Road Trip to Algoma

I’ve been to some unique places that serve beer – an ancient tavern carved into rock and called Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham, the unique Tom’s Burned Down Café on Madeline Island, to name just a couple – but recently I was in a garage drinking fresh and tasty beer from Ahnapee Brewing in beautiful downtown Algoma.

I’ve certainly drunk beer in garages before, but this one has been turned into the brewery’s taproom. It’s got a nice, clean wooden bar and a small back room that looks out on the Ahnapee River. The place seats a maximum of 30 people.

Nick Calaway, manager and brewer, was serving beer to a steady stream of folks who wandered into the garage/tap room. Nick previously worked at Titletown in Green Bay.

Nick had eight beers on tap that day: Cream Ale with Coffee; Long Goodbye, a Munich Helles lager; Belgian Pale Ale; Ahnapee Lager; Multi-Grain Red; Little Soldier, an amber ale; Noble IPA; and Chocolate Milk Stout.

While they all sounded and looked good, I didn’t have time to try them all. Since I have a soft spot for the cream ale style – it’s an ale that is cold lagered, which gives it a soft, clean taste. And with coffee in it as well, yahoo. It’s a very nice beer.

Next I thought I’d try the Noble IPA. I’ve lost interest in most American IPAs because they have no balance and are just too hopcentric. Some of them should not even be called beer – hop juice might be a more appropriate name. However, Anhapee’s Noble IPA, as implied in the title, is brewed not with the grapefruity West Coast hops but with old country Noble hops. Both aroma and flavor are loaded with delightful floral/herbal/pitted fruit flavors. This is a really nice beer.

I finished with the Chocolate Milk Stout. Roasty, toasty and a perfect way to end the sampling.

The brewery has only been in operation since July but is already about to upgrade to a 15-barrel system. The tap room is open Thursdays from 4 pm – 8 pm, Fridays 2 pm – 8 pm and Saturdays noon – 8 pm. You’ll find it next door to Von Stiehl Winery.

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Two tasty beers I have to mention quickly: Ruthless Rye IPA by Sierra Nevada is one of those rare instances where an American brewer has found balance between the grains and hops. Rye gives a warm depth to beer. Unfortunately, when I returned to the wall of beer for a second sixer of this delicious IPA, it was gone.

The second beer I recommend you try if you enjoy stouts is Lagunitas Imperial Stout. I enjoyed a late-night bottle recently and each sip felt as if Rembrandt himself were painting a dark masterpiece in my mouth. Art in a bottle!

Speaking of Lagunitas, a few weeks back I mentioned the very icky Lagunitas Brown Shugga Substitute Ale, which is pure hop juice. I choked down one bottle and used the remained for cooking, with mixed results. Well, I used the last bottle in a teriyaki recipe, replacing the sake the recipe called for with the hopped up ale. It was incredible.