Robin Shepard
Collaboration beers often take participating brewers down paths they don’t pursue on their own. Neither Tom Porter of Lake Louie Brewing nor Kirby Nelson of Wisconsin Brewing have been known for making hazy New England style IPAs. However, Clint Lohman of Working Draft has developed quite a reputation for making these brews. The breweries recently came together to create Swamp Thang, a hazy double IPA.
What is it? Swamp Thang hazy double IPA is a collaboration beer from Working Draft Beer Company, Lake Louie Brewing, and Wisconsin Brewing Company.
Style: The double IPA (also called the imperial India pale ale or IIPA), is deep golden to reddish amber in color and medium- to full-bodied. The style has a strong hop profile, yet with balance and complexity from a hearty malt bill that adds strength. The hazy take on the style is intentional. They are often made with additions of wheat and oats and left unfiltered. They can be quite cloudy. Lots of late addition fruity hops give them tropical and juicy attributes. These beers will commonly range from 7.6–10.6 percent ABV.
Background: “This beer was a great way to brew with friends in a new way,” says Working Draft’s Clint Lohman. “The style is more my thing, but we’re branding it in a way that’s more like Lake Louie.”
Lohman worked closely with Lake Louie brewer Tim Wauters to refine the actual ingredients. Brewing and packaging was handled by Wisconsin Brewing in Verona. (Wisconsin Brewing purchased Lake Louie in July 2019.) Swamp Thang lives up to its name — it is a hop monster with a huge amount of Citra, Simcoe and Enigma hops. The hop bill alone is nearly $1.50 per can. “I wanted to do something really dank,” (i.e., high alcohol and resinous) says Lohman. With all those hops it is best to enjoy this beer as soon as you buy it, catching the maximum hop flavor and aroma at peak freshness. Additions of oats and wheat give the beer its murky golden orange body.
The name Swamp Thang is a nod to the shallow pond on Tom Porter’s Arena farm that’s better known as Lake Louie — and the brewery’s namesake. In a bit of early banter over naming the beer, the first choice included “pond water.” The collaborators probably made the right call on that marketing decision.
Swamp Thang finishes at 8.1 percent ABV. It sells in four-packs of 16-ounce cans for around $16. You can also find it on tap at Working Draft and Wisconsin Brewing.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Tropical notes of citrus, grapefruit and light hints of melon.
- Appearance: Hazy orange golden color with a thick, bubbly tan head.
- Texture: Full-bodied, bubbly with softness.
- Taste: There’s a fruity and dank combination of pine, grapefruit and accents of melon and apricot.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Lingering juicy sweetness.
Glassware: The Willi Becher is a great glass for Swamp Thang. Its inward lip will focus the tropical aroma, while there’s still lots of glass to show off the beer’s cloudy orange golden color.
Pairs well with: medium sharp cheddars. From the menu at Working Draft, the Cuban sandwich, with its shredded pork and spicy pepper mustard, is a great match.
The Verdict: What I like about this hazy double IPA is the upfront citrus character. There’s also a hint of dank flavor. It becomes juicy, with soft fruity touches of apricot and orange, in the finish. The juicy hazy style should not be too dry or bitter; rather, it’s about assertive tropical hop flavor that leans toward a subtle sweetness in the finish. To that end, the Enigma hops really shine in Swamp Thang with flavors of white grapes, red currants and tropical fruitiness. That sweetness tends to mask the 8.1 percent ABV. This is one of the best local hazy IIPAs of the year.
