new choices everywhere!

When I left the region I grew up in, there were not many small brewers or breweries, although some were already up and running.  Then, just a few years later, they were everywhere.  My own state has more than 50 craft breweries now, with more on the way.  We took many opportunities to sample over the holidays, both in bars and breweries and at home.

Starting off

At 8th Street Ale Haus in Sheboygan I had a nice porter, dark and fruity in flavor.  While good, not exactly unusual.  I was told to be on the lookout for Black Husky's Sproose Joose, an IPA made with an addition of actual spruce to give it a little kick.  The brewer uses his own trees, so those who worry about such things can be sure he knows where his ingredients come from.  At Sugar Maple in Milwaukee, they did not have Sproose Joose on tap, but the similar Sproose Double IPA.  "It's like chewing on a pine tree," said the bartender when asked for a description.  It's not quite that powerful, but the unusual taste is immediate and inescapable.  Fortunately, it doesn't get heavy on the way to the bottom of the glass, so those who are fine with the flavor at the start won't get overwhelmed as they drink down.

Lakefront Brewery, also in Milwaukee, has been around for some time, at least for a small brewery.  Tours come with free drinks, up to four if you limit yourself to the regular taps.  There's also the possibility of earning more if you're the participatory sort, so speak up during your visit.  I started with a New Grist ale with ginger, with was spicy, mildly sweet, and tasty.  It was also rather light, which makes it good to end with as well as begin.  The tour takes a beer break in the middle, where they had a special beer on tap.  Lakefront has each brewer make his own for limited time only distribution, and when we were there it was Todd's turn.  The My Turn beers are 2 tokens, but why not try something you'll probably never find again?  My Turn Todd is a dark beer, Belgian-style quadrupel in fact, bittersweet, a little heavy for me.  A good beer to have some salty snack with.  At the end of the tour, we were back in the beer hall, time for winding down with more.  I got the regular IPA, tasty, hoppy, like craft IPA typically is.  My final drink, to use up all our tokens, was a bottled offering, Bridge Burner.  Imperial amber ale, dark, somewhat sweet, but more on the bitter side of things.  It was stronger than I had expected too, but I have developed something of a tolerance over the years.

Now that's a tour guide

There's a certain benefit in having brewmakers in the family, which is having different beers available at most hours of the day.  Three Sheeps brewery has a hardworking man on their staff, always ready to suggest something to imbibe.  We had a few samples over the holidays, including some specialty products that are not available in stores, being something of experiments still.  Really Cool Waterslides IPA is sharp and wakeful, with the little rye snap in the background that gives it that little difference from regular IPAs.  Nitro stout Cashmere Hammer is creamy and smooth, without maltose or sweeteners we were told, but the taste could fool you.  Rum Barrel Ewephoria is rum barrel aged oatmeal stout, perhaps not the drink for everybody, but I would say it should have its moments.  Even some non-beer drinkers enjoyed this one.  It is on the sweet side, probably a bit heavy for some, with a sort of honey to it.  I found it a cake-like experience, and a winner in my book.  We also had "baby beer" to try, a brew made in honor of my nephew's making his appearance.  It is a powerful beer, about 15%, reminiscent of German dark beers with their fruity sweetness.  While we could connect the flavor with the sweetness of child-rearing, my personal tastes lean more towards Ewephoria.  The label on Hoedown!, a black ale reminded me of The Mayan, but was not quite as powerful in the spice department.  The cherry tartness is a little more noticeable than the chilis, but not so much that the darker character is diluted.  A fine evening beer.

I tried to avoid Big Beer out of principle, but they know the best way to keep their customer base high is to "invest" in smaller beers.  I ordered Lagunitas IPA and Breckenridge Vanilla Porter only to be informed they had both been acquired by AB InBev.  A shame for my principles.  They're still good beers; Lagunita is a fine IPA, everything you want and expect in look and taste, and Vanilla Porter is a desserty kind of drink, sweet in a puddinglike way, but with an unmistakable beer base.

Almost forgot this one

Romantic porter with lamb momos

In my own turf, there was more fun to be had.  While we did not stop at this local brewery, Great River supplies local diner Boozie's with drinkables.  A pale ale seemed right for lunch, especially with a Flaming Boozie Burger, and was indeed the thing.  Slightly appley and slightly bitter, a good contrast with jalapeños.  Big Grove Brewery in Solon is nondescript on the outside, but much homier and interesting inside.  I went for the Minuteman Double IPA, as the brewer is considered something of a specialist in that category, and it was perfectly nice, quite citrusy, a real mouthful without getting overpowering even at the end.  Later, Lion Bridge in Cedar Rapids had a more open environment and perhaps more inviting dark beers.  Unfortunately, the one that grabbed my attention most was out, so I tried

out the porters that were left.  I ended up with Workman's Compensation, the sweeter variety.  Both were a complex blend of smoky and fruity flavors, although  was heavier on the bitter.  Finally, Backpocket Brewing in Iowa City ended my mini-tour.  They have a particular brew, describing it as "a German, a Scot, and an Iowan walk into a bar..."  The Wooden Nickel peated bock does not look like it has much dirt in it, being a dark golden sort of bock, but the peat comes out clearly in the flavor.  It's a warming but energizing taste, memorable and interesting.  The addition of a sweet snack, like ice cream or brownie, brings out a sour flavor, but not in an unpleasant sense.  It works quite well, in my opinion.

Not in a mirror, Slingshot just happens to look like Wooden Nickel

If only, Brave New World

Workman's Comp left and Disaster on right