Wisconsin beer year

I've been preaching local craft beer lately, so I thought it would be fun to do a run-down on which Wisconsin beers I drink during the year. We have the blessing of four very distinct and well-defined seasons which means craft beer drinkers (and makers) have a chance to truly pair beers to each season. I definitely drink a ton of Non-Wisconsin beers, so some of my absolute favorites won't be on this list.

January: CW Bourbon Barrel Barleywine. Gotta get through the deep freeze. January is CW month in our house, with all of the BA beers in heavy rotation, along with the anniversary release (which usually results in frostbite on at least one appendage).

February: Sprecher Black Bavarian. $8 growlers from Sprecher- when this beer is fresh it is hard to beat. And like February Mornings and Evenings, it's very, very dark. Will probably open up a few NG fruit beers as well (Belgian Red, specifically) to remind us what life tastes like.

March: Well, it used to be Karben4 SamuRye, but since they morphed it into the unrecognizable (and relatively bland) Tokyo Sauna, I'm left without a solid Wisconsin Rye Pale Ale to put in this slot. So let's go with Black Husky Howler. A nice, strong Imperial Pale usually brewed with Simcoe. If Winter lasts longer than it should, this beer will help keep you warm. Tim- brew up a Rye Pale Ale, please.

April: Spring? Maybe? Longer days and breaking into the 50's deserves a happy beer. And Lake Louie Bunny Green Toe is as happy a Wisconsin beer as I've ever had. Here's to hoping they brew a new batch in time for early spring.

May: I'm not a bit Maibock fan, but we will probably open up both Lazy Monk and Sprecher's Maibocks. If any of you have suggestions on better WI brewed Maibocks, please let me know! Otherwise we'll keep the IPA train running with Lakefront IPA. When fresh this is easily the best "traditional" IPA brewed in Wisconsin. Malty enough to wash away the last remaining snow of winter, hoppy enough to bounce into summer.

June: Karben4 Fantasy Factory. Sweet and floral hops make this the perfect early-Summer beer. You literally forget your troubles with a glass of this in your hand. And June is for forgetting your troubles.

July: New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat. This is what mid-Summer is all about. I'd buy a keg a week if I could.

August: Man, it's getting hot. Time to cool down with some lower ABV favorites. Moon Man, Hop Rise, MKE Outboard Cream Ale, and even some Spotted Cow will be on heavy rotation in our fridge. We will also down a few bottles of Black Husky Pale Ale every week- it's a bit heavier than the others but it's a damn fine beer.

September: Let's hold off on Marzens until at least the 3rd week of September. So we'll start the month out with a nice sour from New Glarus (this year it was the remaining bottles of WSA and one or two Wild Peach from the R&D series) and some of the newer, funkier beers from O'so- Restless Soul, for instance. I'm also looking forward to drinking the upcoming Central Waters sours this time of year. Nothing says, "It's not fall yet" like a sour. And before we jump into the Marzens, we'll finish up the month with some Louie's Reserve Scotch Ale from Lake Louie.

October: Once fall officially hits, it's time for New Glarus Staghorn. It's really the only Wisconsin Marzen Lager you need to drink. Brenner's "new" Star Baby IPA also lends itself to this time of year. It's a bit maltier than you'd expect (I'd go so far as to call it a Red IPA, a style lacking in Wisconsin).

November: Finally. It's colder and it's my Birthday month. So, let's jump into some stouts. We'll start "small"- New Glarus Coffee Stout is a great, lower ABV alternative to coffee with your breakfast. We'll get a bit bigger with Central Waters Brewhouse Coffee Stout, and we'll finish up with Twelve Dog by Black Husky. Rumor has it we might see some of that get Barrel Aged, but we'll save that for January! Satin Solitude will also find it's way into our fridge. We'll open something really special (an aged bottle of Smoke Monster?) on my actual birthday. Thanksgiving is all about New Glarus Belgian Red and smaller beers we can drink all day.

December: Black Husky Sproose will be enjoyed all month long. We don't have much room for a Christmas tree, so we let the beer fool us into thinking we have one. I always like Belgians around the Holidays, and I'll bet this year's New Glarus Dubbel (and last year's Anniversary Ale) will be drinking mighty fine by December 24th.

 

I enjoyed the one-off oak-aged IPA from earlier this year, but the second bottle I opened was a bit off. I'll look for Autumnal, haven't seen it in my usual shops. I think they are getting better each year, still not a brewery I pick up regularly. Have their mainline beers improved at all since 1 1-2 years ago?

Hello My Name is Joe would make a great winter drinker too.

 

Sounds like a plan! Speaking of Stone, they're releasing Arrogant Bastard Box soon with several variations of AB. They didn't indentify the variants yet, and of course we won't get it in Wisconsin.

 

I'm thinking about challenging myself to a year of drinking only Wisconsin beers.

 

I'd have the most trouble eliminating the following breweries from my regular rotation:
1. Toppling Goliath. Since they only distribute to IA and WI, could this one still count? Please?
2. Russian River. I end up getting Pliny/Blind Pig/Consecration 2-3 times a year via friends or trade.
3. Founders. No Imperial Stout to get me through the long, cold, lonely winter? Say it ain't so.
4. San Diego breweries. My annual SD trip would be exempt from my all-Wisconsin year, right?
5. Bell's. Because my favorite Milwaukee pairing is North Star Bistro's Bacon Bleu burger (medium rare) and a Two Hearted on tap. It tastes so much better on tap.

 

This is fun for me. I love to talk beer.

 

Bored? Never! I'm a writer by trade, sometimes jotting down some beer stuff is a nice break for my brain.