(Madison, WI) – It’s one of the biggest beer events of the year.

In the wee hours of the morning on Thursday, the planning committee behind the Great Taste of the Midwest posted its program for this year’s fest. What makes this document unique is the time and effort put into compiling information on the beers being brought to the event . . . a treasure trove of beer descriptions and information on limited releases. It would take hours to comb through the list and pull out all the interesting beers but here’s a quick glimpse of some special beers from a few favorites:

[Note: information on the fest (which is sold out) and Friday pre-parties can be found on the official website. A link to program and fest map. I’d also recommend that folks sending social media messages about the event use the #GTMW hashtag.]

THREE FLOYDS

Ice Grille Dubbel Ale
Sand Pebbles “Not your father’s brown ale”
Infinitas Attero Mild Ale

SPECIAL RELEASES
1200 hrs –Arctic Panzer Wolf IPA
1300 hrs –Three Floyds/Mikeller RUGGOOP Rye Wine
1400 hrs –Owd Engwish Barley Wine
1500 hrs –Anno 2008 Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout
1600 hrs –Anno 2007 Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout

SURLY

SPECIAL RELEASES
look for more info at booth on chalkboard
Four: 9.2%abv, Iced Double Espresso Milk Stout
Imperial Brown Eye: 9%abv. From the AHA Wort Rally. Huge Brown ale fermented with Belgian yeast and aged in 2nd use Bourbon Barrels
Moe’s Bender: 5.5%abv, og 14°P, 45 IBU. Coffee, Chocolate and Vanilla Bender aged on Oak

REAL ALE TENT
Tea Bagged Furious: Limited Availability year round on cask. 6.5%abv, og 15°P, 99 IBU. Double-Dry Hopped Furious.
Oa k-Aged Bender: Limited Availability year round on cask. 5.5%abv, og 14°P, 45 IBU American Brown Ale aged on toasted American Oak
Cedar-Aged Cynic: Limited Availability year round on cask. 6.66%abv, og 14°P, 33 IBU. Dry-Hopped Saison aged on toasted Spanish Cedar
Tea Bagged Bitter Brewer: 4.0%abv, og 9.5°P, 37 IBU. Double Dry-Hopped Bitter Brewer
Darkness: 9.6%abv, og 25°P, 65 IBU. Imperial Stout
SurlyFest: 5.6%abv, og 14.8°P, 30 IBU. Dry-Hopped Rye Vienna Style Lager

GOOSE ISLAND

SPECIAL RELEASES
1:30 PM: Spooky 8% ABV, 80 IBUs (Black Imperial IPA). One of the newest styles on the beer scene, this Black Imperial IPA is loaded with Pale, Caramel, and Wheat malts then topped off with Debittered black malt for color. The hop bill is loaded with Cascade, Simcoe, and Chinook hops to provide a prominent and assertive hop presense.
2:30 PM: Scully (White Pepper Strawberry Saison) 6.5% ABV, 25 IBU. After a free rise fermentation with our Saison yeast strain, we add crushed white pepper, mashed fresh Michigan strawberries and Local Farmer’s market honey to create a dry, drinkable yet complex Saison variation.
3:30 PM: BCBVS (Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout) 13% ABV, 60 IBUs. The next step in the line of Bourbon County variations from Goose Island; we took Bourbon County that had been aging in 10-16 year old Heaven Hills Bourbon Barrels for around a year and spiced it with whole Ugandan Vanilla Beans. The vanilla character amplifies the typical oak characteristics and balances out the heat from the Bourbon. This creation will be hitting the shelves in November.
4:30 PM: Pepe Strano (Sour Ale brewed w/ Black Pepper) 7%, 30 IBU. Brewed originally at our pub in 2008, we “forgot” about this lost barrel in our cellar and are unveiling it only at special events. The roasted and spicy pepper notes of our black saison complement the funky Brett backbone and lactic sourness.
5:30 PM: King Henry Barrel Aged (Barley Wine) 11% ABV, 60 IBU. Loosely based off of our 2000th brew at our production facility, we revived this hybrid American / English Barley Wine for a special treat. Coming out of the tanks we aged it in barrels previously used for Bourbon County Stout to add another layer of complexity.

FOUNDERS

Canadian Breakfast Stout and Nemesis

NEW GLARUS

1:30 P.M. R&D Golden Ale
3:00 P.M. Unplugged, ABT