The Great Taste Caper 2018 - Days 9, 10 & 11: With every caper comes its conclusion

On the morning of the festival, we discussed our game plan and decided to park near Funk Factory, which is a short mile-or-so walk to the festival grounds. It was actually a nice, leisurely stroll along a creek. Since Funk Factory opened pretty early, we decided to pre-game and grab a quick beer before heading over to drink for five hours. Nothing like prolonging an already lengthy beer drinking session, right? I was happy to see Peach Meerts on tap when we arrived. Actually, strike that. I wasn't happy to see it, because I'd decided not to get a beer. But saying "no" to a peach beer is a tough thing for me to do. It's like that last piece of pizza sitting on the plate, looking up at you as if to say, "Go ahead. What's another few hundred calories?" So I was sucked into the vortex of Peach Meerts. After one or two sips, I realized I'd made a sound decision. Plus these beers are only around 4% ABV, so it's kind of like drinking flavored water anyway.

After our beers, it was time to hightail it over to the festival grounds. We were blessed with some pretty amazing weather, I must say. It was sunny and warm; maybe even a little too warm, depending on who you ask. It was perhaps a little sweatilicious (even I had my button-down shirt completely open for some sweet convertible-like breeze action). Pleeps chilled out in my breast pocket for the duration of the festival, which kind of turned into having a little devil on my shoulder for the entire day. Readers of our blog most certainly are well aware of Pleeps' penchant for imperial stouts. Every time we rolled up to a tent and saw a barrel-aged stout, it was almost as if he used some kind of telekinetic monkey mojo and placed the beer into my hands.

Great Taste of the Midwest!

If you happen to follow me on Untappd, then you were probably pretty jealous if you saw some of my check-ins during the festival. Brewslut signed out an internet hotspot (which we lovingly refer to as the "Wi-fi Machine"), so we had no issues whatsoever logging our beers, save for the occasional "user error" of forgetting to check something in. I'd say I checked in 75% of the beers I sampled. Typically, I won't check in beers at a festival, but with the hot spot in our possession, it was relatively an easy task to accomplish.

Some brewery highlights included personal favorites Short's, Odd Side, Right Brain, New Holland, and The Livery mixed in with new discoveries from this trip such as Steel Toe and Dangerous Man. One of the stand-out beers of the festival was Church Salad, a 7% ABV sour ale brewed with lactose from Pulpit Rock, a brewery out of and Iowa new find for us. Meant to mimic a dessert some folks call "ambrosia" (I grew up calling it "heaven"), this liquid marshmallow salad like grandma used to make also includes toasted walnuts, coconut, and freshly-pressed pineapple juice. This was a staple dessert at my house (it still is), and this beer was a home run! Kudos to Pulpit Rock for bringing this treat to life in beer form!

Last time was Santa... this time, it's the King!

We were all pretty much in agreement that Iowa's Big Grove Brewing Company was the find of the festival. Their beers were top-notch, their reps were true brewery ambassadors and catered to the beer geek demographic. You could tell they are the hungry, new kids on the block. Between Pulpit Rock and Big Grove, it seems a trip to Iowa in the near future is in order!

I'd normally go into much more detail about our drinking escapades, but as you can probably imagine beer festivals of this magnitude are virtual whirlwinds that encapsulate your mind and body and whisk you away to a distant land where hops grow on trees, rivers flow deep and wide with IPAs, and mountains of malted barley scrape the green-tinted sky. Damn, that was pretty poetic. Thanks Penn State English program. Who am I kidding? I was a B student. In all honesty, you simply have to attend Great Taste and soak everything in to understand what it's all about.

As if we needed anything else to drink after the fest, we felt obliged to stop in at Funk Factory again for a post-festival beer. And again, it was another variation on a common theme for the win: Lemongrass Ginger Kombucha Meerts. Suffice to say, I don't really have much of a recollection of our post-festival visit to Funk Factory. I was experiencing the aforementioned "post-Great Taste haze." With that said, this was easily the best shape I've ever been in after the festival. Instead of going back to our room to take a nap (only to wake up at 1:30 a.m. in dire need of sustenance), we actually walked back to the car, had our postscript beer, and went back to the homestead for dinner and - believe it or not - more beers! Once we got back to the house, we decided to stay in for the evening. We ordered Chinese food and cracked open a few of the beers we'd picked up along the trip. Here's a quick recap of what we enjoyed after our Asian delicacies: 

• Grain Belt Nordeast by August Schell Brewing Company 
• Citronic Pale Ale by Bare Hands Brewery
• Fresh Coast by 3 Sheeps Brewing Company 
• Cherry Gose by The Sour Note Brewing 
• Banshee Cutter by Insight Brewing Company 

With the exception of Grain Belt Nordeast, we had already tried all four of the other beers earlier on the trip. This particular beer was actually left in the refrigerator (perhaps by a previous guest), so we decided to have a go. Being an American light amber lager in a clear bottle, I didn't have very high expectations. Despite the beer being lackluster as anticipated, I did learn that August Schell was established in 1860 and late beer critic Michael Jackson once called its brewery in New Ulm, NM, the "most beautiful brewery in America." So they have that going for them, as well as a long brewing history. They might want to reconsider the clear bottles, though.

After that lot, it was time for some well-deserved slumber.

