Robin Shepard
Clint Lohman in the brewhouse with cans of the beer Blue Plume.
Clint Lohman with Blue Plume.
Ambers, Oktoberfests, English mild ales, porters, stouts — sweeter and maltier beers become more appealing as the temperatures dip.
At Hop Haus, brewmaster and owner Phil Hoechst has some dark barrel-aged brews that are both flavorful and surprisingly lighter in alcohol than might be expected. “It’s all about the magic that happens in a barrel,” says Hoechst. Barrel-aged beers are known for the assertive spirit character from what was previously in the barrel (bourbon, whiskey, wine, etc.). Hop Haus’s Whiskey Powered Robot ($14/4-pack) is an English-style porter that Hoechst pulled from the barrel after just six months. That allowed it to finish at around 6% ABV. (Longer aging time continues fermentation, and some evaporation further concentrates the brew.) Robot has hints of vanilla, and carries the sweetness of bourbon and wood without a boozy burn on the palate. Hoechst also aged the same porter in brandy barrels for a beer called My Brandy Romance (no longer on tap but it may return, although probably not for a while). It has smooth apple-brandy sweetness that complements the dark chocolate malts of the porter. Robot is still on tap at the Fitchburg location ($7/glass).
News for fans of the brewery’s more robust barrel-aged beers: Hoechst reports that he is planning at least six variations of imperial stouts in his “Black on Black” series that are released on Black Friday (Nov. 24). Those beers will approach 10% ABV and higher.
On the bigger side of barrel-aging, Octopi Brewing has a well-established barrel program for its Untitled Art brands. The Waunakee brewery developed a specific imperial stout recipe just for barrel-aging. It’s used with different barrels and blended with a variety of adjuncts to create multiple releases in the Untitled Art lineup. Keep an eye open for Stitchdown. It was aged 18 months in whiskey and bourbon barrels before those two batches were blended and packaged. Bold hardly describes it at nearly 16% ABV. The cap is hardly off the bottle before you get a strong spirit aroma. It pours thick and is full of deep roasted chocolate flavor from the roasted barley and Maris Otter malt. The warmth of whiskey and bourbon really takes over in this beer. It’s better at room temperature. It is a limited release, yet still around in a few specialty beer stores — possibly because it carries a hefty price tag at around $30 bomber/bottle.
Working Draft Beer Company’s Clint Lohman has made a number of small experimental batches of smoked beers since the brewery opened in 2018. He’s also played around using wild rice. It was just a matter of time before he would put the two together. His latest creation is called Blue Plume. Blue refers to the light hints of blueberry in the wild rice, while plume is a nod to the smoked malt used to make it. Brewery regular Evan Sorenson won a brew experience with Lohman and helped create the recipe. The beer turned out so well, Lohman decided to scale it up for canning ($15/four-pack). Smoked beers are an acquired taste, even among craft beer drinkers. They can have flavors and aromas ranging from toast to burnt bacon. Yet Blue Plume finds a niche with a pleasant blend of the fruity and nutty notes of wild rice, with just a touch of campfire smoke. It is also lighter in alcohol than many smoked beers at just 4.5% ABV ($15/four-pack). If you miss this beer, don’t worry — Lohman expects it to return in a few months.
Third Space Brewing in Milwaukee is releasing a new beer called First Tracks that brewmaster Kevin Wright describes as a straightforward old school approach to the West Coast IPA style. It showcases Chinook, Nugget and Simcoe hops that lend assertive piney bitterness. Wright decided to add a touch of El Dorado hops to round out the finish with light notes of tropical pineapple and pear. First Tracks is expected to come in around 6.2% ABV and should be on Madison shelves by the end of the month ($10/six-pack).
There’s still plenty of time to find a good Oktoberfest beer. Many local entries will stick around well beyond October. Starkweather Brewing’s is right up there on my short list of 2023 favorites. Brewmaster Peter Schroder followed a more traditional German release calendar for tapping his take on the Märzen by releasing Oktomus Prime on the last weekend of September, which overlapped with Oktoberfest activities in Munich. Oktomus has a nice malty backbone from German Munich malt. A touch of Midnight Wheat malt gives it a deep bronze color. It finishes at 6.3% ABV ($7/glass and $14/crowler).
Alt Brew’s gluten-free Oktoberfest is also well worth seeking out. Brewmaster Trevor Easton makes it with Munich millet, as opposed to gluten-containing Munich malts. It also features German Hallertau hops. There is a lot of Bavarian character in this deep copper lager, sessionable at 4.5% ABV. Bombers went quickly, so check the Alt Brew taproom ($7/glass).
The Young Blood Beer Company plans to release a beer to help the victims of the Maui wildfires. The brewery is joining other breweries across the U.S. in making a beer known as the Kokua Project, a non-profit effort started by the Maui Brewing Company which has a production brewery on the island. Maui Brewing shares a standard recipe for the beer with participating breweries. Young Blood plans to follow it closely and dedicate all proceeds from sales to fire relief for victims of the Aug. 8 tragedy.
Young Blood co-owner Tom Dufek says several of his brewery partners have connections to Maui. When Young Blood asked members of its Social Club what they wanted to brew this fall they overwhelmingly chose Kokua Project Pale Ale. (The Young Blood Social Club is similar to a mug club, where members pay an annual fee for access to special releases, tastings, events and interaction with brewers.) Members will join Young Blood brewers in mid-November to make the beer, expected to be released in early December. It will feature Mosaic and Waimea hops, known for citrus and pine qualities. It will finish around 4.2% ABV ($14/four-packs of 16-ounce cans). A handful of other breweries in Wisconsin are also making Kokua Project Pale Ale, including Flix Brewhouse in Madison, Third Space Brewing in Milwaukee, and 3 Sheeps Brewing in Sheboygan.
