The Importance of Being In Season

Last night after work I wanted a little beer (I wanted some, but wasn't interested in drinking "a" beer, so I had a half bottle). I opened the fridge in our basement, and although we currently have a nice selection of winter-appropriate beer I decided to drink the last Sam Adams Summer Ale that was hanging on from the end of summer.

I enjoy this beer. When I opened it and took my first sip, it had good flavor. But it was wrong. The beer was fine, but it didn't taste right. It was too light. Too subtle. It wasn't a winter beer.

I've read things about differences in seasonal beer, and I am more inclined to drink lighter beer during the summer than during the winter. But I didn't realize how unsatisfying it can be to drink a seasonal beer out of season.

Now I know.

Bucket List - Wisconsin Breweries

I have been attempting to gather information about breweries in Wisconsin (micro, macro and brew pub). I also need to put together information for Northeast Illinois and the Minneapolis/St. Paul areas, but I have not yet begun to look into that.

Much of the information came from Wisconsin Online -
http://www.wisconline.com/attractions/breweries.html

I have eliminated the ones I could identify as closed, and have added some of my own that I knew of which were not on the list. If you know of any additions or deletions, please let me know.

Next I’ll need to make a plan –
If these are brew pubs or breweries with tours, can I get to them?
If they are in Southeastern, Central or Northwestern Wisconsin, there is a good possibility. Northeastern and Southwestern Wisconsin destinations are unlikely, but not impossible.

The exception may be Shipwrecked Brewery in Door County. An inn and a Brew Pub? How cool is that!

If they aren’t a destination, is their beer distributed in my area or an area I will visit?
If so, can I find the stores that sell or the bars that serve their beer?

Also, if a company I found did not have their own website, I struck them from the list. I am not interested. If it is a destination (brew pub) I will not try to visit them. I do not want to find myself driving 25+ minutes to someplace just to find out they closed 2 years ago, and then have to drive home again. If it is a brewery, I will not look for their product. Good beer should NEVER be a “best kept secret”.


Southeast Wisconsin


Big Bay Brewing
http://www.bigbaybrewing.com/
Available at some retail locations and on draught at North Star Bistro 4518 N Oakland Ave, Shorewood.

Stone Cellar Brew Pub
http://www.stonecellarbrewpub.com/
920-731-3322 (restaurant) or 920-735-0507 (brewery)
1004 S Olde Oneida St, Appleton

Buffalo Water Brewing Co.
http://www.buffalowaterbeer.com/
414-273-4680
309 N Water Street, Suite 315, Milwaukee WI, 53202-7908

Horny Hideaway
http://www.hornygoatbrewing.com
414-482-4628
2011 S. 1st St, Milwaukee,

Stonefly Brewing Company
http://www.stoneflybrewery.com/main_page.html
414-264-3630
735 E. Center St, Milwaukee

Silver Creek Brew Pub
http://silvercreekbrewing.com/
262-375-4444
N57 W6172 Portland Rd
Cedarburg

III Dachshunds Beer Co.
http://www.3dachshundsbeer.com/
414-769-0928
5922 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee
The beer in now exclusively sold at City Lounge in Cudahy, Wisconsin.
3455 East Layton Ave.

St. Francis Brewery
www.stfrancisbrewery.com
414-744-4448
3825 S. Kinnickinnic Ave, St. Francis

Chameleon Brewing
http://www.chameleonbrewing.com/
The only phone numbers are for sales reps
They do not have a location, but their websites has locations where their beers are sold.

Passport Brew Haus
passportbrewhaus.com - brew pub is “coming soon”
262-780-9600
4900 S. Moorland Rd, New Berlin

Delafield Brewhaus
http://www.delafield-brewhaus.com/default.asp
262-646-7821
3832 Hillside Dr, Delafield

Gray Brewing Company
http://www.graybrewing.com/
608-754-5150 or 608-752-0821
2424 W Court St, Janesville

Lakefront Brewery
http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/main.html
414-372-8800 or 414-372-4400
1872 N Commerce St, Milwaukee

Miller Brewing Company
http://www.millercoors.com/milwaukee-brewery-tour.aspx
414-931-2467
4251 W State St, Milwaukee