The next morning, we packed up and had our last meal in Madison before making the short southward drive to New Glarus, WI for our requisite stop at one of my personal favorite breweries in the United States - New Glarus. But first, breakfast! We opted to call an audible and rather than paying a visit to our beloved Glarner Stube, we decided to eat at the equally awesome New Glarus Hotel for a true, authentic Swiss breakfast.

New Glarus, WI... it's like visiting Switzerland.

Although it is renowned for its amazing brunch buffet, the majority of the items were not Ffejetarian-friendly, so Brewslut and I each opted for a traditional Swiss dish called a Rösti. This starchy, carb-heavy dish consists mainly of potatoes and cheese and can best be described as a large fritter. Originally a breakfast dish commonly eaten by farmers, it is now extremely popular throughout Switzerland and other parts of the world, namely New Glarus, WI. If your looking for something with which to adequately line your gut prior to drinking beer, then look no further than the Rösti. After this filling breakfast treat, it was off to the brewery.

Between the festival and the great selection we experienced at Off Broadway, we'd already had our share of New Glarus beers. Regardless, it's always a true pleasure to witness the grandeur of this elegant brewery. Reminiscent of a Swiss castle nestled in a quaint small town amid the Alpine mountains, the brewery is truly a sight to behold. The beer is world class, too. If you've never had a beer from New Glarus, well, they pretty much do justice to every style. A fresh, lively, hop-forward pale ale? Check. That'd be Moon Man. Fruit beers? Can't go wrong with any of 'em. Wisconsin Belgian Red. Raspberry Tart. Serendipity. Strawberry Rhubarb. They are all works of art bursting with the most amazing, authentic fruit flavor you will ever experience. It's R&D sour and barrel-aged beers are some of the best I've ever tasted. As a matter of fact, at a Team D(r)INK tasting shortly after we returned from this very trip, we opened a R&D Kriek as well as a 2015 Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic Bio and I (as well as my man Jamberg) liked the New Glarus more. The Thumbprint Series has produced dozens of experimental batches (some more memorable than others) including everything from smoked beers and sour brown ales to beers that defy categorization (Enigma, anyone?) to one of the best Berliner Weissbiers I've ever had. Even its Spotted Cow, a light farmhouse-style table beer, is the best-selling draft beer in all of Wisconsin (or at least is was from 2007 to 2012). Not craft beer, either. I'm talking beer PERIOD. More than any Bud-Miller-Coors product. Now that's a testament to the quality of New Glarus' beers... as well as the drinking temperament of Wisconsinites.

OK, enough gushing. I love New Glarus. You get the picture. Let's move on, shall we?

Obviously, the brewery was beginning to fill up quickly with folks in town for the festival. We arrived a few minutes after official opening time and had to park in the overflow lot. A constant string of cars were filing into the lot as we made our way to the brewery's entrance. Here are a few pics of the main entrance. 

Impressive, right? We headed up the stairs to the patio area where they sell beer tokens. You can opt for a flight and keep the glass, or pay for a large pour of a single beer in either a standard or upgraded glass. Since we already have about four or five of the taster glasses, we decided to splurge on a single pour of two more limited beers and share them: R&D Kriek and Strawberry Rhubarb. We've already discussed these two beers in previous "Great Taste Caper" episodes, so I'll spare you further praise. I will say that the R&D Kriek direct from the source was one of the highlights of the entire trip. So there you have it.

Pleeps wore his wristband like a sash.

With beer in hand, we basically just enjoyed the surroundings and each others' company. Below are some additional photographs that illustrate the impressive facility. The first three shots are of the "ruins," which are meant to mimic fallen turrets and eroded castle walls. There is a separate bar in this area where you can sample some of the rare beers offered by New Glarus.  

Since we don't get to visit too often (the last time was six years ago), we took a quick stroll around the self-guided tour path. Here are some additional photos from inside the brewing facility:

After finishing our beers, we headed to the beer store on the ground level to claim each of our respective hauls to tote back to PA. At our house, we're not allowed to drink the last Tart or Red bottle until we know we're going to be visiting the brewery again. So we made sure to stock up adequately. I was pleased to see they are now canning Moon Man and Spotted Cow, and we made sure to snag a 12-pack of the former. They also now bottle Tart and Red in 12-ounce bottles, which is decidedly more convenient than the previous 750mL, wax-dipped bottles (and cheaper too). I also picked up a sixer of the Coffee Stout, which I'd never had before. Oh, and some Berliner Weisse. And a few of the R&D sours. And Cran-bic. And Serendipity. And Strawberry Rhubarb. We probably bought way too much, but you never know how long it will be until we return. One thing is for sure... it won't be another six years! 

Just two women hanging out at New Glarus.

We said farewell to New Glarus and hit the rocky road. The destination? Nearby Monroe, WI, for a visit to a tiny new brewery called Bullquarian Brewhouse. D&C decided they wanted to do some exploring, so we decided to tag along. Might as well add a few more breweries to the list, I thought. We were planning to meet Nathan and his wife, Tiffany, later that evening, and had a pretty lengthy drive to Illinois, so these would be relatively quick stops in the grand scheme of things. 

