Robin Shepard
A beer from Supermoon on a tree stump.
Supermoon’s Farn is a farmhouse ale.
You might say Rob Brennan is living the dream of all homebrewers who think they can one day start their own brewery. Brennan, owner and operator of Supermoon Beer Company of Milwaukee, homebrewed for many years before leaving marketing and advertising to take a job with Penrose Brewing Company in Geneva, Illinois. That taste of commercial-scale beer making inspired him to open his own brewery in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood in 2019.
Supermoon is a small operation that specializes in unique limited releases; that’s all part of the plan. The brewery has a well-earned reputation for excellent small-batch rustic farmhouse ales.
It has at least three beers in the Madison market right now, and it is vowing to step up self-distribution; look for more choices in 2025.
The brewery’s taproom at 3145 South Howell Ave. is in a building constructed as a general store in 1902. This squares with Brennan’s desire to emulate some of his favorite Belgian and French breweries “where the proprietor lives above the brewery in a quirky little old building.”
Supermoon’s Bay View Saison is his year-round bestseller. Its bubby, dry profile is anchored by bready soft pilsner malt, along with spelt and oats sourced from Heartland Craft Grains of Lodi. That grain bill along with aged whole cone hops contributes to its earthy farmhouse personality. It has modest strength at 5.6% ABV and is sold in both 500 mL bottles and 12-ounce cans ($10/bottle and $16/four-pack).
Brennan ferments with a house-cultured yeast that he also uses in several other beers. It adds a wonderful light spicy dryness throughout. This is arguably among the best Wisconsin-made versions of a traditional saison.
Farn, a farmhouse ale, is similar to the saison and fermented with the same house yeast, plus Brettanomyces that give it a wild, earthy, sour acidity. Farn finishes at 6.5% ABV ($10/bottle) and is also distributed in Madison.
Supermoon periodically teams up with other breweries “to get out of my comfort zone,” says Brennan. Among the joint brews available in Madison is Inkhorn, made with Milwaukee’s Eagle Park Brewing Company. Brennan refers to it as a Munich wine, because it’s modeled after English barleywines, but using all German ingredients. A hefty Munich malt bill pushes up the ABV to 10.6%. It is fermented with oak, leaving soft woody sweetness, especially in the finish. This is a limited release and nearing the end of its run, so if you see it, best to purchase without waiting ($10/bottle).
Another Supermoon collaboration this fall is with Central Waters Brewing. The two breweries split a batch of wort, and each headed in different directions with their recipes. Supermoon’s half was turned into Where You’re At, a tart, slightly acidic, oak-fermented landbier (similar to a blond bière de garde) that ends up at 6% ABV ($12/bottle). Central Waters took its half and produced “Where You’ll Be,” a New Zealand-style pilsner that has hints of citrus and white wine. Soft, crisp and clean, it finishes at 5.6% ABV ($16/four-pack).
Supermoon’s Pet Not, a blend of teas, botanicals and woody flavor from French oak spirals that is a non-alcoholic sub for sparkling red wine, has become so popular he is planning to start distributing it in 750 mL bottles early next year, and Madison should see some of that, too.
