The Great Taste Caper 2018 - Day 8: Shit's about to get real!

The streets of Madison were crawling with beer geeks from all across the country on the eve of Great Taste. Fans donned shirts and caps showing off small or obscure breweries they'd visited in the past, while some just waived the flag of their favorite local brewery by way of T-shirts and baseball caps emblazoned with its logo. It seemed like every beer bar worth anything in the downtown area had an event happening. It was like a pop-up beer festival in its own right. Tap takeovers boasted dozens of rarely seen beers on draft while brewery reps a'plenty chatted with zealous fans and handed out free swag to the masses. For the next 48-hours, Madison would reign as beer capital of the world.

I dropped off the gang at Maduro Cigar Bar for an insanely huge 30th anniversary party in honor of Bell's Brewing Company, Kalamazoo, MI's pride and joy, because I had ulterior motives. I was heading a few miles down the road to check out Strictly Discs, the record store the guy we'd met a few days ago in Minneapolis told me about. I'm glad I did because I came home with a pretty decent haul of stuff for which I'd been searching for quite some time (like a nice copy of the debut Styx album on the Wooden Nickel label and a pair of older Blue Oyster Cult records absent from my collection). With a stack of records in hand, I regrouped with the gang over at Maduro. Since they'd been there for a while already, I went big with my one-and-done selection: 30th Anniversary Cherry Stout Reserve. One of Bell's most anticipated beers of the year, Cherry Stout was originally brewed back in 1998 as a tribute to a local Michigan-based homebrew club. Thirty years later, they released this commemorative batch with whole cherries and oak chips. This 9% big guy owns its lush mouthfeel and its pop of sweet-tart cherry pie filling. If there's one thing that Bell's has learned over the years, it's how to brew a great stout. Expedition Stout has always been a benchmark stout for me. Cheers to Bell's for 30 years of brewing excellence!

Our seating at Maduro (photo courtesy of Facebook).

Just down the block, Lucille was hosting a pretty sick Central Waters tap takeover and event featuring a metric shit-ton of amazing beers. Since we couldn't squeeze in a trip to the brewery proper in Amherst, WI, this was a nice silver medal for us. I'd been a fan of Central Waters for the last decade or so, which was around the time that I was beginning to discover all of these great mid-west breweries (mostly by way of Deuane). They boast an exceptional barrel-aging program, and Peruvian Morning has always been a favorite of mine from them. Lucille, like every other bar in the vicinity, was elbow to asshole. But it was a beautiful summer's day and folks were occupying every inch of patio space and chilling outside. We snagged three seats at the bar, and Deuane volunteered to stand. The first beer to jump out at me (at least from a whale's point of view) was the Brewer's Reserve Rum Barrel Coconut Porter. I ordered a big snifter of this beer. Let me preface this by saying if you are on the fence about rum, then keep your distance from this beer. Yo ho... holy shit snacks! Drinking this beer was like getting sodomized by a train of drunk pirates on the walking plank. Seriously, this was THE most rum-forward beer I'd ever had or will likely ever have. It was almost too much rum, especially as the beer warmed up to room temperature. At over 12% ABV, there was plenty of boozy burn going down. However, the coconut presence quelled the alcohol warmth a bit (I mean, barely!) but it was detectable. I'm glad I was able to try this, but hot damn was this one a chore to finish.

Lucille... minus all the people (photo courtesy of Google).

Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on a pour of Brewhouse Coffee Stout, one of the best coffee stouts out there, in my opinion. One of Central Waters' specialty releases, this robust stout is infused with coffee roasted especially for the brewery by Emy J's in Stevens Point, WI. I would have liked another pour of something else from Central Waters, but that rum barrel porter took a big chunk out of my day, unfortunately. Good thing I was parked in a spot with a 30-minute meter. It was time to skedaddle! 

By now, it was time to hit up a few breweries. First order of business? One Barrel. Although we enjoyed our beer on draft, I took note of the brewery's simple, whimsical black and white drawings that grace their beer labels. Given our collective mid-afternoon buzz, this turned out to be a really fun visit. The bartender was friendly and patient (the latter because we were getting kind of silly at times). The beers here were pretty legit, too. Nothing mind-blowing; just solid, small-batch beers made with care. What else can you ask for?