Described as a "nano brewery," Bullquarian employs a 2-bbl brewhouse and serves up homemade pizza for eats. We were just drinking today, but I did partake in some free popcorn (I usually like something small to nosh on while enjoying beer). They also feature live music, as the owner/brewer is a drummer in a local blues band. He was a nice guy, and we talked a bit about music and our travels. He also does a Sunday vinyl day, and another older guy was in there spinning the first Van Halen record. So they get bonus points for embracing one of my other passions (two, actually, if you count live music).

The beer here was pretty much as I'd expected: decent local beer. Still, it was nice to see a Rauchbier on tap, which was the first beer I sampled. Smoke Ryeder is brewed with three different varieties of smoked malt, flaked rye, and Belgian sugar to elicit a smokey flavor with a faint sweetness and hint of spicy jerky. It wasn't bad; maybe a tad sweet for the style, but otherwise enjoyable. Brewslut ordered a small pour of Anser, a kettle-soured gose with a hint of coriander, citrus fruit, and a pinch of salt.

We were also passing around a pour of a German-style schwarzbier, or dark lager, called Erv's Dark. Both Deuane and I enjoyed this one, which features hints of chocolate, sweet malt, and roast. Brewslut isn't a huge fan of the style, so Deuane and I had the lion's share. Carolyn was working on a sampler flight while we hung out at a round table and poked around the small tasting room.

Some interesting tap handles at Bullquarian. I like the giraffe!

Since we were in town and only about a block away from Minhas, the second oldest brewery in the United States, we felt obliged to stop in for a quick visit. Oddly enough, the oldest brewery in the country is like 30 miles from my hometown and I've never been there. At least we made it to the second oldest one. To be honest, this place was pretty much what I expected it to be - an old school brewery with antiquated recipes whose claim to fame is the fact that they remained open for so long. Still, it's worth a visit, right?

We didn't really have time for a full brewery tour, so opted for a sampler flight, which included as many samples as you can drink in twenty minutes. There were 40-odd beers available. Do the math. I interpreted this as a challenge. While I of course didn't get near to trying all of them, I did some damage. It was kind of like speed dating, only with beer. Here's the low-down:

• 1845 Pils - "old world" pilsner style beer with thin mouthfeel and very mild floral hop character. 
• Over the Barrel Apple Ale - Easily my favorite of the lot. Tasted like a sweet apple cider with a faint dryness in the finish. 
• Imperial Jack DIPA - contract brewed for Rhinelander Brewing. Old school malty DIPA with floral and herbal notes. 
• Lazy Mutt Farmhouse Ale - unfiltered, light-bodied farmhouse ale brewed with Minhas' proprietary ale yeast strain. 
• Thirsty Miner American IPA - another contract brewed IPA that touts "big hop flavors and aromas." Kind of generic, as expected. 
• Huber Bock - sweet, malty German-style bock with lots of caramel a faint floral note. 
• Rhinelander - a pretty non-descript export lager (think light pilsner style)

Overall, nothing was what I would describe as great craft beer. But it was a cool experience, the people were nice, and in addition to the 20-minute "speed drinking" session, the $10 price tag also  included a take-home glass, a mixed 6-pack of beer, and some small swag items. Of course, they had a few beer brands that carried a price tag of around $7.00 per case! That's cheaper than Lionshead! Since we had a time limit, I wasn't able to snap any pictures here. And again, quantity trumps quality. We secured our parting gifts, said goodbye to D&C and shipped off to meet up with Nathan in Illinois once again; only this time, his new wife Tiffany would be joining us.

We were extremely hungry when we arrived at our first stop, 350 Brewing in Tinley Park, IL. We were hoping to only hit Hailstorm (a favorite of ours from a previous Drinksgiving trip) but it turns out they weren't hosting a food truck on this particular Sunday. In light of this, Nathan suggested this newish brewery about a mile away from Hailstorm. Fine by me! 

Outside 350 Brewing Co. in Tinley Park, IL.

On the outside, the brewery is reminiscent of any number of breweries we've encountered in shopping plazas situated next to Chinese take-out restaurants, nail salons, and pharmacies. Inside, the place is pretty punk rock and immediately reminded me of Fall Brewing Co. in San Diego, another brewery with a DIY vibe. When we arrived, Nathan and Tiffany had already secured a table and were enjoying some beers and appetizers. Nathan is a recent newlywed, so this was the first time meeting Tiffany. She's new to the whole "beer thing" (especially to the extent in which the rest of us are ensconced), but she's eager and willing to try anything put in front of her.

In order to get to Hailstorm in time, we were limited to a single beer. After quickly perusing the menu, I opted for Shake City - Peaches & Cream, a milkshake IPA presumably brewed with lactose and peaches. Yes, again with the peaches, I'm afraid. This was pretty tasty overall, although I find some milkshake IPAs to be a bit chalky in the mouthfeel. I don't mind the viscosity or chewiness, but sometimes the grittiness pushes the bitterness over the edge. Still, this was pretty well balanced with hops and sweetness, and the peach flavor was apparent. And with that, it was time to move on. 

Inside 350 Brewing.

We first visited Hailstorm on our Drinksgiving 2015 jaunt. Unfortunately, you can't read about it because it was during my hiatus. Coincidentally, Nathan was in tow with us back then too. I recall being wowed by not only the quality of their barrel-aged beers, but also the sheer number of these beers available on tap and in bottles. Seemed like a pretty mature barrel-aging program for a brewery who'd only been open a year-and-a-half when we visited. It seems like they're still focusing on barrel-aged beers, but have also jumped on the IPA bandwagon, as this time they had a few hazy IPAs and a new style I've seen gaining some traction: Brut IPA.

