Todd Hubler
The annual Isthmus Beer and Cheese Festival is a showcase for well-known beers, plus many smaller releases that appeal to so-called beer hunters — those who enjoy searching for tastes they’ve never had before. Here are some of the new and/or limited releases that brewers know they’ll be bringing to the 2017 fest. But they’ll keep adding new surprises, likely right up until the last minute.
Festival attendees will get an early taste of Ballistic IPA, which begins its annual seasonal run later this month. Ale Asylum is holding details close to the brew house, but it’s also planning to pour the latest in its Spawn Series of pilot brews.
Brewmaster Trevor Easton will unveil a new gluten-free beer, a light-bodied kölsch called Kickback, made with sorghum and rice.
Fans of K’Paui, the brewery’s coconut porter, will be treated to a special version aged in rum barrels from the Old Sugar Distillery. K’Paui made my list of Isthmus’ best beers of 2016. The brewery also plans to unveil Occam’s Razor Belgian-style dubbel. It will also be offered in a brandy barrel version. A fest-only treat will be a pale ale, infused with tangelos.
This Milwaukee Brewery will offer tastes of its newest beer, Lightning Bug Night-Light stout, plus six others.
Look for brewmaster Ashley Kinart to have her Colectivo Coffee-infused Munich Dark on tap. Capital has also been working with Merkt’s Cheese to create new cheese spreads. The brewery will be offering samples of one made with Mutiny IPA and another made with Supper Club.
The brewery’s newest beer, Pumpernickel, is a rich, robust porter made with a half-dozen malts and a touch of flaked rye. It’s a strong beer at 9 percent ABV. As a fest-only treat, the brewery will serve it side-by-side with a second batch made with toasted oak. This is an early taste of Pumpernickel, which will appear in 22-ounce bombers later this year.
The Fermentorium, out of Cedarburg, just started self-distributing into Madison over the past month. This will be an opportunity to try several of its beers, including its double IPA called Underwater Panther and the Belgian tripel, Divine Sanctuary.
The big reveal will be a black saison. Expect a dry and peppery farmhouse beer with mellow dark malt character. Brewer Michael Fay is also expected to bring his Rauchbock, a smooth, caramel-forward lager with a smoky and spicy background.
Here the big draw will be an American stout called Resilient. It’s the overall winner from last summer’s Verona Hometown Brewdown.
If you haven’t yet ventured down to Verona to pick up a bottle of Hop Haus’ barrel-aged barleywine or its barrel-aged stout, now you don’t have to. Both will be served at this year’s fest.
Making a limited appearance will be a bourbon barrel-aged version of Kremlin, a Russian imperial stout.
The brewery plans to share a booth with Just Coffee Cooperative, so watch for coffee-infused beers like a special version of its Threat Level Midnight: American stout.
Wisconsin brewing history buffs might recognize this name. C.T. Melms was one of the original Milwaukee breweries from the 1840s. The brewery eventually became part of Pabst. A group of investors is attempting to bring back a taste of that history. This is the first time Melms’ beer has been served at the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest. The booth will have Honey Badger IPA and Walker’s Point Wheat.
The Waunakee brewery is bringing two of its 3rd Sign trial pilot brews, a hoppy pilsner and a mild-mannered table beer. It will also offer its Osiris imperial stout and two new beers aged in whiskey barrels: a lager called Little Dingy and a dark ale called Big Schooner.
Watch for a new one from the Plover brewery — it’s called Prickly Pear, a kettle-soured wheat beer made with pear puree. In the premium session, O’so plans to serve Arbre Qui Donne, a barrel-aged sour made with Georgia peaches, not yet available in bottles.
Brewmaster Jim Goronson will bring his popular black saison Alferd, along with his newest beer, an imperial stout called Geronimo.
Look for the Belgian quad, Veneration, to be served in the premium tasting session. It’s a rich malty beer with hints of fig and molasses. Hope that some of it makes the general session.
For the premium tasting session, there will be a brandy barrel-aged barleywine from this tiny southwestern Wisconsin brewpub.
A very limited Chocolate Peanut Butter Coffee porter and the brewery’s seasonal doppelbock called Winter Wonderland will join the Stoughton pub’s Ironside IPA.
Not by beer alone
Beer does not stand alone at the fest, and neither does the cheese.
Alongside beer, you’ll find a growing number of beverages from meaderies and hard cider producers. Crafted Artisan Meadery and Bos Meadery join Seattle Cider Company, Virtue Cider, Cider House of Wisconsin, Mershon’s Cidery, Restoration Cider Co. and Ciderboys. Keep an eye out for Seattle Cider’s Cold Brew Coffee cider and Mershon’s Snowed In Cinammon (both premium tastings). Crafted Artisan Meadery will have a Bananas Foster version of the fermented honey drink.
Make sure to try some award-winning cheeses from Marieke Gouda (the Thorp, Wisconsin, cheesemakers won honors at last year’s World Cheese Championship in Madison). Check out Golden (aged 12-18 months), young gouda and honey clover gouda. Not enough gouda for you? White Jasmine will have its tandoori, cilantro, barbecue and cumin goudas.
Martha’s Pimento of Milwaukee returns to the fest. If you have not yet discovered this Wisco version of the South’s favorite spreadable cheese, make tracks. Finally, try a little goat cheese at the Mont Chevre booth.
Want more substantial fare? Slide, the Rigby and Banzo will be selling lunch in the food court area. You can’t go wrong with Slide’s cheese-stuffed meatball sliders, Banzo’s hummus and pita or the Rigby’s soft pretzels. Freeman Brothers Barbecue, another popular choice at last year's fest, will also be back.
— Linda Falkenstein