One Barrel... Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Up first was a beer called Fanny Pack. The name alone transported me back to the mid-1990s when I was in college. Coincidentally, this beer is an old school IPA that hearkens back to the kinds of hoppy beers brewed a decade or so ago. Fanny Pack's simple hop bill includes Chinook and Simcoe (both considered "old school" hop varieties) to impart more of a pine resin character in lieu of citrus and tropical fruit flavors. In a way, the name of this beer fits perfectly in that fanny packs were once a popular accessory item (not for this guy) that, like old school IPAs, are perhaps making a comeback. This kind of IPA can come back. Fanny packs, on the other hand? Let's all just leave them for the demographic that includes un-bathed bald dudes who wear sweatpants and cling to what little hair they have left by rocking a tiny rat tail in the back. Otherwise, there's no room in modern life for such a travesty.

No fanny pack for Pleeps, but he'll drink one!

Teleporting back to 2018, my next selection was Hypercolor, a NE-style IPA hopped with Centennial, Citra, and Mosaic... you know, the trendy hops. Well, Centennial is still kind of a tried-and-true old school varietal. This one had a citrus/melon thing going on, but I'd still give the nod to Fanny Pack overall. I'm definitely reverting to my old-school tendencies when it comes to IPAs. I was on the haze bandwagon for a while (and I'll still try them from time to time), but I've been burned more than a few times by NE-style IPAs that sound awesome on paper but are less than stellar when translated to the tastebuds. Not saying this was one of them, but I'd still take Fanny Pack over Hypercolor.

Then I spotted something that I couldn't resist trying: a beer called No ReGerdts. At first, I thought they incorrectly spelled the word "regrets;" then I read its description. Described as a "barrel-aged strong ale with cherries," this sucker weighs in at around 20 - yes, TWENTY - percent ABV... you know, give or take. Then the name of the beer sunk in. I'd imagine anyone who consumed an entire glass of this would begin to slur his or her speech. Was it boozy? Of course. But it also boasted an enormous cherry flavor with lots of oak and a pinch of vanilla. It kind of reminded me of fortified port wine. It goes without saying that we shared a taster size of this one. 

My next beer, a DIPA called Behemoth, was a mere 9.5% ABV compared to the twice-as-potent No ReGerdts. Hopped with Centennial, Cascade, Warrior, and Simcoe, this comes across as another old school IPA with a chewy caramel malt backbone, slick mouthfeel, and spicy, resiny hop profile with a moderate amount of alcohol burn. Perhaps it was a bit too strong on the herbal end of the hop spectrum for my personal tastes, but it was a solid effort nevertheless. Plus the bottle label depicts a fun-looking elephant, so they get bonus points for that.

Last on my laundry list of One Barrel beers was 5th Element, a rye IPA hopped with Amarillo, Calypso, and Simcoe. This one was in line with the other hoppy beers I sampled during our visit, in that it was drinkable but not life-changing. Overall, I'd say the Fanny Pack was probably my favorite of the bunch, although No ReGerdts was easily the most interesting.

Pleeps has no regerdts... hiccup!

As it would happen, on our way to BarleyPop, I walked right past a record store, so naturally I had to stop in. The crew carried on without me, and I blasted through the used A-Z section as well as the new releases. Of course, I unearthed a few more gems for my collection, including a copy of the rarely seen Queen album, A Kind of Magic.

But let's get back on track... the beer track!

There was a long-ass line outside BarleyPop when I arrived, which took me back to the days when I actually went to beer releases. It was a short-lived phenomenon for me that got old really fast. The crew had already secured a table outside on the sidewalk, which was equally as packed as the inside of the establishment. I had to sneak in to use the bathroom due to all of the people waiting in line to get in for a beer. The tap selection was top-notch and included a few offerings from Toppling Goliath as well as plenty of local Wisconsin brews.