Wall of wood at Hailstorm Brewing.

We planted ourselves at the corner of the bar. The bartender was attentive and chatty, and came across as a bona fide beer geek. It's always nice to have a server who knows what they're talking about. I ordered a pour of Blast!, a NE-style pale ale brewed in collaboration with The Open Bottle, a craft brew shop and taproom in Tinley Park. Yes, I know... another hazy, hoppy beer. This one features Mosaic and Citra hops, and additions of lactose, vanilla, and blueberries sweetens the pot. According to Hailstorm, this one "pairs well with barbecues, bald eagles, and freedom." I think that pairing would be more appropriate with a light American adjunct lager, but what do I know. 'Murica!

Brewslut opted for the Guava Gose, which we shared. At least I think we did. I have no recollection of this beer, unfortunately. Meanwhile, I noticed a beer on the chalkboard called Hopsecco, so I inquired about it. Turns out it's one of those newfangled Brut IPAs that have been popping up. Based on current trends, I anticipate this becoming the trendy style in 2019. We'll see. At any rate, this beer is a collaboration with Arrowhead Ales Brewing Company based in New Lenox, IL. Ultra-dry and low on bitterness, this double dry-hopped IPA boasts a white wine-like hop character by way of Hallertau Blanc, Callista (a new one for me), and Vic Secret hops. A massive amount of Sauvignon Blanc grape juice lends to the ambiance. I wasn't too jazzed about this one, unfortunately. I was expecting a much more highly carbonated beer akin to Champagne, which it didn't deliver. The white grape flavor was apparent, but I didn't feel it was overly dry either. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing how this infant style progresses over the next year or so. You can likely expect to see Brut IPAs popping up at breweries across the country in 2019.

It's fitting to end a meal with dessert, and sometimes it's appropriate to conclude a drinking session with a liquid dessert. Enter Awesome Brownie. Yet another collaboration (this one with Flesk Brewing out of Barrington, IL), this is a lower ABV stout brewed with chocolate and vanilla. This was probably my favorite of the four beers, but none of them matched the memory of our first experience at Hailstorm. Still, it was good to get back after a few years to catch up. Hopefully next time they will have more barrel-aged beers ripe for the pickings!

Nathan twisted our collective arm into going to one final brewery about 20 miles away in nearby Lansing, IL. Since we were already going that way, we figured why not? The brewery, One Trick Pony, may have been the unsung hero of the trip, in all honesty. With a name like One Trick Pony, I wasn't expecting much. I mean, the name itself implies that you can really do only one thing well. Naturally, I was thinking in beer styles. Turns out they do justice to all kinds of beer!

First off, I love their little no-nonsense elevator pitch:

Our beer won't make you strong or handsome, but if you appreciate craft beer and want to meet some guys that are happy to make it, serve it, and probably drink it with you.

OK, so grammatically it's a sentence fragment. But the sentiment promises no pretenses. This place was a perfect example of a no-frills brewery with rag-tag regulars and straight-up awesome beer. (Sorry for all the hyphenated phrases in that last sentence.) The vibe of the place reminded me immediately of Marshall, MI's roadhouse-style Dark Horse Brewing, one of our favorites.

It took every ounce of restraint not to bust out some Rush!

Things got off to a very nice start with my first beer, Georgia Grande. Brewed with pilsner malt and  White Wheat (the latter for a hint of haze) this Hefeweizen-style ale is infused with fresh ginger root and peaches. Overall, this was a refreshingly tart, light wheat beer rounded out by juicy peach flesh and a hint of spicy clove. Ginger can be a finicky ingredient to use in brewing, but the ginger character was just right and played off the juiciness of the peaches nicely. Well done!

Up next was Leathercoated Mind, an IPA hopped with El Dorado and Mosaic. Heavy dry-hopping draws out lots of tropical fruit and a bit of summer melon. Again, this was another winner and I soon found myself wanting to stay longer despite the grueling 9-hour drive we had in store for us the following day. Well, I'm glad I decided to get one more beer, because I saved the best for last.

One trick pony? More like MANY tricks pony!

I spotted a delicious sounding barrel-aged stout on the menu called Cocoa Butter Kisses. I simply had to have it. People, let me tell you: I've had a lot of stouts over the years. A LOT. This one was right up my alley. There was absolutely no way an Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace barrels clocking in at 11.8% ABV brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa wasn't going into my belly. Fucking hell, this beer was amazing! It was one of the most well-executed imperial stouts I've ever had in my life. The ingredients were perfectly balanced. The bourbon warmth was present but not boozy or overbearing. Velvety. Luscious. Bursting with flavor. So insanely drinkable, I wanted to bathe in it. I can go on and on, but you get the picture. After that amazing beer, it was time to say goodbye to our friends and start the long journey home. (Actually, a relatively short drive to our hotel followed by a long journey home the following day.)

Finishing up at One Trick Pony.

Monday serves as a sort of postscript to the trip. We did manage to fit in one last stop at one of my personal favorite spots: The Beer Engine. We decided at the 11th hour to skip brunch after spending the night in Cleveland on our first official day of the trip because it was about 10 miles or so in the opposite direction as where we were headed. So, it served instead as our lunch destination for Monday.

