Sodavekt
Certainly, 2018 will be remembered as the year of the New England IPA. The style’s popularity has risen so fast, I could barely look at a craft beer menu this year without seeing at least one of these hazy, citrusy brews. I lost track of how many I tried. And while there were many worthy IPAs out there, there were plenty of other great beers, too.
Rising to the top of the New England heap was Working Draft Beer Company’s Pulp Culture, chock full of juicy orange and grapefruit flavor with a touch of dryness in the finish. It’s one of the new east side brewery’s standards and is still a faithful member of the rotating taps there. Ale Asylum’s Plush Crush Session IPA was another outstanding beer (and you can still try it; it turned up in cans just a few weeks ago). It has a similar tropical punch, yet has a lighter body and lower strength at 4.7 percent ABV. It’s a great session version of this emerging style.
Hops were an essential component of another of my favorite beers this year. Tom Porter of Lake Louie Brewing in Arena returned to the old-school bitterness more characteristic of IPAs in the late 1990s with his Skull Chucker IPA. It’s full of Magnum hops, lending assertive spicy, piney bitterness. However, that bitterness is complemented by a deep malty backbone. This one reminded me of why I first developed a taste for IPAs more than two decades ago.
On the lighter side, a summer favorite came from UW-Madison students involved in the Campus Craft Brewery (along with help from Potosi and Wisconsin Brewing Company). Re: Fresh Radler was made by blending grapefruit soda with a light German lager. Sweet tropical flavor was up front, but it still retained lots of beer character, and tasted so good on a warm summer day.
Turning to sours: Funk Factory owner-brewmaster Levi Funk kicked off his new “Barn Quilt” series of lambics with Glory in the Morning. Its earthy, musty tones were masterfully accentuated by crisp, bubbly effervescence. It was tart and slightly acidic, but not over-the-top in pucker-factor, as so many sours can be. I couldn’t resist picking up an extra bottle for cellaring.
An unexpected add to my best of 2018 list was Bubonic Saison from Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona. This was an unusual dark saison fermented in oak barrels that had been infected with wild yeast and bacteria. The rich dark fruit tartness reminded me of one of my favorite imports, Duchesse de Bourgogne from Belgium. Even though it was just released for the brewery’s five-year anniversary celebration in November, there’s virtually no bottles left — however the brewery did save a few small kegs for special events, and one will be tapped for the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest on Jan. 19.
Another outstanding dark beer was Ale Asylum’s Dumb and Dunkel, a dark German lager made with imported malts and hops. It was every bit as good as anything in a Bavarian beer hall, with deep malt complexity and layers of chocolate, caramel and breadiness. Too often American takes on this traditional style end up being either too thin or too sticky sweet. Dumb and Dunkel, in contrast to its name, is smartly made.
Eisbock from Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee was my barrel-aged favorite of the year. First the beer was frozen, then aged for nine months in bourbon barrels. The result concentrates the smooth maltiness of the bock, which is further complemented by the sweetness of oak, vanilla and bourbon warmth from the barrel.
Among the best of the best was the dark Czech lager Tmavé Pivo, from Next Door Brewing on Atwood Avenue. It’s an old style, dating back to the 15th century, found in and around Prague. The chocolate and caramel tones were deep, smooth and well-balanced. It’s similar to porters and schwarzbiers, only much more layered in soft malty sweetness. I also appreciated this one for being an historical recreation.
However, my most memorable beer of 2018 was the pale weizenbock from the new Giant Jones brewery on Madison’s east side. With its golden color, rich yeasty aroma and herbal notes from organic Pacific Gem hops, this beer was crisp, bright and flavorful. The beer’s earthy floral notes of clove and fresh banana were softened by its malty backbone. This is not a style that’s often made in the U.S., so it was an enjoyable find — even among so many good Madison beers. I can’t wait to see it again next summer. For me, it epitomizes the bountiful year in local brewing.