Carolyn shared her pour of King Sue from the aforementioned Toppling Goliath out of Decorah, Iowa. Um, where?! Of course, if you haven't heard of TG, then you're likely living in a cave because over the last few years this brewery seems to have secured Iowa a pretty decent spot on craft beer map. King Sue is an imperial version of its flagship Pseudo Sue, an assertively hopped pale ale reminiscent of FFF Zombie Dust, only better (IMHO, of course). This beefed-up version reeks of pineapple, mango and orange courtesy of copious amounts of Citra hops. I actually prefer the standard version over this, but King Sue is tough to come by, so it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to try it on draft.

Speaking of Toppling Goliath, we also enjoyed a pour of Dragon Fandango, a crimson-hued kettle sour blended with dragon fruit, mango, and passionfruit puree. This one was intensely fruity with a tart finish. It was almost like alcoholic Kool-Aid or Hawaiian Punch. Oh yeaaaaaah!

I also had a bit of something called Twang of Futility by The Brewing Projekt. We'd already sampled (and enjoyed) both the Citra and Mosaic variants of Dare Mighty Things, so this was something a bit different. You can't get much further away on the spectrum from a hazy IPA than with a cucumber Berliner Weisse, which is what this puppy is. This was cool, crisp and refreshing on a hot summer day. Everyone really dug this one quite a bit. And with that, it was time to pack up and head to the next place.

We must have arrived at Next Door Brewing right before some kind of special event, because they were removing a good deal of their own beers in lieu of two other small breweries' beers. Needless to say, the chalkboard was a work in progress, the beer menu wasn't up-to-date, and some of the new beers weren't even hooked up yet. Add to this our silly demeanor and you get a slight irritated bartender who tried desperately to explain what beers were (and would be) available on tap.

The first of the two guest breweries was Stock House Brewing, another Wisconsin brewery based out of Wauwatosa. With the catch phrase (and promise) of "we will never make the same beer twice," it sounds like this brewery caters to beer drinkers looking to constantly try something new rather than find a go-to "fridge beer." Fair enough. The beer I went with was a rum barrel-aged Berliner Weisse called Midwest Funk Fest.

Cool miniature diorama of Next Door Brewing Company!

By the time I'd finished my first beer, Next Door had gotten its shit together and managed to cobble together a final beer list for the day. I decided to give Hyperbolic Imperial IPA a shot. Brewed with flaked oats and a new hop variety called Skyrocket (grown locally by Gorst Valley Hops), this DIPA features soft, juicy notes of mango, papaya, and mandarin orange.

My final beer of our visit was the aptly named New England IPA by Component Brewing, the second of the two guest breweries. This was a brewery we missed in Milwaukee, although I don't even think it was on my radar, to be honest. No worries, though, as Next Door brought them to us instead of the other way around. I don't have much of a recollection of these beers, unfortunately. Not only was I thinking about food, we were also enjoying chatting with some people at the bar about beer travels. As such, I was too preoccupied to appreciate the beer, and it was relegated to second fiddle.

The Main Monkey Business.

By now, we'd worked up quite a hunger and were ready for dinner. Enter "Fish Fry Friday" at Off Broadway Drafthouse! It seems as though Wisconsin folks love them a good fish fry (especially Walleye, a favorite of mine since childhood, when my family used to bring home a huge bounty from Canada after their fishing excursions). It didn't hurt that they were having a New Glarus tap takeover in addition to a stellar line-up of local Wisconsin beers. Yeah, we were gonna be here for a while!

The tap selection was rife with beers from New Glarus' R&D Series, plus a 25th Anniversary Ale and a few others I hadn't yet had the opportunity to try. Check out this sick flight of rarities:

• R&D Gotlandic Ale - A traditional brew enjoyed by vikings, this dark beer is hearty, spicy, and - best of all - smoky. New Glarus brewed this in the traditional method using foraged Juniper and a blend of Wisconsin, German, and Scandinavian malts. The malt was hand-smoked with Colorado birch and Wisconsin cherry wood.
• R&D Vintage 2016 - American sour blonde ale cellared for a year in the bottle. Citrusy and funky with traces of oak courtesy of the barrel-aged fermentation process.
• R&D Pommier Sauvage - Sour blonde ale spontaneously fermented with varietal apples from Wisconsin’s Kikapoo Valley. The sourness is a result of fermenting the beer in a Coolship vessel, which resides in New Glarus' "wild fruit cave." This sucker is very apple-forward, as you can imagine, with a dry, funky-fruit finish. Not many American breweries have a Coolship. (I actually got to check out the one at Allagash on a few different occasions.) 
• 25th Anniversary Ale - Belgian Quad featuring a bold combination of German and English malted barley for a rich, luxurious caramel and raisin character. Aussie hops and Belgian yeast rested in brandy barrels coax subtle nuances of cinnamon and clove. The combination of Wisconsin maple syrup from Maple Sweet Dairy and Belgian candy sugar sweetens the pot and adds a depth of complexity that is mind-boggling. 

