Robin Shepard
Raised Grain Brewing Company is fewer than three years old, yet it’s already racked up impressive accolades for its beers. Its Black Walnut Belgian imperial stout recently won a bronze medal in the 2018 World Beer Cup, and its founding beer, Paradocs imperial red IPA won a gold medal in the 2016 Great American Beer Festival. Right now it is producing an exciting new New England IPA called Naked Threesome.
What is it? Naked Threesome from Raised Grain Brewing Company of Waukesha.
Style: New England pale ales and IPAs are hazy beers with assertive tropical hoppiness, often with notes of grapefruit, peach, melon and/or tangerine. Naked Threesome combines three juicy hops (thus the name). Its haziness stems from a small amount of oats in the grist; it’s also unfiltered. New England IPAs will often fall between 6.3-7.5 percent ABV. Their estimated bitterness may fall between 50-70 IBUs (International Bitterness Units), however the hop varieties that are typically used are fruity and added late in the brewing process, so the perceived bitterness is much lower than the numbers might suggest, as tropical flavors emerge. The Brewers Association just recognized Juicy or Hazy IPAs as a style in 2018.
Background: The Raised Grain Brewing Company is owned by four Brookfield-area residents (and UW-Madison alumni): Scott Kelley, Jimmy Gosset, Nick Reistad and Kevin Brandenburg. The brewery opened in fall of 2015 at 2244 West Blue Mound Road. In the taproom, the beer list often tops more than a dozen in-house brews.
Last December Raised Grain opened a new production facility about a mile away at 1725 Dolphin Drive. Naked Threesome, Paradocs and Black Walnut belgian imperial stout just started appearing in Madison last week, and all are found in four-packs of 16-ounce cans.
“With the new brewery we’re now more consistent in our production, and with the canning line, we are able to push product to the places where we want to be. Madison is high on that list,” says Nick Reistad, who handles marketing and distribution for the brewery. “We want to build our presence in Madison, and that means you’ll see us do beer tastings over the next several weeks.”
Naked Threesome is targeting the growing interest in hazy IPAs with citrus aroma and flavor. “The style has grown on me,” says brewmaster Scott Kelley. “It’s one of the hottest styles out there.”
Naked Threesome emerged from the brewery’s Naked Hopped series of beers that come out beginning in late spring. In 2017, that series focused on the New England IPA style with three individual beers, all solo-hopped brews featuring Crystal, Citra and Mosaic hops. Each one was released roughly two weeks apart. Then, for a final take on the style, all three hops were combined into one beer, which became Naked Threesome. It was such a hit with drinkers that it’s now the brewery’s best seller and accounts for nearly 40 percent of canned production.
Naked Threesome finishes at 7.8 percent ABV and 40 IBUs. It sells in four-packs for around $11.
The 2018 Naked Hop series from Raised Grain showcases Cascade, Loral and Bravo hops in a West Coast IPA style. Reistad says the final beer will be out later this summer and combine all three as in years past. However, it may need a new name, because Naked Threesome has established itself so well among New England IPA fans.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Fresh, bright citrus notes of orange and tangerine.
- Appearance: Bright, hazy yellow golden. A thick, bubbly, off-white head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied, bubbly, with softness.
- Taste: Juicy orange with hints of fruity tangerine and melon.
- Finish/Aftertaste: The tropical flavor and aroma is solid throughout. There is a mild, firm dry grapefruitiness that lingers, but doesn’t stain the palate.
Glassware: The Willi Becher with its inward flare at the lip will bring the tropical aroma under the nose.
Pairs well with: grilled foods, especially pork and steak. Also medium sharp cheddars (aged fewer than five years).
The Verdict: Naked Threesome is very tropical, almost like orange juice, and especially when you drink it fresh. My four-pack had been delivered from Waukesha the same morning I purchased it at City View Liquor, so the beer was as fresh as it could be without drinking it directly from the fermenter in the brewery. It’s so fruity it reminds me of the refreshing traits of a radler (and I’ve been drinking a few of those lately) if not for its dry warmth in the finish and nearly 8 percent ABV. Naked Threesome is medium-bodied, bubbly, bright and juicy with very little hop bitterness. It really doesn’t come off like an IPA, at least if the West Coast style is your reference point. If you like the New England take on hops and haziness, do yourself a favor and give this one a try.
