03 January, 2023

Will they read of us with sadness for the IPAs that we let grow?: Holzhacker Lager by Bull Falls Brewery

While an IPA drinker won't die of thirst up north, I have noticed on my journeys to those parts these past couple years that the style seems less prevalent at breweries there than they do at their southern brethren down here in Madison. Just as the Romans could never subjugate those beer swilling barbarians beyond the Danube, it seems that the Simcoe-Citra-Mosaic Empire cannot quite bring amber ales and dark lagers to heel on the other side of the Wisconsin River.

Perhaps it’s a rural vs. urban kind of thing. At the risk of sounding like an old fart showering my bitterness on today's youth, I suppose age may also play a role here as I believe that the southern part of the state – with the bigger cities – tends to be younger than the northern part and so maybe younger people lean towards trendier, fruitier beers while less sweet tasting brews are closer to the hearts of the older crowd. 

A glaring exception to this rule is Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire which seems to jump on every bandwagon that passes within 100 miles (and makes me think that King Crimson is involved somehow). I suspect that they go through lactose and marshmallow compound #3020 by the truck load in addition to Simcoe-Citra-Mosaic by the ton. I wonder if Brewing Projekt’s eagerness to make their beers taste sweet and fruity helps explains why they are distributed in the southern part of the state while most other breweries in their region are not.

One of those breweries up north that does not distribute down here is Wausau’s Bull Falls. At least I don’t think they do. A while back their beers were to be found around town. And then they disappeared from shelves only to reappear…and disappear again. It's a real Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton kind of affair. To the best of my knowledge, Bull Falls brews are not on shelves nor in tap lines down here. 

It’s not surprising, really. While they do offer an IPA for those inclined to drown in fruity gluttony and a barrel aged stout for anyone in the spirit, their line-up is mainly non-fruity, traditional German and English styles (but no ginseng brews anymore which you'd expect from a brewery in Marathon County), i.e. – those not favored by the yuppies who fill the apartments on East Washington Avenue. My own experiences with their beers has been a mixed bag. I found their Schwarzbier to be lacking the Cimmerian hue demanded by the name and watery in taste. On the other hand, I enjoyed their Oktoberfest, which was brewed using the life-giving, er, I mean melanoidin-giving decoction method, according to Isthmus beer expert Robin Shepard.

Looking back at my previous Bull Falls reviews, which go back 7-8 years, I read that I have tried the beer at hand previously. However, I have no recollection of doing so. Was this because the experience was lackluster? I suspect not as I wrote that “I very much enjoyed” it. Perhaps my memory fails me because the experience was fleeting and several years ago. I can only recall that, upon the return of the brewery’s beers to Madison shelves, Holzhacker Lager was not to be found, by me, at least.

Last month I made a trip up to Steven Point to visit friends. While there, I stopped in at a grocery store to see if there were any northern brews that I could take home with me. I was happy to see some Bull Falls there and quickly snagged a 4-pack. I later looked up what “Holzhacker” meant and was thoroughly unsurprised to find that it was German for "lumberjack".

Holzhacker is a Helles and I was eager to try it again.

Surprisingly, I had another good pour for a review here after getting a nice, large head for my photo of another brew which I have yet to review. Holzhacker rendered a nice, just off-white head of loose foam. The loveliness was ephemeral as it dissipated quickly. The liquid was clear and of a light gold hue. Just gorgeous. A modicum of bubbles was to be seen inside. The aroma featured a luscious bready scent accompanied by that of grassy hops. My can dated back to June so it was nearly half a year old and I sat their imagining what it would have smelled like on the summer solstice.

My tongue was greeted a medium dose of fizz which was joined by a wonderful bready flavor (Maillardy goodness!!) which I figured was lovingly decocted from the malt, a herbal/spicy mix of Hallertau and Tettnang hop flavors, and a slight malt sweetness. Again, I pondered just how sprightly those hops must have tasted in the early summer.  On the finish, the malt flavors faded quickly like summer after Labor Day allowing a moderate hoppy bitterness to come through as well as a mellow dryness.

As I did back in 2015, I very much enjoyed this beer. It is a fine Helles. The melanoidin-laced toasty bread flavor was a bit more restrained than in Dovetail’s version of this style but it was still quite tasty and its restraint may have been due to age. Despite not being the freshest beer, Holzhacker still held up. Just a wonderful brew.

Junk food pairing: Holzhacker Lager is well complemented by Lay’s Spicy Hot Pot flavored potato chips. The malt flavors and fizz cut through the oily spiciness of the chips for the perfect pairing.

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