Bar at Off Broadway (photo courtesy of Google).

That might have been one of the most amazing beer flights I've ever had. Where do you go from there? How about back to the drawing board. Hand me that beer menu, Deuane!

Operation Griswold: Clark by O'So Brewing out of Plover, WI. Sounds like what a drunk cop yells to an even more inebriated driver: "Pl'over!!!" At any rate, This beer is one in four of a series of hazy NE-style IPAs from O'So. I wasn't overly thrilled with it, but it served its purpose. At the very least, I made sure to include the following comment with my Untappd check-in: "We're 15 hours from the fuckin' fun park and you wanna bail out!" Don't even get me started...

More beers from New Glarus followed, with the amazing (and limited) Cherry Stout up first. Aged in oak barrels to promote spontaneous fermentation, this decadent stout utilizes eight Wisconsin-grown malted barley varieties and sour Montmorency cherries (also from Wisconsin) to produce a sublimely complex flavor reminiscent of another New Glarus favorite - Wisconsin Belgian Red. Damn, does Dan know how to brew with fruit! Simply stunning!

Scream was next, which I'd never had before, apparently. This DIPA blends New Glarus-grown hops from the brewery's estate with Wisconsin-grown hops in both the kettle and dry-hopping process. Wisconsin-grown malted barley paired with English Maris Otter malt is the backbone of this slightly dry, English-style strong IPA. It's not a favorite of mine from New Glarus, but it's hard to stand out among so many truly superior beers. I guess that's a good problem to have.

I finished up this epic visit with a pour of Minnesconsin Lager from Hop & Barrel Brewing out of Hudson, WI. Brewed with Saphir hops and a house lager yeast strain, this Helles Lager has the unique distinction of being the only beer of this visit I completed forgot I drank. I guess those statistics aren't too shabby, eh?

We ended the night at Vintage after multiple attempts to convince Brewslut and D&C that it was a good idea. I really wanted to go because the only time we'd ever been there was to pick up a bowling shirt for Deuane. This was six years ago. We couldn't even get a beer because only the gift shop was open. So, I may or may not have whined a bit. Can you blame me? I just wanted prolong our evening a little bit. Of course, I got my way. You know, I'm seldom wrong on these types of occasions, too.  However, this night was one of those occasions.

Vintage (photo courtesy of Google).

We set up camp in a nice lounge area, and some sporting event was in progress on the televisions scattered about the establishment (already not a good sign for me). At least we were comfortable. We perused the beer list, and I settled on the evocatively named ThingamaJuicy, a cask-conditioned IPA with strawberry and blood orange. Man, was this a berry-forward beer! It didn't even really taste like an IPA. It was all strawberry, which made it taste like a fruited wheat beer.

I wasn't ready for our next beer, which we decided to share because nobody else wanted to be there anyway. This beer came in the form of Revenant Dedication '14, described as such: 

This super-rare and nearly forgotten variant of our Dedication abbey Dubbel was brewed in 2014 and tucked away in bourbon barrels gracefully slumbering a full 3 years in the haunted cellars of the Woodshed Ale House.

Perhaps "gracefully slumbering" isn't the term I'd use to describe this beer. Something more like "Power nap gone wrong" would be more appropriate here. You know, the kind where you wake up in a cold sweat with a damp crotch and the vague memory of having sex with who you originally thought was beautiful woman but turned out to be Abraham Lincoln. Man, this beer was all kinds of terrible. And that's all I have to say about that.

With that said, it does make for a fun story, doesn't it? See... I was right! There's always room for one more brewery visit.

See you next time when we check in at Great Taste for five hours of imbibing at its finest! Until then, here's what I believe to be an antelope head made of wicker.