Since we still had a solid six-hour drive ahead of us, we decided to limit ourselves to one beer each and share them. Turns out the Beer Engine (historically Buckeye Brewing's de facto tap room) has pretty much ceased all brewing activity, unfortunately. I always enjoyed at least one of Buckeye's beers on tap during our visits to the Beer Engine. Sadly, there weren't any Buckeye beers on tap save for an anniversary barleywine that had been on for quite some time. As disappointing as this was to me, I was pleased to find a beer from Jackie O's on tap, something called Who Cooks for You. Turns out it is a double dry-hopped hazy Pale Ale. Brewslut opted for LazerSnake by Three Floyds, described as an "old-fashioned" IPA. In my opinion, the Jackie O's beer was much better. I'm not sure what hop combo FFF used in this beer, but I wasn't digging it. Over the last few years, I kind of fell off the FFF train. Eight years ago, I thought they were the best thing ever. Fast forward to present day, and I'm not sure. It's kind of like they don't give a shit anymore. Our last visit was so forgettable that we decided to skip it this time around. Since I hate to end on a downer, I'll go on record and say that this Jackie O's beer has piqued my interest in visiting the brewery again. It's simply been far too long since we were there. Plus Brad (the head brewer) is awesome!

In case you weren't keeping track, I've decided to include some statistics from the trip. Perhaps I'll continue to do this for all of our trips. We'll see. 

Total # Days: 11

Total # Beer Bars: 8

Total # breweries: 44

Total # beers (minus GTOTM samples): 197

So there you have it. All in all, it was a pretty memorable trip. We finally got to Minneapolis. It was a blast. Not sure there is much left to say about this epic beer trip. One thing's for sure... it won't take me another six years to get back to Great Taste of the Midwest. That you can count on! Until next time... 

Great Taste - Homeward Bound: Day Six

After pretty much sleeping for twelve or thirteen hours (OK, we had lapsed into comas!), it was time to start a fresh, new day.  No trip to Great Taste of the Midwest (or Wisconsin, for that matter) is complete without a stop at perhaps one of the most impressive craft breweries in the country - New Glarus Brewing Company.

Outside New Glarus Brewing Co.

New Glarus is just a short thirty-minute drive south of Madison, making it a natural choice as our first stop of the day.  Brewslut remembered how to get there, so I followed her lead.  We arrived early and, after purchasing our beer (a few mixed six-packs, two 500ml bottles of a new Sour Ale, and some 750ml bottles of Red and Tart [see below]), we took a quick stroll through the self-guided tour path and perused some merchandise.  We finally meandered into the tasting room, where Brewslut and I enjoyed a few samples.  I opted for two offerings I hadn't yet tried - Two Women, a "classic country lager," and Staghorn, a Bavarian Octoberfest style beer.  Both were solid, as expected.  For my third sample, I went with a favorite of ours - Wisconsin Belgian Red.  This ruby red cherry ale packs more than a whole pound of Montgomery cherries from Wisconsin into each 750ml bottle!  We always bring back several bottles of this, as well as Raspberry Tart, two of Brewslut's favorite beers of all time.  In the grand scheme of things, I'd rank these two as amongst the best fruit beers produced in the United States.  Yeah, both beers are that good!

Copper kettles at New Glarus

Before we left, we settled on our merchandise purchases.  I picked up an awesome new pullover hoody sweatshirt, a brick red T-shirt with the Wisconsin "thumbprint" logo on the back (a personal favorite beer logo of mine), and a sticker for our beer cooler.  Brewslut got a cool long sleeve, girl-cut, waffle-weave shirt.  OK... she likes adjectives!

Inside New Glarus' brewery

After a routine visit to New Glarus, it was off for lunch at The Glarner Stube in the heart of the town of New Glarus, WI.  Deuane and Carolyn had turned Brewslut on to this place during her inaugural trip to Great Taste, and it has turned into a must-stop every time we visit the area.  Plus New Glarus Brewery gives you a coupon for a free 8oz. beer at Glarner Stube when you visit the brewery and get a sampler wristband!  Even if you visit New Glarus and don't stop in at The Glarner Stube, the town itself is noteworthy and offers the quaint Swiss-style charm reminiscent of a picturesque European village. 

They were fairly busy when we arrived, so we snagged two seats at the bar.  We were thrilled to see both Tart and Red on tap, so we ordered one of each for our "free" beers.  For lunch, we enjoyed a perch sandwich (me) and grilled cheese (Brewslut).  Afterwards, we ran into our friends from Alabama, Jim aka "Uncle Jedi" and his wife Joan.  They too had succumbed to an "early night" after the previous days festivities.  "There's not much else you can do after Great Taste but sleep," said Uncle Jedi.  Brewslut and I wholeheartedly concurred!

Next door, we picked up a few 1/4 kegs of New Glarus Red and Tart for our friend Chris, who was gracious enough to pay for two full tanks of gas in exchange for "muling" home the kegs for him.  We also got to enjoy a few pints at his house when we got home, as well as a growler for "later use!"

And now for something completely different...

CHICAGO TRAFFIC LICKS BALLS!

Enough said about that.

