A recent trend in hoppy beers is the hazy, fruity, Northeast (sometimes called New England) IPA. They are assertive with tropical notes of orange, tangerine, grapefruit and melon. Many Wisconsin brewers have mixed opinions about this new direction in IPAs. Some love it for its fruitiness; others wish the emerging style of a cloudy India Pale Ale would just go away.
Door County Brewing’s Danny McMahon likes the new direction and especially the push to discover new hop flavors and aromas. His take is called Punk Ass Cat.
What is it? Punk Ass Cat from Door County Brewing Company of Baileys Harbor.
Style: The India Pale Ale (IPA) emphasizes the bitterness of hops, which provide herbal, citrus and piney character. The variety of hops and when they are added during brewing create a wide range in both aroma and flavor. IPAs are medium-bodied and often golden- to copper-colored. They range from 5.5% to 7.5% ABV.
Background: Punk Ass Cat is brewed with wheat and oats that add to its cloudy appearance. It’s fermented with an English Ale yeast and hopped with El Dorado. McMahon says his intent was to create a fruit-forward, juicy IPA with one of his favorite hops. El Dorado are known for their fruity tropical orange and pear flavors, with mild bitterness. “I didn’t want to focus on bitterness. It’s all juicy and fruit-forward,” says McMahon. “There are a lot of good IPAs out there, but [fewer] focus on that super juicy tropical hop flavor, and we’re happy to fill that void.”
McMahon says he got the idea for the name Punk Ass Cat while watching the movie Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015). A line in the film involves a feline on a front porch; one of the characters asks, “Do you want to fight, punk ass cat?”
Punk Ass Cat is one of the limited releases that emerged from Door County’s new taproom over the summer. When the first delivery of bottles hit stores in Madison in August, it quickly sold out in several locations. McMahon’s plan is to brew it every other month or so, which means if you can’t find it right away, watch for it. It should be available on a semi-regular basis.
Punk Ass Cat finishes at 6.3 percent ABV and 60 IBUs. It sells in six-packs for around $13.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Fruity hoppiness with touches of pineapple, mango and orange.
- Appearance: Hazy orange with a thick soft white head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied, bubbly with softness.
- Taste: Bright, crisp tropical flavors of pineapple, mango, orange and even a faint hint of watermelon.
- Finish/Aftertaste: The crisp fruitiness holds up throughout. A clean finish with light, lingering notes of pear and orange.
Glassware: The Willi Becher with its inward flare at the lip will focus the tropical notes, especially the hints of pineapple, while showing off the bright hazy orange color of the beer.
Pairs well with: well-aged, sharp cheddar.
The Verdict: Punk Ass cat lives up to the name with its hoppy attitude. At first I was a little put off by all the fruit, but it’s grown on me. It’s so fruit-forward that my first impression had me thinking of breakfast juice. However, after a few bottles (over a few evenings) I got to know what this beer is about. I came to appreciate the range in subtle flavors like pineapple, mango, orange, pear and yes, even a hint of watermelon. There are many hazy-fuzzy Northeast IPAs right now, and I’d put this one high on the list to try. Why? Because of its assertive tropical citrus character, crisp and aromatic. Serve Punk Ass Cat very cold to bring out all those tropical notes even more.
