Robin Shepard
Every year at this time, Vintage brewmaster Scott Manning likes to roll out a barrel or two of a beer that to him is about family. Butternut Road is named for the road that leads to his family’s Sauk County farm, where some of the beer’s hops are also grown. This is an easy-drinking, appealing brown ale that’s rich with color and maltiness.
What is it? Butternut Road from Vintage Brewing Company.
Style: The brown ale style should offer a solid malty flavor with light but firm sweetness and roasted biscuit to nutty caramel background tone. It is a medium-bodied beer, copper to dark brown in color. It’s not a hoppy style at all, with just enough bitterness to provide some balance with the malt. The brown ale evolved in European breweries as an offshoot of the porter. Brown ales range from 4% to 5.5% ABV. Butternut Road is considered an English hybrid brown because it’s made with all American-grown hops.
Background: Butternut Road is a seasonal treat at both Vintage’s west side and downtown Madison locations. It should be available at both into January. However, it’s also a well-known mainstay on the taps of Vintage’s Woodshed Ale House in Sauk City. Earlier this fall Manning made a special version of it with elderberries that was the ceremonial first keg of beer offered on opening night of World of Beer in Middleton.
Not only is its name a tribute to Manning’s family, so are some the hops that go into making it. Manning uses Cascade hops from his family’s Sauk County land, in addition to Wisconsin-grown Brewers Gold hops supplied by Gorst Valley Hops. It’s also made with a combination of American and European malts, which give it color and solid bready-biscuit, caramel and chocolate tones. Butternut Road finishes at 6.4% ABV. It sells in the west-side brewpub and at Vintage Spirits and Grill for $5/pint and $12 growler (refill).
Tasting notes:
Aroma: Lightly malty, with hints of caramel and biscuit.
Appearance: Dark amber-bronze with a thick, bubbly, brown head.
Texture: Medium-bodied, with roundness.
Taste: Solid malt backbone, smooth tones of caramel, toffee and chocolate. Also a light biscuit-breadiness. While this isn’t a nut brown ale, the malt combination does offer a hint of hazelnut.
Finish/Aftertaste: The malt is balanced by the citrus of the Cascades and the spiciness of the Brewers Gold hops. I like the hoppy accent in the end because of the spicy bitterness, which doesn’t distract from the malt at the center of this beer.
Glassware: The English pint glass lends a nice touch of tradition to the historical origins of the brown ale.
Pairs well with: This is a middle-of-the-road malt-focused brew that will appeal to many craft beer drinkers. Its firm notes of caramel and toffee will complement a wide range of food, from rich holiday casseroles to wild game.
The Verdict: I went to Vintage to try the pub’s 30 Point Bock and an amber saison called Marmalada, but it was Butternut Road that came out on top. At 6.4% ABV, this is a little bigger than what most consider sessionable beers (those less than 4%); however, it’s so drinkable, you may find yourself treating it like a session beer. Over my Thanksgiving meal it drew me into more than one pint, and I found myself returning to finish the growler later in the evening.