Our next stop was a Deuane-recommended brewpub in Michigan City, IN called Shoreline Brewery.  We arrived during "pitcher night," when Shoreline boasts $8 for a pitcher of one of its house beers.  Always the frugal (OK, cheap) patron, I opted for a pitcher of the Sum Nug IPA, which hit the spot.  (Editor's note: Curious about the name, I checked out Shoreline's website and found that it is brewed with Summit and Nugget hops.  So that answers that question!) We also were a bit peckish, so we ordered a vegetable tray that featured yams, beets and other items with bleu cheese.  It was quite tasty!  We enjoyed pleasant conversations with some locals at the bar, two of which ended up giving us 3/4 of a pitcher of Stella Blue, a light ale with a hint of blueberry.  While we didn't finish the pitcher, it was still pretty tasty.  In speaking to some other locals, we realized that our plans to return to Three Floyds were foiled due to the fact that we drove more than thirty miles in the opposite direction.  Epic geographical fail!  Not wanting to backtrack, we tried to put together a "Plan B" for our final stop before retiring to our hotel somewhere in the middle of Indiana.  We were pleased to find that we were very close to Greenbush Brewing Company, a new brewpub that had already been recommended by numerous folks at Founders earlier during the trip.  And let me tell you... I'm actually glad we experienced this little mishap, because it was one of my favorite stops on the trip!

Tap handles at Greenbush

Having only been open for a year and two months at the time of our visit, the young Greenbush Brewing Company is situated in Sawyer, MI, just across the Indiana border.  We were lucky enough to get there a little over an hour before they closed, so we were able to get food in addition to beer.  I wanted to try everything, so we went with the sampler tray, which included the following selections: Anger Black IPA; Dunegras IPA; Penitence Rye Stout; Distorter Porter; Sunspot Hefe; and Mr. Hyde Coffee Cream Stout.  All were solid to outstanding, and we decided on the Anger Black IPA to take home in a growler.  This may have been one of the hoppiest Black IPAs I've ever had.

Greenbush

All of Greenbush's employees were quite young (early to mid twenties), super friendly, and just really passionate about beer.  I simply loved everything about this place - the ambiance, the people, the beer, and the merchandise!  After enjoying our sampler, one of the assistant brewers offered us a complimentary snifter of a Russian Imperial Stout, which was fantastic.  He also gave us a brief tour of the kitchen and brewery area.  These guys are tiny but making some huge, flavorful beers.  We can't wait to return!

Pleeps enjoying the Greenbush sampler tray

After a long day of drinking and driving (OK, that just sounds bad), we retired to our hotel, a nicely appointed and modern-looking Hyatt somewhere in the middle of Indiana.  We slept well in a cozy king-size bed.

The next morning, we were ready to head home, but not after a stop for lunch at the Buckeye Beer Engine just outside Cleveland in Lakewood, OH. Last time we drove through, we decided to stop at The Brew Kettle, producers of Ringneck Brewing Company beers.  This time, we wanted to hit the Beer Engine, not only for the beer, but also for their great lunch specials.  Brewslut and I pulled up a seat at the bar and we each ordered the Spicy Black Bean Burger, which hit the spot.  While the Beer Engine boasts many great craft taps, we opted for the local Buckeye beers - myself, a 76 IPA and Brewslut, the Cleveland Porter.  I had forgotten how much I liked 76 IPA.  This is a cool little place with a varied beer selection and great staff (our bartender was particularly friendly).  Plus if you stop during lunch hours, you will get $1 off select pints and $2 off burgers and sandwiches.  Sweet deal, eh?

Buckeye Beer Engine tap handles

The Buckeye Beer Engine, sadly, was our last beer-related stop on The Great Taste Caper.  Brewslut and I look to make Great Taste of the Midwest an annual beer trip.  It simply is one of the greatest beer festivals in the country, and it also happens to be situated in one of the best beer drinking cities in the region - Madison, WI!  Until next time...

Great Taste... NOT Less Filling: Day Five

After a fun breakfast down in the hotel lobby with several of the Short's Brewing fellows, we decided to make good use of the little time we had before the festival began... and what better way to spend that time by visiting Steve's to purchase some beer to tote home with us to PA?  After the short drive, we arrived at Steve's, where we purchased a few bombers and mixed six-packs, as well as some Tyranena Scurvy (IPA brewed with orange peel) and Dirty Old Man (bottles of the Imperial Coffee Porter we had the night before at the brewery).  Then it was off to do a favor for Deuane: pick up a bowling shirt at Vintage Brewing Company.  Last time Deuane visited Great Taste, they didn't have his size in stock, and he was apparently smitten with said shirt.  Lucky for him, they had his size in stock (and he was indeed giddy when we delivered the shirt to him after we'd returned home).

On to the festival.  Now, let me preface what you are about to read with the following: If you've never been to a beer festival of this magnitude, then you can't imagine the amount of beer that is available.  We're talking five tents with thirty breweries each, plus an entire tent dedicated to nothing by cask ales!  Let me also point out that each brewery doesn't just show up with two or three of their flagship beers.  Every single brewery brings its "A Game!"  Most breweries bring six beers plus numerous special or rare beers that are poured at specific times throughout the day.  For example, Three Floyds poured Cognac barrel-aged Dark Lord.  You couldn't even get near to their tent all day.  Unless you wanted to stand in line for over half an hour to get three ounces of said beer, you were out of luck.  Honestly, it's not a bad idea to display some patience waiting for beers (as well as restraint from sampling too many beers). Unfortunately, I typically display neither at a beer festival.  I will say that Brewslut and I were, um, more well-behaved this time around.  Ultimately, it is quite an overwhelming festival to take in, even for seasoned beer aficionados such as ourselves.  So due to the reality of the situation, the forthcoming events will not be recounted in chronological order, but rather in the order that I can, well, remember it happening!

