Robin Shepard
“We’ve been having a lot of fun with the Northeast concept of fruit-forward hoppy beers,” says brewmaster Danny McMahon. The freedom to experiment with new beer styles is one of the reasons McMahon created the Hacienda Beer Company, a spin-off venture of Door County Brewing. The beers are made in Baileys Harbor in Door County Brewing’s new 15-barrel brewhouse that just started production a couple months ago. For those who have been following the attention given to hoppy and hazy beers made popular in the Northeast/New England part of the country, Hacienda’s Everything Eventually makes a statement that the Midwest can make them too, and just as good.
What is it? Everything Eventually from Hacienda Beer Company of Baileys Harbor.
Style: The Northeast/New England pale ale is a hazy beer with assertive tropical hoppiness, often with notes of grapefruit, peach, melon and/or tangerine. They are made with wheat or oats and served unfiltered, which leaves them hazy. The core beer, an American pale ale, is golden to copper color, with a hop character of piney to tropical depending upon the hops used. They commonly range from 4.5 to 5.5 percent ABV and 30-50 IBUs (International Bitterness Units).
Background: Everything Eventually should become one of the staples of Hacienda and McMahon expects it to do well. It was officially launched last week in parties at Lucille and Off Broadway Draft House, and will soon appear in Madison area bars. McMahon appreciates the Madison market and is keen to “showcase some of the beers that people have heard us talking about in Baileys Harbor and may never have tried.”
Everything Eventually has hints of juicy tropical grapefruit and orange. It’s hopped with Citra and Strata. Altogether there are roughly four pounds of hops per barrel, most are added in dry hopping, which results in assertive aroma. It finishes at 50 IBUs and 5.9 percent ABV. The beer’s haziness is attributed to an addition of oats in the grist.
McMahon wanted to make a pale ale with big fruit flavor and without bitterness. “We like the concept of fruity sweet hoppy beers that are not bitter,” he says. The beer is currently only available on draft in the Madison market, and it’s still new enough that you may have to look around a few local taphouses before you find it. It should become more widespread soon. McMahon’s long-term goal is to sell it in 16-ounce cans.
McMahon has been playing around with his own take on a Northeast IPA for a couple of years. An early version of Everything Eventually appeared last summer at Madison’s Brasserie V. Last fall he also released the hazy IPA Punk Ass Cat under the Door County Brewing label — that one features Eldorado hops for pineapple, mango, orange and even a faint hint of watermelon.
The name Everything Eventually has no deep meaning. McMahon says it’s just a common phrase that he finds himself using in conversations and it sounded like a great beer name.
McMahon has also been playing around with stouts. In April, he’ll be sending Madison a coffee stout made with toasted coconut called The Only Time is Party Time.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Lots of tropical grapefruit and orange.
- Appearance: Bright, hazy yellow gold. A thick, soft, off-white head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied, bubbly with softness.
- Taste: Fresh juicy grapefruit with some sweetness. The Citra hops are forward and they stick around.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Lingering grapefruitiness and hints of orange. There’s also a light dryness that goes with the grapefruit; however, this beer isn’t bitter, it’s much more fruit juicy.
Glassware: The Willi Becher with its inward flare at the lip will focus the tropical aroma while accentuating the citrus flavor.
Pairs well with: sharp cheddars, burgers and mildly spicy pizza and pastas.
The Verdict: This is a great Wisconsin-made take on the Northeast/New England pale ale style. The dry hopping of Citra lends a huge burst of fresh tropical aroma and flavor. The beer is bubbly and soft, with solid grapefruit and orange hoppiness with lots of sweet fruity juiciness. If you’re a fan of the Northeast hazy hoppy beers, put this on your list to find.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to Hacienda's coffee stout as Whatever Feels Right, rather than The Only Time is Party Time. Whatever Feels Right is actually the brewery's peach milkshake IPA.
