Robin Shepard
Confession: I didn’t spend a lot of time at this year’s Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest. I had a busy weekend; as a result, I only dipped in for a couple hours of the six-hour event. I gave myself time to sample something around 18 beers! First-world problems, man.
What I didn’t realize until going over my notes later that day was that I heavily favored Wisconsin brewers during my two hour tour. This isn’t for a lack of availability; Ballast Point, Three Floyds, Founders, Against the Grain, and many more were all present and pouring. The brewery lineup really does run the gamut from itty-bitty start-ups to macro-acquired mega-craft brewers, and I like it.
I certainly didn’t turn down the opportunity to enjoy a pour of Revolution Deth’s Tar, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout that was recently released to retail markets in cans rather than 22-ounce bottles. Made me wish I could’ve gotten down to Chicago for the releases of the more limited canning runs from the Deep Woods barrel-aged series.
Another realization that dawned near the end of my spiraling circuit of the event floor: Only three sour beers made it into my commemorative tasting glass. I just didn’t see as many this year as I have in previous years. It’s a popularity pivot I admit I didn’t see coming, a testament to how craft beer’s trends don’t filter in slowly from the coasts like food trends do.
Two of those sour pours were kind of obvious. If I’m going to stop at the New Glarus booth, I’m going to have the Cran-bic, and I’m going to enjoy its rich acidity and hot pink color. And if the Funk Factory team is there, I’m going to drink something from them, too. In this case, it was the recently-released Kiwi Melon Meerts, which in its green bottle looked a heck of a lot like Mountain Dew. The newer Meerts releases have definitely dialed in on the tartness, and if the more delicate fruit flavors of this version were somewhat lost, it was still worth stopping for.
That trend pivot I mentioned? Fully toward juicy hops. A couple traditional IPAs crossed my radar, but most proved unremarkable. Among the highlights, though, Oliphant’s Zo Zo Gun was surprisingly straightforward for the goofball brewery, clean and modest. Fanny Pack, the new year-round IPA from One Barrel, had an excellent nose and proved to be one of the best One Barrel beers I’ve had.
Robin Shepard
Working Draft Beer Company Brewer Clint Lohman, at left, talks with festival goers.
The Simcoe and Amarillo dry-hopped Pulp Culture 1 from Madison’s not-quite-open-yet Working Draft was light on color but heavy on citrusy aroma, and more in the hazy IPA realm than the others. If this is the proof-of-concept Working Draft is offering to potential consumers, consider my thirst whetted.
But man, speaking of young breweries, the Milwaukee brewing renaissance sure is something, isn’t it? It’s not just the Lakefront Show anymore — though both the Tiny Feet double IPA and a secret-ish pour of a certain anniversary eisbock both demonstrated Lakefront’s continuing skill. I loved Third Space’s Ice Bear, a Baltic porter with a perfectly dialed-in level of smoky peat and a clean, roasty backbone. Just excellent.
Robin Shepard
Wisconsin Brewing's Cupid's Envy, a coffee-infused porter so new it won't be on shelves for another month.
Within shouting distance of the hammerschlagen station (at which I got thoroughly trounced by a skinny-armed young woman who needed only two swings to finish the nail off), Wisconsin Brewing Company was pouring the coffee/coconut/barrel-aged Cupid’s Envy, and that was a real treat. WBC just put this beer into bottles for the first time for a February 10 release event. If they’re still available to pre-order, I recommend it heartily.
I wish I’d done the same with Hop Haus’ Black on Black bomber release, which (look away, Lakefront) went down on Black Friday back in November. It was bourbon-heavy and rich, every bit as enjoyable as Deth’s Tar.
Maybe the biggest news of the afternoon came from Minneapolis brewer Fair State Brewing Cooperative, which was pouring its eclectic mix of hop-forward recipes, old world styles, and a hibiscus-infused tart saison called Roselle, one of my favorites when I’m in Minnesota. The team at the booth confirmed to me that Wisconsin distribution of Fair State beers is expected to launch next month, with still-developing release parties planned in Madison, Milwaukee, and beyond.
It only took until about fifteen minutes into the general admission session for the first “oooooh” of a broken glass, but I’d already made that noise in excited approval a half-dozen times, easy. A good afternoon’s work, even if it was only a couple hours.