Before...

...After

We stopped by Four Hands tent and the owner remembered us from the Monk's event during Philly Beer Week.  I want to say we sampled Contact High, their summer seasonal, which I had marked in my Great Taste program, but I could be mistaken.  Still, this is a hoppy wheat beer brewed with blood orange zest.  I'd love to get my hands on a few bottles of this!

We tried several times to hunt down "Coffee" from Ale Asylum, to whom we were delivering a case of Troegs Perpetual IPA direct from John Trogner.  Apparently, Coffee taught John a lot about brewing during John's formative years.  It must have paid off, because all of the folks at Ale Asylum are huge fans of Troegs.  I even heard that one of its flagship beers - Ambergeddon - is somewhat of a Nugget Nectar clone.  So I suppose that's a fitting tribute, eh?

Taking a break with Pleeps.

One of the "special tappings" we marked down in our programs to attend was Central Waters' Bourbon Barrel Cherry Stout at 1:15pm.  Surprisingly, there was virtually no line when we arrived.  Even if there was, I would have been happy waiting for it, because it turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival!  It was similar to New Glarus' Cherry Stout but with a moderate bourbon presence.  The vanilla notes worked really well with the base beer, making this one a winner all around!  Unfortunately, they were not pouring the Brewhouse Coffee Stout, which is one of the best I've ever had.

Enjoying some Tyranena with the "dirty old man!"

While we didn't have enough time to stop at Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery, we did make plans to swing by its tent at around 3:20pm, because they were tapping a Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Pumpkin Lager.  This was quite an interesting treat by which they took their base pumpkin lager and aged it in Black Swan Cooperage barrels from Woodinville Whiskey Company, then added Madascar vanilla beans directly to the firkin. Can you say "Yum?"

We made a quick stop at Minneapolis Town Hall's tent for a sample of their fantastic Mango Mama, a mango version of their excellent Masala Mama IPA.  We had the opportunity to share a growler of this a while back (thanks Deuane!), so it was a pleasure to revisit this after a few years.  

Pleeps rode around in my pocket all day!

Since we didn't get to visit with Dr. Joel during our visit to New Holland, we made it a point to stop by their tent several times.  They had their tent decorated like a zombie Halloween party, which was kind of cool.  Dr. Joel was decked out in a zombie costume and pouring at the event, so he hooked us up with some of the "special" offerings prior to them actually tapping.  For example, we tried the Blue Sunday Barrel #16 Brettanomyces Bruxellensis (glad I have the program to reference that one).  Back in 2009, they put some Blue Sunday into a French oak barrel.  Then in 2011, they inoculated the barrel with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis and let it work its magic.  The result was a sweet but tart cherry pie-like beer that Brewslut liked very much.  This one perhaps one of the rarest beers we were able to sample at the festival.

A "das boot" you don't want to drink out of!

Short's Brewing Company out of Bellaire, MI, is a perfect example of a brewery bringing its "A Game" to Great Taste.  In addition to a bunch of cool photo opportunity exhibits and a personable bunch of guys, they are always pouring interesting and unique beers. Case in point: Black Chai, a black India Cream Ale infused with Chai Tea.  We also enjoyed samples of Van Dammage, an IPA with American hops and Belgian yeast (and awesomely named); Grasshoppah, and American IPA brewed with chocolate mint; and Brewslut's favorite, Strawberry Short's Cake, a Golden Ale brewed with strawberries, milk sugar and biscuit malts.  Short's is always a must-stop, multi-stop tent at Great Taste.  It's a shame they are so far away, because the brewpub itself is an awesome beer destination. 

 

Another great stop is always at The Livery's tent.  They are always pouring the craziest of the crazy beers they produce.  For example, one of the best beers of the festival we sampled was Cherry Taxman, a mammoth 14.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels with Michigan-grown cherries and cocoa nibs.  Good God, this was awesome!  One other beer that I remember trying was Impeche, a Belgian style Amber Ale aged in sour casks with locally grown Red Haven peaches and nectarines for twenty months.  While it wasn't as amazing as the Nectarine Tripel I sampled a few years prior, this was still a very good beer. 

While it doesn't seem like we sampled very much beer, these were simply some of the highlights of the day.  With that said, attending a five-hour beer festival as epic as Great Taste of the Midwest is over before you know it.  It really does go by in a flash and the whole day turns from a vivid memory into a smudgy blur.  The only thing there is to do after a day like this is retire to the hotel and take a nap, then wake up after four hours, realize you are still intoxicated and go back to bed... which is precisely what we did!

Cheers to Great Taste!

The Greatest Taste Around: Day One

The following is an account of our trek to Madison, WI, for Great Taste of the Midwest, one of the biggest beer festivals in the country.  This would mark my sophomore visit to the festival, while it would be trip number FOUR for Brewslut (aaaah, the dreaded, self-imposed band schedules)!  Alas, how do you think I make all that money to travel in the name of beer?

