Robin Shepard
Background: The beer in the brew kettle at Wisconsin Brewing Company on brew day.
It was intended to be a birthday present for his wife. Instead, it’s a bit of a gift shared with us all.
“I developed the recipe for my wife’s birthday last summer,” says Duane Buscher, 35, of Madison, of Bang Bang Meringue, the beer that ultimately won the Best of Show in the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest’s homebrewers’ competition last January. “Since I had a few sour beers under my belt, I felt it would do well in the competition.”
As it did. Winning Best of Show awarded Buscher an opportunity to ramp up production of his beer for commercial release with the help of the Wisconsin Brewing Company.
About a month ago Buscher joined WBC’s Kirby Nelson in the brew house to scale up his recipe of a sour Belgian WIT. Its name, Bang Bang Meringue, reflects its lemon meringue pie-like tartness. The beer made its public debut last Saturday at the Olbrich Park post-party for Paddle and Portage.
The beer (at that time, not formally named) emerged from the wheat beer category of the contest’s preliminary rounds to become one of five beers recognized in a series of style competitions held in 2015. Those five beers then went head-to-head at the Beer and Cheese Fest last January. Bang Bang Meringue was selected by popular vote of festival goers and the opinions of a panel of judges, who included WBC’s Nelson and Peter Gentry of One Barrel Brewing.
Robin Shepard
Duane Buscher, the homebrewer behind Bang Bang Meringue, on June 22, brew day.
“I’ve been homebrewing for about four years, love brewing and the Wisconsin brewing culture,” says Buscher. His beer is based on a kettle sour method of brewing in which Lactobacillus bacteria is introduced into the brew kettle during wort-making. The result is a sour and tart beer. It’s the same process used to make this year’s installment of Common Thread, the annual beer that local brewers collaborate in brewing for Madison Craft Beer Week.
Buscher and WBC made about 60 barrels of Bang Bang Meringue. It’s a draft-only beer, and kegs are beginning to find their way into local bars and restaurants this week.
Sour beers continue to grow in popularity. Bang Bang fits well into this genre of brews. It’s sour, but very approachable, with tart lemon and hints of orange. The citrus comes out in both aroma and flavor, as does an accent of dry, spicy coriander, similar to what’s found in a Belgian WIT.
This beer is made with both lemon and orange peel, which accentuate similar citrus sourness from the Lactobacillus. The result is a sharp and tart, not overly sour beer that finishes around 5% ABV. It’s light and crisp on the palate and well suited for summer quaffing.
