Robin Shepard
Aaron Zierdt, left, of Lupulin, and Clint Lohman of Working Draft collaborated on a cold IPA.
Working Draft Beer Company and Lupulin Brewing of Big Lake, Minnesota, have teamed up to make a cold IPA planned for a Nov. 17 release. Cold IPAs seem to be a “hot” trend. They are made by taking an IPA and fermenting it with lager yeast at colder temperatures than would be used to make an ale. This can make them cleaner, with sharper hop character. Working Draft’s Clint Lohman hosted Lupulin’s brewer, Aaron Zierdt, at Working Draft in October. The beer features Minnesota wild rice and a hop bill that includes Strata, African Queen and Mosaic. That combination gives the beer citrus and hints of blueberry which blend with the toasted nutty sweetness of the wild rice. The beer is fermented with a Czech strain of lager yeast and finishes around 7 percent ABV. It will be available in the Working Draft taproom and in local stores in four-packs of 16-ounce cans (around $16). The beer is called Sick Daze...kind of fits in with Lupulin’s unofficial motto, “Work sucks, drink beer.”
The Great Dane has come out with a Russian imperial stout called Medelyan. It is the first time the Madison-based brewpubs have offered a Russian imperial stout in 12-ounce four-packs (about $10). Brewery co-owner and brewmaster Rob LoBreglio describes it as “malt coming from all different directions.” In fact this complex stout is made with nine malts, lending it lots of chocolate and caramel flavor. It’s a strong beer at 10 percent ABV. The name refers to an extinct Russian Medelyan Mastiff, a big burly dog much like the brewpub’s Great Dane mascot.
Beers from Tumbled Rock Brewery and Kitchen near Baraboo have been popping up in Madison. In mid-October, brewmaster Erica DeAnda held a tap takeover at Garth’s Brew Bar on Monroe Street and showcased several beers, among them her fall seasonal called Scotty’s. The Scotch ale was made to mark the brewpub’s anniversary in early October. Tumbled Rock opened just two years ago and until recently has rarely offered its beers off site. More Tumbled Rock brews are expected this fall at Garth’s. But remember that brewpub is located at the entrance to Devil’s Lake State Park, which is especially nice this time of year as the leaves change in the Baraboo Hills. ($6/8-ounce glass at Tumbled Rock). DeAnda will also release Copper Falls this month, a traditional Munich dunkel rich in German malts that give it rich caramel and toffee notes ($7/pint; $12/crowler).
Sunshine Brewing Company in Lake Mills recently brewed an oatmeal stout in conjunction with the unveiling of a restored mid-1800s beer cave in CamRock County Park along the CamRock Trail that connects Rockdale and Cambridge. The beer quickly sold out at the brewery. Sunshine owner Lane Smith says he’s considering another batch for winter. Smith also recently brewed a Belgian dark strong with Peter Schroder of Starkweather Brewing. The collaboration beer is expected to be among Starkweather’s first releases when it opens later this year. Starkweather has taken over the former Next Door Brewery location on Madison’s east side and is still awaiting permits before it can open. The 10.9 percent ABV dark strong is full of malty sweetness and notes of raisin and figs. It will be released by Sunshine in its Lake Mills taproom on Black Friday, Nov. 26, with the name Mental Booze.
And happy birthday to Tyranena Brewing Company in Lake Mills. One of the area’s oldest craft breweries, it celebrates its 22nd anniversary in November. To mark the milestone, brewmaster Rob Larson made a 14 percent ABV barrel-aged imperial stout called Twenty-Two. The beer was first aged in Woodford Reserve rye barrels, then transferred and aged again in a mix of Sazerac Rye and port wine barrels. The brewery has a birthday bash planned for Nov. 5. Attendees get to be the first to taste Twenty-Two. Event ticket holders get one pour of the beer, a four-pack, samples of other select cellared beers and a commemorative glass, along with music from the Ryan McGrath Band. The brewery’s main release of Twenty-Two begins Nov. 6 ($7/8-ounce glass in taproom; around $22 four-pack).
