Robin Shepard
“Hausbiers” are often straightforward brews that appeal to most tastes and are intended to be a good entrance to start exploring what is on tap at a given brewery.
Black Rose Blending has introduced a standard hausbier from a new series of wild mix-culture sours. It really lives up to that designation because it’s very approachable for being a wild sour.
Each version of Black Rose Hausbier will be similar. The brew is a mix of young beers aged in oak barrels — but not barrels previously used for spirits. Further, no fruits or dry hopping will be part of the process.
The first Black Rose Hausbier is crisp and effervescent with sharp tartness. It is an excellent introduction to wild sour beers that is fairly low in alcohol (around 5%). This and future Hausbiers are milder sours that don’t overwhelm the palate with acidity — and that allows the oak wood of the barrel to come through. Hausbier is available in 750 mL bottles ($18), 375 mL bottles ($10) or on tap ($7/glass).
● An unexpected find this month is Margarita Grand Gose from Delta Beer Lab. The gose is a light-bodied, salty sour ale that dates back centuries to the German cities of Goslar and Leipzig. It will commonly range in alcohol from 4%-5% ABV. Delta has made a bigger bolder version of the style that finishes at 8% ABV, thus the “grand” in its name ($20/four-pack). Brewmaster Tim “Pio” Piotrowski released it for the brewery’s fifth anniversary party on February 17. This sour wheat ale is made with lime puree, which lends lots of citrus aroma and tartness.
● O’so Brewing in Plover is marking its 16th year in business with a double IPA called Sixteen Candles. The beer was intended to be released last November for the brewery’s anniversary month. However, the beer continued to ferment and O’so owner Marc Buttera decided to leave it in the tanks to see how strong it might become. After three months it ended up at just over 14% ABV. Buttera put a lot of thought into this beer, acquiring a special yeast that thrives in high alcohol. His original goal was a 16% ABV — to match 16 years as a brewery. Regardless, this is the strongest and most expensive beer O’so has ever made.
Buttera also worked with the global hop supplier Hopsteiner to create a unique blend of six different hops. The hops alone cost nearly $100 per barrel. The result is a deep, clear copper beer with assertive orange flavor and spicy hoppiness. For being such a big beer, it is deceptively light on the palate, yet after a full pint, you’ll begin to notice ($16/four-pack).
● Milwaukee’s Third Space Brewing Company just added a new double dry-hopped imperial IPA to its year-round line up. Infinite Wisdom can now be found throughout Madison ($12/six-pack). It is light golden, bubbly and full of orange and tangerine hoppiness. This is a strong IPA at 9% ABV, with a warm malty backbone.
● The annual Barleywine Fest at Giant Jones Brewing on Saturday, March 23, is coming right up. As a precursor to the big beer event, brewery co-owner Jessica Jones teamed up with State Line Distillery founder John Mleziva to make a strong ale aged for about a year in American single malt whiskey barrels. This is the first barrel-aged beer from Giant Jones and it was released in late February. Look for it in 500 mL bottles as well as at the Barleywine Fest, which will also feature at least 10 different barleywines from Giant Jones and other Madison brewers.
Among them is a barleywine from The Lone Girl Brewery — its first foray into the barleywines. It is an American style barleywine with a malty backbone and modest piney bitterness from Columbus and Cascade hops that ends up at 75 IBUs and strong at 9.5% ABV. It will also be on tap into early April at The Lone Girl ($8/glass).
● On the lighter side of recently released brews, 3 Sheeps Brewing is out with a new year-round beer, a cream ale called Wisconsinitis. Cream ales are a mild, pale golden beer with light maltiness and low hop bitterness. They are often made with corn along with malted barley to lighten the beer's body, lending a soft grainy flavor. 3 Sheeps’ take on the style is indeed light in body and flavor. Wisconsinitis finishes at 5% ABV ($10/six-pack).
● A noteworthy Belgian tripel that just landed locally is a barrel-aged version of Birdseye Tripel from Raised Grain Brewing ($13/four-pack). The brewery used Bulleit rye barrels for aging. It is a sweet, full-bodied tripel, strong, spicy, and boozy with notes of whiskey and wood. The spirit character will be a little strong for some, but what I liked is how smooth and warm the combination of Belgian yeast and rye whiskey can be. If you like big beers, especially as we transition from winter to spring, this is one to pick up.
