Robin Shepard
Nia Ryan with taps and a freshly poured pint at the Herbiery bar.
Nia Ryan at the Herbiery taproom. No hops? No problem.
Nia Ryan opened the Herbiery Brewing taproom at 2015 Winnebago St. in late June. The hop-free beer company has been self-distributing around Madison since 2019. The 900-square-foot taproom is small and cozy, with soft colors and lighting, a bar made from local ash trees, and a wall mural that depicts a sunset similar to the artwork found on many of its canned beers. The mural was painted by the artist Audifax who has designed a number of murals around Madison.
The taproom becomes part of a concentrated craft beer area around Schenk’s Corners and Atwood Avenue. The tap list usually has eight house beers and a couple of guest taps for non-alcoholic drinks and kombucha. There’s also a changing roster of mocktails.
Among the current beer standouts is Misty Morning Coffee Kolsch ($8/glass and $11/four-pack). This pale golden ale is accented with the light aroma and flavor of Colombian coffee beans supplied by Misty River Roasting Company of Cottage Grove. While the beer has pleasant notes of cocoa and espresso, the coffee flavor isn’t overwhelming. And it’s surprisingly light in alcohol at just 3% ABV.
“Because our beers usually involve some sort of antioxidant herb alongside antimicrobial herbs, they don’t oxidize in the same way that hoppy beers do. They don’t create off flavors and they have a longer shelf life,” says Ryan.
Another beer that exemplifies Herbiery’s approach in not using hops is Under Tree, made with roasted dandelion, burdock, sarsaparilla, licorice and ginger. The combination lends the brew root beer-like characteristics, but it’s certainly not a soft drink at 6.7% ABV.
School spirit
The owners of Illinois-based Mikerphone Brewing and Minnesota’s BlackStack Brewing are showing a love of their alma mater, UW-Madison. Mikerphone’s Michael Pallen and BlackStack’s Murphy Johnson recently collaborated on an IPA called U Rah Rah!, famous as a lyric in the school song, “Varsity.” This is an assertive IPA for hop lovers, regardless of their school allegiance. It is double dry-hopped with lots of Citra and Cashmere for fruity orange and grapefruit character. It finishes at 8.5% ABV ($18/four-pack).
Mikerphone started in 2017 in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The brewery’s flagship beer, Mikerphone Check 1,2, is easy to find in area stores and is an excellent double dry-hopped hazy IPA bursting with orange and tropical character from Citra hops ($17/four-pack).
Pallen grew up in West Allis and Mukwonago, and is currently working on plans for a second brewery in downtown Delafield. He is also focusing on the Madison market, releasing unique limited releases here, including two fruited Berliner weisse beers called When You Say Wisconsin and You’ve Said It All.
Mikerphone has also made anniversary beers for Madison’s BarleyPop Tap and Shop (this summer’s imperial stout, aged in Elijah Craig bourbon barrels, is called Pick of Destiny #14). In mid-July, Pallen came to Madison to brew with Young Blood Beer Company on a collaboration called Plastic Pink Flamingo, a West Coast IPA featuring Strata and Columbus hops, which should provide some old school IPA pine bitterness. The beer will be released Friday, Aug. 11, the start of Great Taste Weekend. Look for it in four-packs of 16-ounce cans ($15-$18).
