New Brews and the Wrath of the Ante-Seasonals

A couple new labels:





Page Buchanan at House of Brews has put an "experimental pale on tap in his taproom

Milwaukee's Alterra Coffee Roasters is opening a café at 110 E. Main Street here in Madison - their first in our fair burg. Madison Commons reports that One Barrel Brewing will be brewing two custom beers for the joint.

Congrats to New Glarus for being named U.S. Brewery of the Year by beer writer Stephen Beaumont.

Still, choices must be made, and when I thought back on all the beers I tasted over the past twelve months, I realized that no brewery provided quite as many “wow” moments as did the Wisconsin stalwart, New Glarus Brewing.

And, finally, we have another instance of stupidity in the seasonal beer saga from Leinenkugel. Last year they put Summer Shandy on store shelves in February and now I read that Canoe Padler, a Kölsch-style brew with rye, was released in January. In Wisconsin/the Upper Midwest. This is winter, a time when people are out ice fishing and they release a spring/summer seasonal. Right now it's 0°F outside my door and Leine's is putting Kölsch on store shelves. Apparently the idea is to make sure that, when the weather does warm up, all the Canoe Padler available is as old as possible. We can now look forward to their Octoberfest in March.