A bearded man in a black T-short stands next to several oak barrels.
Bill Morgan of Full Mile with the magic barrels.
The Flanders red ale, often called the “Burgundy of Belgium” for its wine-like character, is a beer style many brewers avoid — following traditional brewing methods requires a year or more of barrel aging, then blending in beer of younger vintage. When made well, the Flanders red is a special treat. It’s sour and tart, with acidity from mixed culture fermentation of brewer’s yeast and wild microorganisms. Bill Morgan of Full Mile Beer Company and Kitchen in Sun Prairie proves he’s up to the task of a Flanders with his recently released Stupid Sexy Flanders.
Morgan’s take offers layers of dark, fruity sourness, sharp acidity, and a touch of spicy bourbon and oak from barrel-aging. He used both sauvignon blanc wine barrels and bourbon barrels to age the beer for 16 months, then blended each barrel to taste. It finishes strong at 8.2% ABV. If you appreciate the wildness found in a good Belgian sour, try this one ($9/glass and $18/2-pack). Later this fall, Morgan plans to release a second Flanders barrel-aged for three months with Door County Montmorency cherries. It’ll go by the name Stupid “Sexier” Flanders.
I’m all in with Scott Manning’s latest creation for Vintage Brewing. Lock Stock & Smokin’ Barrel is a wee heavy aged for a year in barrels previously used by Baraboo’s Driftless Glen Distillery to make its very limited release of smoked malt whiskey. For his base beer, Manning chose his Sauk Ness Monster wee heavy, a mainstay of the brewpub, for its rich malty character. Notes of toffee, caramel and bread lend sweetness (this comes from the Maris Otter malt) along with spirit notes from the barrel. It finishes at 9.5% ABV. Lock Stock & Smokin’ Barrel is available ($8/glass) at all Vintage locations except Vintage Spirits and Grille.
Starkweather Brewing is out with a Baltic porter made with Door County cherries and aged in a Dancing Goat Distillery brandy barrel. It is dark, full-bodied and warm at 9% ABV. It’s nice to sip, and as it comes to room temp there’s more of the tart sourness from the cherries and barrel aging ($8/glass and $22/crowler).
Over the summer 3 Sheeps Brewing launched its Wisconsin Cryptid Series, limited release new big beers inspired by some of the state’s legendary fantasy characters. The series started with The Hodag of Rhinelander (an imperial IPA), followed by The Bigfoot of Bayfield (hazy IPA). While the names may seem a little gimmicky, the Wisconsin references and artwork are a way to get beer noticed on crowded shelves. Brewery owner Grant Pauly says it’s intended to be a fun way to point out different parts of the state and the local culture and folklore surrounding cryptids.
Regardless, this series has delivered solid IPAs. The current installment is The Beast of Bray Road named for a wolf-like creature reported to appear on a road near Elkhorn. It’s a big, full-bodied hazy imperial IPA with juicy Galaxy hops that deliver flavors of orange, tangerine, peach and mango. I enjoy the intensity of its fruitiness, though at 8.1% ABV it is on the stronger end of the tropical hazies. It’s sold in a four-pack ($19). Next in the series will be The Gnomes of Fifield, a hazy IPA featuring Ariana, Calypso and Trident hops, due out in November.