We departed from Annville bright and early on the morning of August 7th at around 6:20am (at "the ass crack of dawn," according to Brewslut).  We hit Sheetz down the street for iced coffee, and we didn't stop until we reached another Sheetz in western PA for a piss break.  Our first beer destination of the day was Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, OH. I hadn't been there since our inaugural Thanksgiving beer-cation with Deuane and Carolyn back in 2008.  We landed at 12:15pm, only 15 minutes behind schedule.  We were both pretty hungry... and thirsty, of course.  Our first beers of the trip were Rye of the Tiger (a 7.5% rye IPA) for me and Truth, Justice and the American Ale (a 4.9% pale ale) for Brewslut.  For lunch, I enjoyed the summer chicken salad with strawberries, pine nuts and goat cheese, while Brewslut opted for the vegan burger.

Pleeps... poster monkey for The Pour Travelers!

 Beer number two was Engine 20, a hoppy American Pale Ale.  Brewslut went with the Gold Rush California Common, which she likened to "licking charcoal briquettes."  Leave it to Brewslut to equate a beer with something found inside a barbecue grill.  (Editor's Note: Brewslut has a penchant for describing beers in an odd manor.  If you don't believe me, check out the early Pour Travelers entry,  The Anomalous Olfactory Anecdotes of Brewslut).

Smaller brewing capacity than you'd think!

At any rate, Great Lakes makes some fantastic beers, most notably Edmund Fitzgerald, one of my favorite Porters in the country.  Overall, the brewpub has a very old-style English pub atmosphere, with lots of ornate wood and a vintage bar.  After lunch, we poked around the downstairs area, which wasn't really open (it is typically used for overflow on busy weekend nights or private functions).  We also checked out the store next door for official merchandise, and I picked up a cool tan visor.  Brewslut grabbed the first of many patches from this trip as well as a sticker.

Downstairs at Great Lakes

After leaving Great Lakes, we were off to Marshall, MI, to visit a favorite of mine, Dark Horse Brewing Company.  As with Great Lakes, I hadn't been there since 2008, and I was pleased to see that they expanded the brewpub quite a bit.  Most notably, they added an entire beer garden and second bar out back, complete with a stage for live entertainment.  It took quite a while to drive from Cleveland to Marshall, so it was pretty much time for dinner when we got there.  I had heard that the sandwiches were the way to go at Dark Horse, so I perused the menu and came across the "Reubenesque" - a sandwich with turkey, Asian slaw, cilantro sauce and cheese on a spent grain pretzel roll!  Sounded interesting to say the least.  It was delicious!  Brewslut got the Chocolate Thunder personal pizza, which had some spicy peppers among other ingredients.

One of the coolest Mug Clubs ever!

As for our beers, we both opted for brewery-only offerings.  I liked the sound of SC-7, an IPA brewed with seven hop varieties beginning with the letter "C" (we'll let you figure them all out).  Brewslut ordered the Belginator, a Belgian IPA.  We finished up our food and first beers, then headed outside with our second selections - me, one of my perennial favorites, Crooked Tree IPA, and Brewslut, the Black Bier.  The weather was nice so we sat outside and talked about the trip a bit.  There was a little kid passed out face-first on a picnic table outside.  Apparently, he was sleep-deprived and in dire need of a nap. 

Lots of pics from Dark Horse Brewing Company

After a pleasant visit at Dark Horse, we were off to our final stop for the day before arriving in Grand Rapids to stay with our good friend Kelly for a few days.  Bell's was yet another place we hadn't  been since that first trip to Michigan, so we were thrilled to be back, especially since we had a great time way back when. 

Outside Bell's in Kalamazoo, MI

Before visiting the bar, we hit up the merchandise area because they were soon closing.  I picked up an awesome Hopslam T-shirt.  Inside, we were able to procure seats at the bar, as it wasn't too busy this particular night.  There was a bourbon barrel-aged Best Brown on tap, which sounded mighty tasty, so I ordered that.  Brewslut also went with a brewpub-only offering called A Bit of Heat, a strong Pale Ale brewed with habanero peppers and dry hopped.  This particular beer was the result of a homebrew contest held by Bell's, in which the winner could have his beer brewed at Bell's.  Pretty cool, eh?  The habanero presence was mild and only accented the overall flavor.

We had plenty of time, and we were also enjoying a conversation with some patrons, so we ordered a sampler flight, which included the following beers: Roundhouse India Red Ale, Hopsolution DIPA, Java Stout, Expedition Stout, Lager of the Lakes, and La Batteur French Farmhouse Blonde Ale.  We shared the sampler tray, and by then it was time to hit the road.

Inside Bell's Eccentric Cafe

We arrived at Kelly's house a bit after 10pm, caught up and bit and then it was time to hit the sack.  We'd been on the road all day and were quite fatigued not to mention about two-and-a-half sheets from all of our imbibing throughout the day.  All in all, it was a productive first day, and I'm glad we were able to leave almost two days earlier than we had planned.  Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have had the time to visit Grand Rapids prior to the festival.  But we were back in the land of Founders, and we both couldn't wait to open that place tomorrow!  Stay tuned for Part Two of the Great Taste Caper... coming soon to a computer screen near you!