Bathed in eternal summer's glow: Last Stand by Short Fuse Brewing Co.

When Jack Frost hits the scene, then 'tis the season for one of my favorite beers, Tippy Toboggan from Vintage Brewing here in Madison. Tippy Toboggan is a Roggenbock, a Roggenbier amped up to bock-like proportions. When we’re in the bowels of winter and my bones are chilled to their very marrow by the coldest of winter nights, I am warmed and rendered mirthful by a glass of this heady brew with its bracing rye spiciness and pleasant mix of banana and clove flavors.

So, I’ve got winter covered but what about the rest of the year? Can’t I enjoy some rye-laced cheer during the warmer months too?

Sadly, Madison-area brewers don’t make a Roggenbier beyond Tippy Toboggan – that I’ve seen, anyway.

On a recent trip down south, however, I discovered that at least one Chicagoland brewery does brew a Roggenbier. Not only is it not a bock but it was available outside of winter.

Ooh la la!

That beer is Last Stand by Short Fuse Brewing Company.

I encountered them for my first and only time (until now) last fall when I grabbed some of their Dark Gourd, a coffee-pumpkin ale that was quite tasty. As with that beer, the Short Fuse website doesn’t so much as mention Last Stand so details are scarce. It looks like it has been brewed in years past and that this year’s batch came out in late summer. So maybe it’s a seasonal…?

Whatever the case, I was pleased as punch to see a Roggerbier on the shelf and quickly snagged a 4-pack of it.

Vigorous my pour was not because I was left with but a small tan head and it dissipated rather quickly. A subsequent pour, however, yielded a much more generous helping of foam which made for a pretty sight. The beer is a deep, dark chestnut that was basically opaque. If there were any bubbles inside doing their thing, I didn’t see them. When decanted properly, this is a fine looking beer. Roggenbiers are brewed with the same kind of yeast as Weissbiers and my preference for those is to have a stronger banana presence than clove. Here banana was all up in my nose when I took a sniff, although there was a little clove as well. A bit of black pepper was in there too which was probably a combination of hops and rye.

On my first sip, I caught a nice, solid fizziness cutting through the beer’s medium body. This was followed by the yeasty flavors starting with banana. Clove was less prominent while there was just a hint of bubble gum. Rye and wheat were layered underneath and some spicy hops brought up the rear. While I found the beer to be somewhat sweet, I suspect all of that banana flavor from the yeast added a little ersatz sweetness.

At the finish, the banana and clove faded, giving way to the spicy hops which did their best to add balance earlier. They only added a moderate bitterness here but I think they teamed up with all the fizz for a rather solid dryness to wipe away any fruity memories.

Last Stand was just great with all of the flavors I expected for a Roggenbier – spicy rye, banana, and some balancing hops – and it comes in at a more weather appropriate 4.5% A.B.V. A nice prelude to Tippy Toboggan season.

Junk food pairing: The subtle yet complex flavors of a Roggenbier cry out to be paired with a food of equal complexity and tastiness. So grab a bag of Slide's Curry Garlic potato chips to go with your Last Stand.

An Unexpected Encounter: Dark Gourd by Short Fuse Brewing Company

On a trip to Chicago earlier this autumn, I stopped in at a liquor store in search of some fine Chicagoland brews. It was October – Rauchbier Month – so naturally I was seeking some of Dovetail's celebrated Rauchbier, Rauchbier. I’d had a glass of it a few years back when I visited the brewery and so I can attest to its high deliciousness quotient. In addition to loving the guaiacol goodness of smoke beers, I also relish rye in my suds so Arc Welder, Metropolitan's rye dunkel (and fall seasonal), was also on my list. Sadly, neither were at the store I visited. I didn’t feel like running around the northwest side but, rather than leave empty-handed, I chose a couple beers out of left field.

One of them was Dark Gourd by Short Fuse Brewing Company in Schiller Park, a near northwest suburb. Since The Beer Temple Insiders Roundtable has gone off the air, I sadly no longer hear about Chicago area breweries that don't make beers with "Deth" in their names. And so Short Fuse was all-new to me. In my defense, even Josh Noel, who covers the Chicago area beer beat more or less full-time, has admitted that even he cannot keep up with the flood of breweries opening there. So how could I, a mere Cheesehead with not a journalistic bone in his body be expected to know every brewery down south?

The interwebs tell me that Short Fuse opened in 2017. Looking at their tap list, I see a lot of fruited this, pastry that, and hazy whatchamacallits. Had I known this, I probably would have gone with my first instinct and bought some Polish piwo that I can’t get here in Madison. (I was in Jefferson Park, after all.) Luckily for Short Fuse, however, I was blissfully ignorant of their transgressions and bought some of what I presume is their fall seasonal. I can find neither hide nor hair of Dark Gourd on their webpage so I cannot confirm this.

The can says that Dark Gourd was "Made to replicate the flavors of a pumpkin spiced coffee." Again, had I read that at the liquor store instead of in my kitchen, I would likely have ended up with some Polish porter. It reads like they want to offer a simulacrum of a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte but in beer form. Not exactly something to endear me to your brew. But the die had been cast.

My pour produced a loose, tan head which was quite spirited as it fizzled and crackled away with abandon. The liquid bit was a deep, dark reddish brown that appeared to be clear. There was a smattering of bubbles inside. It almost looked as if I had poured myself a glass of Coke instead of beer. Considering the label boasts of various additives – squash, sundry spices, and coffee - I found it odd that I was only able to sniff out some nutmeg and malty sweetness on the aroma. Perhaps my nose was on the fritz that day.

As is my wont, I paid attention to the carbonation on my first sip. Considering the soda pop-like head, I wasn’t surprised to find a nice, firm fizziness. This was something of a relief because I was worried about it being too sweet after catching that sugary scent. Underneath all of that effervescence was a medium bodied beer with a fine smoothness to it. Caramel sweetness and roasty coffee flavors were joined by a touch of cinnamon along with a tad of that fine gourdy earthiness from pumpkin.

Mild herbal tasting hops and a modicum of dryness were revealed on the finish as the malt and coffee flavors receded. This also allowed what I think was a bit of ginger to peek through as well.

Despite all of this beer’s handicaps (i.e. – my biases), I rather like it. If my notes are to be believed, it’s "really good". The various spices were not overly prominent and neither was the sweetness. They and the coffee flavors found a nice balance. Plus there was just enough pumpkin. The beer didn’t taste squashy but there was enough pumpkin to perfectly accent the other flavors. "Balance" is the watchword here. No taste overwhelms the others and they all found a way to live harmoniously on my tongue.

This was an unexpected yet very pleasant surprise for me and will buy it again if I happen to see it while I am in Chicagoland next autumn.

Junk food pairing: Dark Gourd will pair well with pizza-flavored snacks and I recommend Snyder’s Brick Oven Style Pizza Flavored filled Pretzel Sandwiches.