Robin Shepard
A six-pack of bottles plus a poured pint glass of an amber beer from Hubbleton brewing.
Hubbleton's ESB is worth the drive to Waterloo.
The Hubbleton Brewery near Waterloo recently released its late winter seasonal, an ESB (extra special bitter). Owner Dan Schey used traditional English yeast and hops to create a smooth, light-bodied ESB. A hint of caramel and biscuit maltiness is carefully balanced with East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops. This is light in alcohol at just 4.5% ABV ($10/six-pack). I’m a regular at the brewery’s small bar and consider this among Hubbleton’s finest beers. It’s well worth the drive to the brewery on the Schey farm, W10445 Hubbleton Road, Waterloo, or the Hubbleton Brewery Taproom and Grill at W7071 Main St., Watertown.
Among hoppy releases this month, one that stands out is the latest addition to the Recreational Chemistry series from Hop Haus Brewing. It’s a hazy double IPA called 25-1 bursting with fruity peach and guava sweetness from a combination of Southern Sublime and Strata hops. The fruitiness tends to mask the alcohol — it’s strong at 8% ($14/four-pack).
Brewmaster Tanner Brethorst at Capital Brewery in Middleton is jumping into the hazy game as well. Brethorst recently released Hazy Seas, a New England IPA that at 7% ABV falls into the double or imperial category. “New England hazies are still making headway [in the market] and since we’ve never done one before, I figured, let’s go for it,” says Brethorst. Hazy Seas is juicy from five different hops. The star of the show is a New Zealand variety called Nectaron that lends bold peach, pineapple and nectarine fruitiness. I like this hazy — it’s juicy sweetness comes with a sharp, bitter hop background. Its $15-$18/six-pack price might give sticker shock (most Capital beers fall around $10/six-pack), but it’s worth it. Brethorst is working on a lighter version of this hazy that will come in around 4.5% ABV. Watch for it in early summer.
Another hoppy release, Outer Spaced hazy double IPA from Karben4, is available in 16-ounce cans ($15-$16/four-pack). It has been a tap-only beer until now. It has a big juicy hop bill with additions of peach and passion fruit concentrate and finishes strong at 9.2% ABV. With all that tropical juicy flavor, it easily makes my best of March.
