit.
Dessert Beer
Peanut Butter Porter, Dangerous Man Brewing
Like drinking a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie in a glass.
