Robin Shepard
Bent Kettle owners Mark Cook (left) and Jim Jorgenson.
Oyster brew from Bent Kettle
Okay, a platter of oysters next to Guinness is not that uncommon, and there’s even Island Oyster Stout from Harpoon Brewing of Boston — but oysters blended with a hoppy beer? And in the Midwest? It’s a reality: An oyster IPA is among the latest new beers from Bent Kettle Brewing of Fort Atkinson.
“I bought fresh whole oysters from a local seafood purveyor and added them toward the end of the boil,” says Bent Kettle’s Mark Cook. The hops in the beer include Amarillo and Mosaic, which leave an estimated 67 IBUs; it finishes at 6.5% ABV. The beer will appear at a special tapping at HopCat Jan. 23.
Bent Kettle is stepping up its production overall after debuting its first offerings last summer. At last weekend’s Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest, it offered six beers, including Disregarde, a Biere de Garde-style brew made with Vienna malt; Making Mischief, an oatmeal brown ale; and Night Sweat, a black IPA with chipotle peppers and molasses. These draught-only beers are turning up in Madison’s craft beer hangouts. Bent Kettle’s flagship, Insolence, is available locally in 16-ounce cans. The amber rye Go Fasters will start appearing in cans at the end of the month.
Robin Shepard
Pigeon River’s Townie cream ale.
Pigeon River Brewing aims for Madison
Pigeon River Brewing is a small brewery in Marion, Wis., midway between Waupaca and Shawano. Owner Nathan Knaack says he’s hoping to offer its beers on a more regular basis in Madison by summer.
Knaack started his brewery in Marion in 2013. “Everybody said we were nuts doing this in a town of 1,200,” he says, but growth has been steady.
Among the first beers that Madison can expect to see will be Pigeon River’s current best sellers, Townie cream ale and Wet Willy oatmeal stout.
Robin Shepard
New Sweet Mullets head honcho Chad Ostram at the 2016 Isthmus Beer and Cheese Festival.
Sweet Mullets changes hands
After four years, Mark Duchow is bidding Sweet Mullets Brewing Co. in Oconomowoc goodbye. Duchow has long been a fixture among brewers in the Midwest, having made beer for such brewpubs as Milwaukee’s Water Street Brewery in the early 1990s and the Grumpy Troll Brewpub in Mount Horeb.
Duchow is selling Sweet Mullets to Chad Ostram, who has already taken over in the brew house. Ostram says he wants to continue to offer a wide range of beers and maintain the pub’s eclectic feel. A native of Fond du Lac, Ostram has most recently been employed in the IT sector. Duchow is moving to Chicago and looking at brewing opportunities there.