Milwaukee Ale House
http://ale-house.com/
414-226-2337
223 N Water St, Milwaukee

Rock Bottom Brewery
http://www.rockbottom.com/milwaukee
414-276-3030
740 N Plankinton Ave, Milwaukee

Sprecher Brewing Company
http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/index.php
414-964-2739
701 W Glendale Ave, Glendale

Water Street Brewery
http://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/
414-272-1195
1101 N Water St, Milwaukee


Central Wisconsin


Ale Asylum –
http://aleasylum.com/
608-663-3926
3698 Kinsman Boulevard, Madison

Grumpy Troll Brewery, Restaurant and Pizzeria
www.thegrumpytroll.com
105 S Second St, Mount Horeb
608-437-2739

Blue Heron BrewPub
http://www.blueheronbrewpub.com/
108 W 9th St, Marshfield
715-389-1868

Capital Brewery Company & Beer Garden
http://www.capital-brewery.com/
7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton, 53562
608-836-7100

Central Water Brewing Company
http://www.centralwaters.com/
701 Main St, Junction City
715-457-3322

Cross Plains Brewery
http://www.essersbest.com/home.html
2109 Hickory St, Cross Plains
608-798-3911.

Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company (Madison)
http://www.greatdanepub.com/
123 E Doty St, Madison
608-284-0000

Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company (Wausau)
http://www.greatdanepub.com/
2305 Sherman Street, Wausau
715-845-3000

Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co
http://www.dellsmoosejaw.com/
110 Wisconsin Dells Parkway S, Wisconsin Dells
608-254-1122

O'so Brewing
http://www.osobrewing.com/
1812 Post Road, Plover
715-254-2163

Stevens Point Brewery
http://www.pointbeer.com/
2617 Water St, Stevens Point
715-344-9310 or 800-369-4911


Northwest Wisconsin


Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
http://leinie.com/av.html
715-723-5557 or 888-534-6437
124 E Elm St, Chippewa Falls

Northwoods Brewing Company
http://www.northwoodsbrewpub.com/
715-552-0510 or 715-552-0512
3560 Oakwood Mall Dr, Eau Claire

Sand Creek Brewing Company
http://www.sandcreekbrewing.com/
715-284-7553
320 PIERCE ST, BLACK RIVER FALLS

South Shore Brewing Company
http://www.southshorebrewery.com/
715-682-9199
400 3rd Ave W, Ashland, Ashland County.

Viking Brewing Company
http://www.vikingbrewing.com/
715-837-1823
234 Dallas St West, Dallas


Northeast Wisconsin


Fox River Brewing Company & Fratello's Italian Café
http://www.supplerestaurantgroup.com/fratellos-oshkosh/default.html
920-232-2337
1501 Arboretum Dr, Oshkosh

Fox River Brewing Company & Restaurant
http://www.supplerestaurantgroup.com/fratellos-appleton/default.html
920-991-0000
4301 W Wisconsin Ave, Appleton

Hinterland Brewery and Restaurant
http://www.hinterlandbeer.com/
920-438-8050
313 Dousman St, Green Bay

Rowland's Calumet Brewing Company
http://www.rowlandsbrewery.com/
920-849-2534
25 N Madison St, Chilton

Shipwrecked Brewery
http://www.shipwreckedmicrobrew.com/
920-868-2767 or 888-868-2767
7791 Egg Harbor Rd, Egg Harbor

Titletown Brewing Company
http://www.titletownbrewing.com/
920-437-2337
200 Dousman St, Green Bay


Southwest Wisconsin


Brewery Creek
http://www.brewerycreek.com/
608-987-3298
23 Commerce St, Mineral Point

City Brewery
http://www.citybrewery.com/
608-785-4222
925 S Third St, La Crosse

Minhas Craft Brewery
http://www.minhasbrewery.com/
608-325-3191
1208 14th Ave, Monroe

New Glarus Brewing Company
http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/
608-527-5850
County Rd W & Hwy 69

Pearl Street Brewery
http://www.pearlstreetbrewery.com/
608-784-4832
1401 Saint Andrew Street

Potosi Brewery
http://www.potosibrewery.com/
608-763-4002
209 S Main St, Potosi

Tyranena Brewing Company
http://www.tyranena.com/
920-648-8699
1025 Owen St, Lake Mills

Bucketlist - Milwaukee Brew Pubs

OnMilwaukee.com lists the top Milwaukee brew pub each year. I think it may be a good list for me to use to try new places. I am ashamed to say that I have only tried 2 of them, and not even any of the top 3.

