I headed to Maduro's to meet a friend after work but he texted me saying that he was at Madison's as they were giving away beer for free. When I think of Madison's, I think of it as being where Republican legislators and cougars hang out to drink and snort coke. Hell, it may have been all of my second time there, if not the first. I found my friends and that, indeed, Goose Island was on tap at no charge. Not wanting to get totally kerschnickered, I had a Summertime. For a Kölsch, it tasted vaguely fruity and like it had not been lagered. So it goes. I stepped up and ordered a Lolita for me and a friend, Amy. Looking at Goose Island's website, I think we instead got Juliet because the beer in our glasses was not red and did not tasty like raspberries. Amy didn't care for it so I quaffed her glass as well.
Some other folks in our group wanted to head to the Tap Haus and so we went. Walking in, I noticed Kirby chatting with some folks. At the bar we all went with a sample of the Eternal Flame which was being poured at no charge. This new brew is "a blend of Autumnal Fire and a formula for something we whipped together and called 'Imperial Fire.'" Half of this batch is being tucked away to be blended with fresh brew next year. As for this year's, it was quite tasty. Being a doppelbock, it's all about the malt. First I'll note that the stuff is smooth on the palate but its flavor was more sprightly and less syrupy than Autumnal Fire. Still, it had that warm bite at the finish. Eternal Flame will be a great fall sipping brew.
I followed it up with a Dark. Turning around I ran into Kirby. Poor guy. I feel sorry for him having to deal with me. Since I had his ear I told him that, however this whole ownership thing pans out (and you could see the frustration on his face when I said this), please don't go down the rustic road to ale oblivion. "Your dunkel and pilsner are my go-to beers. If you want to brew a Kölsch or an alt, I'd love it but please don't stop brewing German styles."
He looked at me and replied, "We're not a microbrewery. We're not a craft brewery. We're a Wisconsin lager brewery." Amen, brother! He followed this up by saying how irritating it is for him to have people ask about IPAs. I can imagine it must get old hearing that. Kirby also mentioned that Hop Cream revision B is due soon. He wasn't satisfied with the Northern Brewer hops in the first batch so he was going to change the hop bill. Lastly, I asked him when he was going to tap the bourbon barrel aged Imperial Doppelbock. He explained that he's not interested in setting specific times. It's going to be on tap out of the gate so, if you want some, get to the Capital booth early. After we finished chatting I noticed that the Hop Cream was on tap so I got a glass of it. I found it to be very smooth and light. The Northern Brewer hops imparted a very grassy flavor. Personally, I liked the contrast of the creaminess and the hops. I might not be able to drink this brew as a session beer but for a one off, it was good.
Later, as Kirby was walking by, I pointed to my friend Amy, who's never been to Bock Fest, and told him that she's never had chub thrown at her. Kirby gave her a look that I never want to see from a brewmaster directed at me. Amy cowered and promised to finally go to Bock Fest for the first time next year.
We left the Tap Haus and wandered to Brickhouse BBQ which was hosting Central Waters, Shorts, Nebraska Brewing Co., and Lift Bridge. I went with Shorts' Smoked Apple Ale. It had a really nice smoky flavor with a bit of apple sweetness at the finish. One of the guys from Lift Bridge returned his pour saying he could taste band aid in it. I think that kind of flavor comes from a phenol of some type. While I've read about it, I can't recall the details. (Are you reading this Joe?) Anyway, I couldn't taste them. I followed the rauchbier up with their organic pilsner. It wasn't bad but it lacked a real lager crispness. Then again, I couldn't taste the band aid so maybe my palate was off here as well.
A companion had a Summer Rye from Nebraska Brewing and she let me have a sip. This was good stuff. That rye crispness coupled with Citra hops and their attendant grapefruit-like flavors.
I'd like to give Brickhouse props for offering the beer in both 16oz pours and 4 oz samples. (The bigger brews came in 10oz pours max.) If you didn't like something, you weren't out as much money and you didn't waste as much beer. And you could sample a larger variety of beers before you were in the bag.
It was a fruitful night of consumption. I had the chance to sample some great beers and a few that I now no longer have to attempt to get at the Taste today.
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