Robin Shepard
Desert Island Dissident with Karben4’s Ryan Koga, left, and Ale Asylum alum Joe Walts.
Desert Island Dissident is the creation of Karben4’s Ryan Koga, left, and Ale Asylum alum Joe Walts.
It’s been nearly four years since Ale Asylum closed its brewing operation in Madison. Its brands were eventually acquired by Karben4 in 2023, and a handful of the original beers, notably Hopalicious, have been re-released.
But this month a new beer inspired by the brewery’s staff is hitting local shelves. “We’re to a point where we can give fans something new,” says Karben4 co-owner Ryan Koga.
Desert Island Dissident is modeled after the steam beer style made famous by California’s Anchor Steam Brewery. (Anchor Steam itself has not been made since 2023.)
To create the recipe, Koga turned to his current brew house staff, several of whom came from Ale Asylum, and contacted former Ale Asylum owner Otto Dilba and brewmaster Dean Coffey. “We asked Dean if there was any unfinished business, something he might have wanted to brew, but never got to,” Koga says. Coffey’s response was a steam beer.
Desert Island Dissident (the name a nod to Coffey’s well known refusal to chase trendy beer styles) features the same yeast used by Anchor Steam. For hops, quality control manager (and Ale Asylum alum) Joe Walts selected Alora, known for hints of peach and apricot, a nice complement to the subtle malty and fruity sweetness of the steam beer style. The beer finishes at 6.7% ABV and is sold in six-packs of 12-ounce cans ($12). Karben4 made just one 30-barrel batch of it and is waiting to gauge its reception before committing to more. However, just knowing that Dean Coffey was consulted means a certain segment of Madison drinkers will automatically be interested.
Robin Shepard
Bottles of Supermoon Beer Company's Sensitive King and Steve's R
Steve’s Wine, Beer and Spirits teamed with Supermoon to create Steve’s Reserve, a bourbon barrel-aged sour red ale.
Supermoon Beer Company of Milwaukee is making its Sensitive King more widely available in Madison. I’m not the only big fan of this Belgian tripel; it’s been the number one Wisconsin tripel on the social media beer site Untappd for the past three years. This medium-bodied beer is deep golden/copper colored. Light floral and musty hints within the aroma come courtesy of the yeast, the same one used by the Westmalle Trappist Brewery of Belgium. It’s dry and bubbly and deceptively easy drinking for a 9% ABV beer. It’s been found sporadically in 500ml bottles in the Madison area, but this spring the brewery is moving it to 16-ounce cans ($16/four-pack). While the convenience of cans means more visibility, the more traditional bottle-conditioned format won’t be discontinued completely. Those single bottles ($10/each) are still a great way to share the beer with a friend.
Supermoon also teamed up with Steve’s Wine, Beer and Spirits to make a bourbon barrel-aged sour red ale. Steve’s Reserve is similar to a Flanders red, and aged for an additional six months in a Four Roses bourbon barrel. Expect tartness that evolves into a sweet and spicy warmth that softens everything. This beer is musty, fruity, oaky and delicious. This is a limited one-off beer available only at Madison-area Steve’s stores ($13/bottle). When it was offered at the brewery in Milwaukee it sold out in two hours. It’s a good idea to call ahead to check availability.