Milwaukee's best brew pubs - 2010

1. Lakefront Brewery Palm Garden
2. Milwaukee Ale House (rated #1 in 2009)
3. Hinterland
4. Rock Bottom Brewery (DONE)
5. Water Street Brewery (DONE)
6. Stonefly Brewing Co.
7. Bay View Brew Haus
8. St. Francis Brewery
9. Delafield Brewhaus
10. Grafton Ale House
11. Port Washington Brewing Co.
12. Riverside Brewery

Nut Brown Ale

Steven Jones is a great guy. He is my wife's cousin's husband and he bought Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale for Christmas Eve. I only had one this evening. I would have liked a second, but it just didn't make sense - unless I had wanted to chug the second, which I didn't.

I've had Samuel Smith's porter, which I really liked, but this was the first time I've tried their nut brown ale. I really liked it!

This is the third beer of this style I've had and now I hold the style in much higher regard. Previously, all I'd had was Newcastle. To me, it's good, but not great. Certainly not worth going out of my way for. Then I bought the Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown for the cheese dip I tried. I drank it and really liked it. I will certainly consider buying it again. And now I've had Samuel Smith's.

With two very good versions and a third that is decent, this beer has earned a place in my seasonal selections.

Steven Jones is a great guy. He is my wife's cousin's husband and he bought Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. I only had one this evening. I would have liked a second, but it just didn't make sense - unless I had wanted to chug the second, which I didn't. I've had Samuel Smith's porter, which I really liked, but this was the first time I've tried their nut brown ale. I really liked it! This is the third beer of this style I've had and now I hold the style in much higher regard. Previously, all I'd had was Newcastle. To me, it's good, but not great. Certainly not worth going ou

Sprecher in Beer Connoisseur

So I finally opened my Winter issue of The Beer Connoisseur magazine (the first anniversary issue) and there on the contents page, was a picture that looked strangely familiar. The caption said "Brewery Tours" and sure enough, it was Sprecher. Well done, Beer Connoisseur, to include this pleasant brewery in your magazine.

That reminds me, I want to do Sprecher's "reserve tasting" sometime. $15 to sample 10 Sprecher beers paired with artisan cheeses? Sign me up! After the holidays are done I'll have to see if I can find a good time to go. And people to go with.

Night Out

Last night I went out to see the new Tron movie and I went with my good friend Rob Richards. He picked the cinema - Fox Bay Cinema. It's similar to the Majestic in that they serve food in the theatre. So I had a Guinness with my movie. I really enjoy being able to do that. I also really enjoyed the Guinness; it's been a while since I've had one.

Afterward we went to Champions Pub and I led off with a Smithwicks - another old favorite of mine. And then I realized something. I may prefer hoppy beers, but I've had enough of them that I feel like a bit of a change. Right now I'm a bit more interested in drinking malty beers.

Despite that, I really wanted to try the Lakefront Brewery Fixed Gear they had on tap. I like most Lakefront Brewery beers, but I don't recall having had Fixed Gear.

I liked it. But I think you need to like sweet beers to appreciate it because the first flavor I noticed was a citrusy sweetness. It was a finished flavor, not a syrupy sweetness and not like an incomplete ferment. The pleasant sweet-citrus was followed by a nice hoppiness - the bitter was strong, but not overpowering. The finish was smooth and full.

If you're looking for a good hoppy beer, add this to your list. If you want a nice citrus flavor without going for a shandy thenthis is a good choice too. I don't care for the shandies I've had, but I think citrus notes add something nice to many beer styles.

One of the great things about last night was the simple pleasure of going out to a pub, and having good conversation over a pint or two. I haven't done that in some time and I hadn't realized how much I missed it. One of the most important things about beer is it's social nature and the way it can bring people together.

Brewmasters Saturday

I'm catching up on my DVRed episodes of Brewmasters.

