It all started with a little scratch in the back of my throat about three weeks ago. At least, that’s what I thought it was. A nubbin of bread crust had gone down the wrong way one night, and I’d been coughing and clearing my throat for the rest of the meal. A couple days later, a Wednesday, it was a more established grumble of a sore throat. By Friday, as I was preparing to host some family passing through town, I was sick for real. And I had beer to drink!
When I get sore throats, I get miserable. This was beyond sore; I was in agony, and I don’t think my wussy body was overselling the discomfort. I sought comfort in a La Paloma at Estrellon, but that didn’t quite have what my visiting cousin called the “grampa’s cough medicine” effect. A few days later, as I remained determined to outwill this malady, a couple old fashioneds at the Green Lantern soothed a little better.
But I skipped Isthmus’ OktoBEERfest completely and kept my visit to New Glarus’ R&D bottle release quick and businesslike, rather than lounging at the ensuing bottleshare. As I rounded the one-week mark, I could not bring myself to write off Crackle Fire and Froth at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. I powered through a Hopalicious (and way more campfire smoke than a person in my condition should have inhaled), but between my cold and the drizzle that night, I was cashed early.
Another Oktoberfest went by unattended by me, this one at Stalzy’s. It’s a little fest, but charming. That Saturday, Oct. 2, was also Zwanze Day — a global celebration of the Cantillon Brewery in Belgium and an annually unique beer it releases on that day only. While Madison has been repeatedly and cruelly shorted on the allocation of Zwanze Day party sites, it would have been a fine day to drink a big wild ale or a sweet tripel or some other Low Country magnificence purely out of solidarity. Instead, I sniffled and coughed and painfully gulped my way through a frustrating Badgers loss, with no beers.
Oh, but the world definitely wanted me to drink something big and Belgian. Central Waters’ Bourbon Barrel Belgian Style Quadruple dropped during the second week of my misery — and by that point, I’d shared the wealth with my wife because I’m just that kind of guy. Despite not really feeling it, we bought some and cracked open a bottle to split.
Hot. That’s the best way I can describe it. Really hot. A sharp alcohol presence dominates the taste profile, with a lot of oaky astringency from the barrel in which the beer matured. Even if both my palate and my wife’s were compromised by sickness, a significant number of the beer’s initial Untappd checkins agree: This beer needs some more time to chill out in the bottle. As it is now, it’s easily the most challenging member of Central Waters’ beloved Brewers Reserve series.
Nope, it took me until this last Saturday to feel healed enough to finally settle down with a couple beers and really enjoy them. (Breaking news: Yes, that Bent Kettle K’Paui is as coconutty as everyone’s been reporting.) We’re very nearly into the fourth week, and I’m still not 100%, but I’m getting there.
I can live with missing Oktoberfests, but damned if I’m going to give up on beer for the entire month of October.