To mark its fourth year in business, Giant Jones Brewing Company is releasing an extra blonde ale. “Anniversaries are a good excuse to test out ideas,” says brewery owner and brewmaster Jessica Jones.
The ale falls into the barleywine camp, big and strong, yet lighter in color than a typical barleywine. “I consider it an American blonde ale, just turned up to 11 percent,” says Jones. The extra blonde ale ($7/bottle) is a nice alternative for beer drinkers not ready to give into the lighter beer trends of the season. Expect rich maltiness and dry finish with warmth from the high ABV.
Since Giant Jones opened in 2018, Jones has gained certified organic status, and moving forward she wants to find more local sources for those organic ingredients.
The brewery’s birthday bash will take place from 2-10 p.m. on June 4. (Details on the brewery’s Facebook page.)
Another brewery celebrating a birthday is 3 Sheeps Brewing Company of Sheboygan. The brewery turned 10 last month. Among the special releases brewed to mark the occasion is Double Digits. This barrel-aged imperial stout has a robust dark malt bill, Ugandan vanilla, and cocoa nibs and coconut from Ghana. All that lends layers of sweetness, roastedness and boozy warmth.
Brewmaster Grant Pauly adds the vanilla, nibs and coconut at intervals while the beer ages in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for more than 14 months. It is expected to be in Madison taprooms by mid-June. Some 22-ounce bottles ($20) will be sold in Madison stores; however, what does make its way to Madison often doesn’t last long, as 3 Sheeps’ fans are known to quickly snatch up specialty bombers.
Also out in June will be a new imperial IPA from 3 Sheeps called Porous. The beer has a tropical twist on the old school West Coast IPA style, featuring New Zealand Motueka hops. “Motueka gives it a burst of citrus and lime that is unexpected in a double IPA,” says Pauly. Porous finishes at 9 percent ABV ($14/four-packs).
One of the best summer multi-packs arriving this month is from northern Wisconsin. Earth Rider Brewing from Superior self-distributes to Madison and drops off beer every few weeks. Watch for a 12-pack of four different beers ($18-20): a Royal Bohemian pilsner, Precious Material helles lager, Blueberry Honey cream ale and Tap Shack, a Caribbean-style lager.
This box set caught my attention in part because the brewery just struck gold in the 2022 World Beer Cup with its North Tower stout. All are worthy of some summer love, with my big winner in this mixed pack being Tap Shack, a lager made with fresh lime zest. “For a 20-barrel batch we hand-grate nearly 20 pounds of lime zest,” says Frank Kaszuba, director of brewing operations. The result is a yellow-golden, light lager with citrus aroma and a crisp, refreshing finish. Tap Shack is also available in six-packs ($10).
[Editor’s note:the text has been updated to reflect the new hours for the Giant Jones party.]