1) I never realized that the strain of brewers yeast had an effect on flavor. I had thought it just made the alcohol, and I wondered why there were different kinds. Now I know - and they say TV rots your brain.

2) I also noticed that it seems like in every episode they talk about the danger of having to dump a batch. Is the fermentation process really that touchy, or are they just being overdramatic in order to make for more exciting television?

The Cheese-Dip Experiment

We had a holiday potluck at work on Friday, so I decided to try a new recipe. Normally I bring one dish to potlucks and such - The cheese dip made with ranch seasoning and beer. It always goes over well. Although I decided to do something new, I didn't stray far.

In the "Peg's Kitchen" section of Leinenkugel's "The Lodge" there was a recipe for "Leinie's Fireside Cheese Spread". It sounded like something right up my alley.

1 pound Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
4-5 ounces Bleu or Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled (I used Gorgonzola)
2 Tbsp soft butter
1 tsp grated onion
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown or Creamy Dark

I skipped the paprika and parsley garnish and didn't make it into a cheese ball coated in chopped sugared pecans which were a couple of suggestions. I just wanted something I could put in a plastic bowl and take to work for people to spread on crackers.

Mix the grated cheddar cheese and crubled Bleu cheese with the butter, onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and salt. When soft (let sit 30 min to get soft) beat the mixture and gradually add the Leinie's.

I wanted more volume, so I used 1 lb/6 oz of cheddar. I increased the seasoning and butter to match, but I only used 5 oz of Gorgonzola and 3/4 cup of Fireside Nut Brown (I didn't want it too "strong" or "beery" for a first try at this recipe.)

I wasn't thrilled. The beer taste was still a little too strong, it was a little too salty, and something else was a bit too strong - I'm not sure what it was, but I'm thinking it was Gorgonzola, onion or Worcestershire. I want to say I must have messed something up, but even with increasing most of the recipe I measured everything. It didn't go over too well either, so I brought a bunch home.

But I didn't want to give up on what still sounds like a good combination to me. Today, I split some English muffins, topped them with the mixture and baked them. Aside from having put a little too much on the muffins, it turned out great. Baking the mixture mellowed and blended the flavors better than beating it and letting it sit to meld. I definately want to use this mixture as a baked toasty bread topping again!

I also want to try it as a dip again, but I think I'll cut back or cut out the salt, add another tablespoon of butter and maybe cut back the beer to a half cup instead of 3/4 of a cup. I'll also add in the Gorgonzola, and Worcestershire in stages and taste test. I doubt it was the onion, but I'll probably add that in stages too. Then when I find a mixture I like I'll have to write it down.

Not today, though. I still have the old batch left, and with a tasty way to use it I'm not looking to make any more right away.

Reading the "beer talk" segment of The Lodge (Leinenkugel's newsletter) and it mentions that Leinie's used to make a bock only for the Lenten season. Then in the "Leinie's Quality Corner" they said that bock beers were made historically by German monks as liquid bread for their Lenten fast. I didn't know that, but I find it really interesting. I wonder how many other "church" beers there are?

To increase my flexibility for posting, I am setting up my phone so that I can add info while out enjoying a cold one!

Cooking Hints

I was going through my wife's cookbook collection and foud a mini cooking booklet called "Cooking with Beer" from Favorite Brand Name Recipes. What I really love is that there is a list of beers and what dishes they work well in when cooking:

IPA: replace wine or vinegar
American Amber: replace broth or stock
Brown Ale: in marinades
Porter: in sauces
Stout: in gravies and barbeque sauces
Pilsner: "Used widely in cooking and baking" - Biscuits, fritters and seafood batter
Bock: with beef or pork
Dark Lager: with roast meats
Malt Liquor: with sauces and glazes. "great with onion rings"
Peach Lambic: with chicken or poultry
Cherry Lambic: with sauces or deserts
Raspberry Lambic: in glazes for seafood
Strong Ale: with cheeses and dips
Witbier: "A delicate base for poached seafood or fritters"
Dubbel or Tripel: in carbonnade, soups and stews

I love it because it gives a nice foundation for experimenting with beer cooking. There are also a bunch of recipes I want to try:
- Wisconsin Cheddar, Swiss and Beer Soup
- Farmer's Market Grilled Chowder
- Milwaukee Pork Stew
- Ale Cheese-Stuffed Pattypans
- Guadalahara Beef and Salsa
- Grilled Chicken with Chili Beer Baste
- Porter Portobello Mushrooms
- Malty Maple Cornbread

There are a bunch of other recipes, but these jumped out at me and I want to try them out.

