Robin Shepard
Brewer Piotrowski in front of brewing equipment.
Delta Beer Lab’s Tim Piotrowksi with his new hop rockets.
This fall, Delta Beer Lab is ramping up its approach to experimental brews. The brewery recently purchased two one-barrel hop rockets it will use for making limited, taproom-only releases. Hop rockets are commonly used to add additional fresh hops to a beer. Some brewers install them in the serving line so that as beer is being drawn to the tap it passes through a cylinder that contains hops or other ingredients. Delta plans to use the hop rockets to add adjuncts that create special combinations of flavors.
Beginning this month, Delta will release a new beer every Monday from the hop rockets. They’ll be served on a special “Research and Development” tap. Owner Tim Piotrowski says the device “allows us to experiment, have some fun, and learn about new ingredients without brewing a full batch on our bigger system.” The hop rockets can also be used for blending beers, carbonating them, and for the brewery’s own brand of soda.
Among the first beer offerings will be a gose infused with raspberry, hibiscus and lemon. Also coming up in early October will be a coffee cream ale. Ideas for future beers will come from brewery staff and patrons.
A taproom in Tosa
With the change in season, stouts have been on my mind and Lion’s Tail Brewing Company in Neenah is out with an old-school American stout called Into The Dark. While it looks dark and thick, it has a medium body and smooth roasted maltiness with a touch of sweetness from cocoa nibs and cascara (the dried skins of coffee cherries). This is no sticky pastry stout. It’s well balanced, flavorful and smooth. The cascara adds a light hint of black cherry fruitiness to the finish. The beer has just enough strength at 6.6 percent ABV to count as a warmer as fall arrives and will sell for about $16 a four-pack. The brewery is set to open a new Wauwatosa location in late October, taking over a former garden supply store at 8520 W. North Ave. The building’s design provides a lot of space for an inviting beer garden.
A strong memorial
The Lone Girl Brewing Company in Waunakee is out with a double IPA called Take Flight. The beer was made in honor of Remington Viney who died in a 2021 private plane accident near Janesville. Viney grew up in Sun Prairie, was a sergeant in the Wisconsin Air National Guard and a founder of the Madison Chapter of Women in Aviation. Take Flight is made with lactose and oats, so it is a hazy double IPA. There’s a lot of tropical juiciness with an earthy background from Strata hops. The beer is modestly strong at 8 percent ABV. Two dollars from every pint and five dollars from every four-pack ($20) will go to the Remington Viney Legacy Fund to support women in aviation careers. The Lone Girl has planned a release party for Take Flight from 5-8 p.m. on Oct. 20.
Currently, currants
Instead of a pumpkin ale, look for the 2022 installment of New Glarus’s Black Currant. This dark ale with its big bubbly reddish purple head of foam is bursting with berry flavor. The beer gets five weeks of cold conditioning time that takes some of the edge off the tartness of the currants while allowing other fruity accents of grape and raspberry to emerge. The beer, part of the brewery’s Thumbprint series, sells for about $11 a four-pack.
What’s a kernza?
An FYI from Vintage Brewing Company on Whitney Way: Equipment problems have temporarily shut down brewing and brewmaster Scott Manning is looking for a new brew kettle. The kitchen and bar are still open as usual while some beer production will shift to Vintage in Sauk City. However, the west-side brewhouse, where many of Manning’s most creative brews are made, will not be back in operation for several weeks. There is some good news — before the equipment failure, Manning was able to cook up an amber ale made with toasted kernza, a climate-friendly grain that has captured the attention of a few craft brewers. Look for the kernza to impart nutty, earthy and spicy qualities to the beer, which was fermenting as of late September. It is scheduled for the taps at Vintage’s Madison locations in early October.
