Red Eye Brewery, Wausau WI

One of the advantages to traveling all over the country for your work is ending up in small towns with a whole new set of breweries you normally would never go to. This past week my work landed me in Wasau, WI. With a population of only 38,000, this town supports 3 major local breweries. After polling the locals on which one to try out the answer was clear. Go to Red Eye, and try the Thrust.

Upon arriving I instantly knew why everyone was recommending the Thrust. Thrust IPA has the highest ABV available in the brewery at 7.2% and 73 IBU. In a state consistently in the top 3 for most bars per capita, it didn't surprise me that the locals were recommending an American Style IPA.

Golden with a slight haze, the first thing noticeable about the beer is it's aroma of strong hops chasing a floral lead. Suprizingly I found that in the taste the floral smell was replaced with a citrus, though the hops were still present in mass. The bar back I was chatting with thought this was likely due to the strong dry hop they used. With the strong IBU, I was surprised to notice that there was still an element of sweetness. Overall, this seemed a pretty typical american style IPA, and I would score it a solid 82 out of 100.

The most characteristic beer of the night came next in the brewing co's german wheat beer, Big Betty. Named for it's appearance, this clear brown brew exudes a heavy fruit smell. I knew even before tasting that here was a beer my wife would love. The most accurate way to describe the taste would be if you licked a banana, and then chewed a piece of Clove gum. That may not sound too appealing, but I found it very enjoyable. The assistant claimed that the strong banana flavor was due to the yeast strain, but I could not get the specific name from him. The mouthfeel was light and low in carbonation. Overall I found the beer to be very drinkable, and feel it would be a perfect starter beer for someone just starting to dabble in the world of craft brewing. Due to filling this niche I think the beer deserves an 87 out of 100.

I finished my evening at the brewing co with a nice chat to a couple visiting on their anniversary, and a pint of Scarlet 7 belgian dubbel. A good finish for the evening, this beer had a heavy plum aroma with a silky smooth mouthfeel. The taste was sweet and malty with a bouquet of fruit flavors. Overall I think the beer was enjoyable, but lacking the balancing elements usually found in a belgian dubbel. For this reason I would rate the beer a 78.

With a strong buzz and a full stomach I casually strolled through dowtown Wausau back to my hotel, and found myself lured into the attached restaurant for one final delight. I ordered up a piece of New York cheesecake, and a pint of Leine's Summer Shandy. For those of you who know this beer, you know the flavor to be a very strong lemon flavor. Needless to say, when combined with the New York Cheesecake (for a lemon cheesecake taste), it made for the perfect night cap.