Last year's Great Taste of the Midwest for me could easily be summed up with one word: hops. It was all about finding the hoppiest IPA out there, and it certainly took a heavy toll on my palate. This year, however, was all about finding the ultimate sour beer. My affinity for tart ales takes me back slightly more than a year ago to Buffalo, NY, at the Brewing News headquarters. In the middle of one of our usual "beer and cheese" breaks, my boss pulled out a bottle of New Glarus Berliner Weiss, part of their 'Unplugged' series. I tilted my glass back and drank...it was highly carbonated and very, very tart. Honestly, I had never had anything quite like it. From that moment on, I was hooked. This newfound love was only exacerbated when, a few weeks later, I had Ommegang's phenomenal Flemish red ale, Rouge.
Anyways, that's the background as to why I was really shooting for the mouth-puckering brews at this year's fest. I walked through the entrance around 10:30 and picked up my media pass--I was helping cover the event for the Great Lakes Brewing News, one of our seven regional papers. I spent the first half hour walking around, scoping out the brews and finally made a choice...Tyranena's Double Down and Dirty Stout. Thick, rich and full of chocolate, it was the best stout I had all day (yes, even better than Dark Lord and the E.T.'s Reese's Pieces). Oh, and the best part? It was only available to those who got in before 1pm (aka media, volunteers, etc.).
Oh wait, I'm supposed to be talking about sour ales, aren't I? Kudos to Lakefront Brewery for tolerating my persistent returns to their booth--the beer I was in search of was Rosie, which they were having trouble getting tapped due to a severe lack of ice (a number of breweries were having this issue). Once they got it working, I was in heaven. Highly carbonated with wonderful cherry notes, this beer has been a standout since I visited their booth at Quivey's Grove last October. After having my Rosie fix, I sauntered over to Bell's tent, where I had another superb sour--Wild One. I find the combination of tartness and cherries to be completely complimentary, and this was no exception. The beer was excellent and I had to get a refill once I was done with the first glass.
I made my way over to Jolly Pumpkin, a Michigan Brewery known for their exceptional Belgian Ales, and particularly the sour ones. I had never had their Kriek before, so naturally, it was the first one I tried. Yet another sour brown combined with...cherries, it was incredible. It was the third brewery I visited, and sour ales had yet to fail me. At 1pm, Tyranena released 'Deb and Glenn's Kinda Lambic', aged in bourbon barrels. A brown ale fermented with [at least] three different kinds of fruit, it was awesome, and I let their owner Rob Larson know the following night when I was fortunate enough to join him (and my boss) for dinner. Sidenote: My boss, William Randolph Thirst (also known as "Bill Metzger") accomplished the rather incredible feat of securing a keg of Bitter Woman IPA for my aunt's upcoming wedding. Well done, seriously.
Finally, I made my way over to the Real Ale tent, which I was sure would have a number of sour, mouth-puckering brews. My first choice was Jolly Pumpkin's Oak-aged Calabaza Blanca with Hibiscus. It was absolutely phenomenal and extremely refreshing. The Hibiscus apparently adds additional aging to the beer, helping with the tartness. My second beer was Kuhnhenn's two-year aged Geuze. And, without a doubt, this was my "Beer of the Fest." They combined the two-year aged beer with fresh sour ale, and the result was absolutely astonishing. I kept count on how many times I had my glass refilled with the geuze, and the number was a mildly-insane...7. The keg was eventually completely empty around four o'clock, and I was more than happy to contribute!
This year's Great Taste of the Midwest was absolutely wonderful. I had many, many beers in all kinds of styles, but for me, this year's was all about the sours...and they did not disappoint. In fact, sour ales may have taken over the infamous IPA as my #1 beer style, although I suppose only time will tell. Next up on the calendar is Quivey's Grove, which takes place the first weekend in October. Will I have a new style and beer quest? Stay tuned to find out!
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