Robin Shepard
A golden beer in a glass and the same beer in its can on the bar at Delta.
Is 400 a West Coast IPA or an East Coast IPA? Only its hairdresser knows for sure.
Delta Beer Lab recently hit a milestone. The south Madison brewery made its 400th beer a memorable one, brewing up a West Coast IPA with an interesting twist for those who appreciate the old school style. Brewery owner and brewmaster Tim (Pio) Piotrowski loaded it up with Cascade hops, known for the sharp grapefruit flavor that was standard in IPAs of the 1990s. However, he leaned into the juicy side of modern New England IPA too by dry hopping with El Dorado and Elani hops with notes of pineapple, lemon, lime and soft guava. Ultimately it really doesn’t fit neatly within either West Coast or East Coast styles. That’s why I found it so enjoyable — it was unexpected, yet still a nod to old school IPAs. Batch 400 finishes at 6.6% ABV and is on tap in the Delta taproom ($8.50/pint) and also in local stores ($18/four-pack).
3 Sheeps Brewing is doing something similar with a new double IPA that recently hit Madison shelves. The Sheboygan-based brewery calls attention to Great Lakes maritime history and the lore of lost vessels rolling in with the fog by naming it Ghost Ship. It has the classic bitterness of West Coast hops including Simcoe, Chinook and Centennial that carry that resiny, piney aroma and flavor. Yet Ghost Ship has a very hazy, bright yellow-golden body that resembles a New England IPA. “It was a fun beer to make because it let us play in that space between the coasts,” says 3 Sheeps owner Grant Pauly. I really liked the aggressive hoppiness, body and lingering dry bitterness in the finish. ($17/4-packs).
Spotted Cow is the first beer that comes to mind when New Glarus Brewery is mentioned, but brewmaster and co-owner Dan Carey is recognized for more than just that one beer. Carey’s lambic-style, mixed culture sours have received international acclaim. His Belgian Red, made with Door County cherries, consistently ranks among the world’s best — even in competitions against Belgian brewers who perfected the lambic. In 2017 a similar New Glarus beer, Raspberry Tart, was called “The Best Beer in Wisconsin,” by GQ Magazine, which identified the best of every state.
Carey’s latest fruited sour release is right up there with those beers. New Glarus Framboise just hit shelves and is getting accolades from lambic enthusiasts, including me. It’s based on a Belgian sour blonde, which is light, effervescent, crisp and tart. The base beer continues to ferment with raspberries for about a month before it is packaged. In the end it has a reddish-copper color with a soft white foamy head and a whiff of raspberries to the nose. While the raspberries are clearly there, it’s balanced with the crisp tartness of the sour blonde that has its own musty wild funkiness. New Glarus Raspberry Tart and Wisconsin Belgian Red are much more fruit-forward, with a touch of acidic sourness from the oud bruin (sour brown) ale that lies behind them. It finishes at 4% ABV. This new Framboise has a dry, tart sourness. New Glarus sells it in 12-ounce cans ($11/four-packs) — a little disappointing because this beer deserves to be packaged like its Belgian counterparts, in a glass bottle capped with a cork and caged in wire. Regardless, pass me another four-pack for cellaring and I’ll get over it.
Fall is a great time for darker beers, known for their malty caramel and chocolate accents. The Working Draft Beer Company is out with a new English-style porter called Mr. F (a reference to the television show Arrested Development). Working Draft has been trying hard to keep English-style beers on its taps. Brewmaster Clint Lohman gets a lot of positive attention for his lighter-colored lagers. But he says he “thought it would be fun to sprinkle something dark in the mix.”
This is a traditional porter, made with bready European malts, Fuggle hops and an English ale yeast. As with a good English porter, there’s malty sweetness with a hint of fruity esters in the background; it’s clean and balanced at 5% ABV. Mr. F might make a porter fan of those who think they don’t like dark beers. It’s sold in 16-ounce cans ($15/four-pack), but try it on the beer engine (hand pull) in the taproom to bring out its softer and sweeter side ($6.50/pint).
Looking for the ideal beer for the Thanksgiving table? This year I’m serving Giant Jones’ barrel-aged ryewine for dessert. Ryewine is a big, strong ale. It’s similar to barleywine, only made with rye — that lends smooth breadiness and an accent of spicy peppercorn (think rye bread). It’s aged for a year in State Line Distillery's apple brandy barrels. It is warm, with thick apple liqueur sweetness, with a lot of flavor. Serve this at the end of the meal like a fortified wine or sherry, considering its 10% ABV, and let it reach room temperature to bring out the depth of its malty, spicy, brandy sweetness (500 mL bottles / $10).
