It’s Business as Usual at the Grumpy Troll Brew Pub in Mount Horeb, which is both true and the name of brewmaster Mark Knoebl’s latest double IPA release. The beer is a tribute to Grumpy Troll co-owner Tim Duerst, who died unexpectedly last November. Duerst grew up in Mount Horeb and was well known among local residents. The IPA style was one of his favorites and Knoebl was in the midst of tweaking this IPA recipe for Duerst just prior to his passing. “The beer and its name were inspired by Tim — the phrase is something he used a lot,” says Knoebl. Business as Usual is made with five different hops, some of bitter resiny variety, others more juicy. The result is an inviting bold IPA that finishes at 7.7% ABV and 77 IBUs. It has an up-front West Coast personality of piney notes, while finishing tropical and juicy like a New England hazy ($7.50/pint and $9/bomber). “This is my way of saying thank you brother, because Tim made business as usual possible,” says Knoebl.
What says Wisconsin spring more than seeing shorts and hoodies? 3 Sheeps Brewing is calling attention to that seasonal attire with its newest spring beer. Shorts and Hoodies is a light-bodied pilsner great for easing away from the heavier, sweeter and often maltier flavors of winter. It has a clear golden body, crisp and bubbly, with the floral, herbal accent of German Hallertau hops. It is a very easy-drinking pilsner at 5.2% ABV ($10/six-pack, 12 ounce cans). Fun fact: It was released on March 22 with a shorts and hoodie fashion show in the brewery’s Sheboygan taproom.
Vintage Brewing’s Scott Manning is among the Madison area’s most creative brewers. A visit to any of Vintage’s four locations offers an unexpected surprise. Manning’s latest outside-the-box creation is called Caravans and Shifting Sands. It’s made with fonio, a specialty grain cultivated from a species of grass grown in West Africa, where it has been planted and harvested by hand for more than 5,000 years. The plants generally grow in dry areas without irrigation and produce small seeds, similar to millet. In impoverished areas of Africa it is used as a common cereal grain; however in the U.S. it’s capturing the attention of specialty bakers and craft brewers, much like kernza did a few years ago.
“I wanted to try something new to me,” says Manning. “I enjoyed weaving together these ingredients while I imagined an ancient trade route in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa,” says Manning.
Once milled, fonio can be used like brewer’s malts. Manning added it to the mash in combination with other grains — Caravans and Shifting Sands is brewed with 30% fonio in the total malt grist that contains standard brewing barley and wheat. It contributes such delicate fruity notes as gooseberry and white grape. Unlike malts more commonly used by craft brewers, it doesn’t add much color.
Manning adds honey, citron peel, grains of paradise (related to cardamom), and a touch of allspice. All that creates interesting layers of flavor, with hints of lemon from the citron and spicy dryness from the pepper and allspice. It finishes at 5.25% ABV, and is distinctively complex. This is a beer you don’t find every day. It’s available at most Vintage locations ($6/tulip pour and $10.50 crowler).
A new addition to New Glarus Brewing’s Thumbprint series is Imperial Pilsner. Pilsner purists, do not let the “imperial” qualifier steer you away. Brewmaster Dan Carey takes a great deal of pride in all his beers, but especially so in his pilsners, which he considers the Holy Grail of beer. What I really enjoy about this take is the bolder flavor riff, while he keeps the clean pilsner qualities at the forefront. This beer has a bit more body than what one expects in a pilsner, with a touch more bready maltiness. Carey hand-picked Wisconsin barley malts to go into the overall malt bill. It also has Diamant, Hersbrucker and Spalt hops, a combination that lends earthy herbal aroma and flavor, with a touch of fruitiness. As its name indicates, it’s bigger than your average pilsner, coming in at 8.7% ABV and 55 IBUs ($11/four-pack, 12 ounce cans).
Among my favorite spring beer styles is the saison. These crisp, bubbly beers are yeast-driven with dry, spicy, earthy notes. They’re strong enough in alcohol warmth to fend off a chilly April evening on the patio but also perfect to drink while basking in the spring sunshine. This spring I’ve been drawn to Young Blood Beer Company’s Her Skulls Are Overpriced. (Don’t read too much into the name. Young Blood is known for whimsical and nonsensical names that leave you wondering, what does that have to do with beer?) This saison is full of yeasty earthiness. It is medium-bodied, soft, and warm from its 9% ABV. I really enjoy how its dry-hopping with Cascades creates a lingering dry grapefruit bitterness that complements the spicy pepper notes of the saison yeast ($14/four-packs, 16 ounce cans).
Business is looking up at Bodihow Brewing in Oregon. Bodihow has been open a little more than a year and has quickly a found a niche among craft drinkers, so much so that a few weeks ago it installed more bright tanks in its brewhouse. Recently the pub has been serving a Belgian tripel that shouldn’t be overlooked. It offers lots of banana and sweet floral notes before finishing dry and clean. It has a deceptively light flavor profile, given that it finishes at 11% ABV ($7/glass and $17/crowler).