The other thing this did for me was to clarify the difference between ales and lagers - which I never understood before.

Ales are top-fermented at warmer temperatures for a shorter time than most lagers
Lagers are made at colder temperatures using a bottom-fermenting yeast and age longer.
So easy! Why didn't I know that!
Now I need to find out what the heck a malt liquor is. I don't think I've ever tried one and I don't know anything about them. Except that I see them amongst the beer when I'm out shopping.

Hoptoberfest

Milwaukee Brewing Company makes a fine beer called "Hoptoberfest". I can't say what color it has or what scent it has - I didn't buy it to enjoy the finer points of beer tasting. I wanted a fine cold beer straight from the bottle with dinner. I have not been disappointed. It has what I consider to be a pleasant bitterness which I expected from a a beer with "hop" in the name - but the flavor that really stands out to me is a sweet citrusy flavor that I just love. This is a beer that has my approval - I suppose that if I wanted to really think about and compare hoppy beers that I'd include this one - but I'm quite satisfied just to keep it a casual drinking experience. If you like hoppy beer, I highly recommend this one.

Thanksgiving Recap

For Thanksgiving this year, Amanda bought a bottle of Lindemans Pêche, a Belgian peach lambic. It was really good and went well with the turkey and ham sandwiches and with the vegetable and humus. (Supper was our big meal, so it was some nice sandwiches for lunch)

Amanda said that the "beer flavor" was more noticeable than in their framboise. She was right, but I still thought it was a delicious alternative to the sparkling juices and sweet German wines that we typically drink during the holidays. I wouldn't make it my first pick for a sweet fruit beer - and it isn't an every day sort of drink - but I really enjoyed it and plan to drink it again.

Then we had supper at Karl Ratzsch's downtown. Since Thanksgiving is one of their busiest days of the year, we killed some time in their bar, and I tried the Spaten Dunkel they had on tap. It was fantastic - but I wasn't really surpised. I already know that I'm a dunkel fan, and they did it well.

Refill

This has been a good weekend. I had taken a short break from beer, with a couple of exceptions the last couple of months. That break is done and it was time to refill the fridge. I think the funny thing is that will all this new beer in the house that I like, I'm drinking a Sam Adams Octoberfest as I write this and I'm really enjoying it. Even though it may be my least favorite Octoberfest so far, it's still a good beer. So what did I learn from this? Something I already knew - there are no bad beers, only better beers. And every beer has its place. Right now, the Sam Adams Octoberfest's place is in my hand.

We did some Christmas shopping yesterday and some grocery shopping today, so I used it as an opportunity to restock. We stopped at World Market yesterday and I picked up their winter sampler. I'm really looking forward to it. It has both beers I've had and ones I haven't. Then we went to Ray's Liquor in Wauwautosa to pick up some wine for a party we went to last night and we picked up a 4-pack of Sprecher IPA² for myself and a case of Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss for Amanda (she's been out for some time now and she was eyeing me up while I was drinking a beer last week, so it was time to get her some more).

In between we took a break at Applebees and I asked if they had any beers that were not on the menu. Fortunately for me, they did - and it was one I hadn't had before. It was AleSmith Brewing Company's Old Numbskull. It was a real nice combination of malty and hoppy with a pleasant pale color. Fantastic with the asian chicken salad I had.

Today we did some grocery shopping and we picked up the New Belgium "Folly Pack". It has Fat Tire, 1554, 2° Below, and Trippel Belgian Style Ale. 2 of which I've tried and love, two of which are new to me.

Add to that the Milwaukee Brewing Company Hoptoberfest (delicious!) that I picked up recently and we have a fridge prepared for me to do some sampling, some dinner time sipping and some curl-up-with-a-book-on-a-cold-snowy-day drinking. Maybe winter isn't so bad after all!