Robin Shepard
A can of Delta kölsch with a glass of the honey-colored beer amid wildflowers.
Delta Beer Lab's kölsch has been a big seller in the Biergarten at Olbrick Park.
One beer on my usual August list of favorites is Delta Beer Lab’s German kölsch. This summer, Delta Beer Lab owner and brewer Tim “Pio” Piotrowski tweaked the recipe just a bit with a German kölsch yeast and by using different fermentation temperatures to bring out subtle fruitiness and bready malty notes. This kölsch is among the best you will find in Wisconsin — maybe even outside of Köln, Germany, where the style originates. It is on par with Frűh Kölsch, considered the German standard for the style.
Delta’s kölsch has been among the best-selling beers this summer in Biergarten at Olbrich Park. Its flavors do all the right things for me.
Delta’s take on the style is balanced, with soft sweetness and subtle fruitiness, before finishing clean and dry. Its hop character has a touch of spiciness from Saaz hops that blend into the herbal bitterness from Hallertau hops. If you like the kölsch style, you will want to try Delta’s take. It’s sold in 16-ounce cans ($14/four-pack).
August will have a new installment in Hop Haus Brewing’s Recreational Chemistry Series. The latest goes by the name 24-3. It is a big 8% ABV double hazy IPA featuring Topaz hops, known for their tangerine and tropical notes. It’s sold in 16-ounce cans ($18/four-pack).
Young Blood Beer Company of Madison and Lion’s Tail Brewing of Neenah and Wauwatosa have brought back Uecker on the Radio for the baseball season. This hazy double IPA, finishing at 9% ABV, has been a collaboration beer between the two breweries since 2020, of course paying tribute to Brewers radio play-by-play announcer and former major leaguer Bob Uecker. Lemondrop hops provide juicy, fruity sweetness. It’s available in 16-ounce cans ($18/four-pack).
The Great Taste of the Midwest will be serving more than 6,000 drinkers at Madison’s Olin Turville Park on Aug. 10. You don’t have to have a ticket to benefit from the annual event, however. Many local breweries, restaurants and bars will be hosting beer events and special tappings throughout the city the night before the festival.
One of those Great Taste Eve parties will be at Starkweather Brewing, where brewmaster Peter Schroder will be releasing a light blonde ale that’s been aged for a month with tequila-soaked oak chips, along with lemon and honey, giving it some cocktail character. Called Chase for the Chupacabra, it finishes at 5.3% ABV ($8/pint).
And, also among August’s best beers to watch for will be the release of a wine barrel-aged Flanders red at Full Mile Beer Company and Kitchen in Sun Prairie. Fans of Flanders red won’t want to miss this beer. It is expected to be released at the brewpub early in the month. Quantities will be limited.
Finally, a shout-out to the holdouts! We’ve been seeing the 2024 Oktoberfests already on local shelves since May. However, I’m not ready to give into the sales creep forced upon us earlier and earlier every year. Working Draft, Delta Beer Lab, Starkweather and Hop Haus are following a more traditional release schedule, or at least waiting until August to tap their Märzens. Watch for them and their fresh releases.
