Robin Shepard
A brewery employee writes the name Halfpenny on a beer menu chalkboard.
Halfpenny is a beer for fans of ESB's to give thanks for.
Are you a fan of no-nonsense English-style ales? Then good news: Bill Morgan at Full Mile Beer Company and Kitchen in Sun Prairie has an authentic ESB (extra special bitter) on tap called Halfpenny. Morgan’s approach to the easy drinking traditional pub ale is made with Maris Otter and Pilsner malts. It is fermented with the same strain of yeast used by the Timothy Taylor Brewery of England in making its popular Landlord and also its highly acclaimed Boltmaker. That yeast adds light nutty and fruitiness behind the smooth, inviting soft toasted breadiness of the Maris Otter. It finishes at 5 percent ABV ($6/pint).
For serious pub ale aficionados, Morgan has set aside one firkin of the beer that he dry-hopped with Michigan-grown Mackinac hops added directly to the cask. Mackinac hops are known for their citrus and melon qualities. That one cask will be tapped on Friday, Nov. 18, at the Malt House where it will be placed on the bar and served in “real ale” style at cellar temperatures and by gravity.
Also at Full Mile, Morgan plans to release a barleywine on Black Friday. Ol' Slap and Tickle is its fanciful name, and it’s been aging in Four Roses bourbon barrels for nearly a year. It is a strong one at over 10 percent ABV ($6/12-ounce pour).
Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery is out with three new beers in its Brewers’ Reserve Series. All are full of fall flavors and warmth at over 12 percent ABV. My pick is the Baltic porter, aged in bourbon and brandy barrels from the Wollersheim Distillery. There’s deep roasted maltiness and spirit sweetness in this one. Other beers in the series out now include a tequila barrel-aged Agave Ale with raspberries, and Old Fashioned Blackberry Ale, aged in Wollersheim brandy barrels. All are limited releases in six-packs ($20, from the brewery). Lakefront is also celebrating its 35th anniversary this month and is marking the occasion with an 8 percent ABV Birthday Doppelbock to watch for.
Stouts are great fall beers and Tyranena Brewing of Lake Mills has one that might make you do a double-take. Opposite Day has returned to the brewery’s fall lineup. It’s described as a white stout, because it’s the opposite of the image most drinkers have of the nearly jet-black Guinness. This is a golden ale made with coffee beans and cocoa nibs. Brewmaster Rob Larsen’s recipe adds just enough of both to lend coffee aroma and a roasted malt background. If you close your eyes while you drink, you will get the impression of an American stout. Larsen ages Opposite Day in bourbon barrels to give it spirit sweetness of bourbon and oak, and that works well with the background of roasted coffee notes. This is a smooth, warm and flavorful beer at 8 percent ABV ($7/glass and $12/four-pack at the brewery).
A taste of Christmas has arrived early from One Barrel Brewing. Owner Peter Gentry just released Don’t Touch Santa’s Beer, a pilsner made with orange extract and Idaho 7 hops. The beer is bursting with tangerine and orange, and lots of orange aroma and sweet fruitiness. It comes in at 5 percent ABV ($11/six-pack). Gentry says he chose an orange pilsner for the holiday season because it reminds him of growing up and getting fresh oranges for Christmas, tucked into Christmas stockings.
