Living in the Milwaukee area we have a ton of local breweries, I mean it is nicknamed “Brew City” for a reason. So, folks, I will be frequenting Milwaukee area and hitting up other breweries in different areas as frequently as possible. Without further a due I give you my take on Horny Goat Brewing Company.
Tango Delta. 6.8% ABV. 60 IBU. Style: American IPA. Availability: Seasonal. Pours a golden amber yellow with a white head. The nose is a very sweet citrus with light hoppiness. The taste is very smooth and drinkable; light bodied. Nice citrus tangerine and orange notes. Small hints of grape fruit at the end. A spike of hoppiness in the finish. This is by far one of my favorite IPA’s. This is a brew that I would happily kick back and watch a rally with due to its wild flavors. I give this Tangerine IPA a 4.5 out of 5.
Watermelon Wheat 5.6% ABV. 19 IBU. Style: American Pale Wheat Ale. Availability: Seasonal. Let me start out by saying I am a big fan of fruited whit/wheat beers. This one is pretty great. Pours a nice dark amber color. Has a nice wheat and malt bouquet with a sweetness from the watermelon. The flavor has a very nice light hoppiness with a full mouthfeel of wheat. The end brings on a nice clean watermelon honey flavor. Very refreshing finish. This would be a great beer to finish a day of racing with, especially since the sun likely has been beating down on you all day. I give this lovely watermelon wheat ale a 4.5 out of 5.
Laka Laka Pineapple Hefe 5.1% ABV. 17 IBU. Style: Hefewizen. Availability: Seasonal. Pours a dark golden amber with a whispy white head. The nose is has a strong wheat and spice presence and a sweet touch of pineapple. Flavors up front are a nice wheat malt flavor with a lot of clove that fades and nicely blends to a lovely pineapple taste. The spice in this beer is absolutely lovely, it definitely adds a lot of depth and complexity to it. Without a doubt this beer would gladly be taken out to sit back and watch some sprint cars kick up some mud. I will give this spicy pineapple beer a 4.5 out of 5.
Chocolate Peanut butter Porter 6.5% ABV. 55 IBU. Style: Porter. Availability: Limited. Pours a dark opaque brown with a nice white head with teeny tiny bubbles. The aroma is like a beautiful bouquet of peanut butter cups. I must say the smell is very lovely and I could just smell it all day. The smell of the peanut butter and the chocolate mixed with the malts is just a beautiful thing for anyone who enjoys that sort of thing. The flavor is very very dessert like. Very rich chocolate and peanut butter tones that coat the pallet with a wholeness from the robust roasty malts. This is a dessert beer without a doubt. I find this beer to be a lovely way to end a cook out with your racing buddies. This is a rare occurrence as I will be giving this beer a 5 out of 5.
Whoa Nelly 8.1% ABV. 38 IBU. Style: Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy. Availability: Limited. Pours a opaque brown with a nice tanish white head. The nose is laced with spicy, malty and caramel tones the finish with a feint booziness. Lets move on to the taste. The taste lives up to the expectations the nose gives. The beautiful flavors of caramel and spices laced up in the malts give this a full bodied and sweet and spicy flavors that give you a wonderful kick from the booziness at the end. Definitely a warming feel. I must mention this is probably my favorite scotch ale that I have had to date. I would think that this beer would be a great addition to any ice racing event. What better way to warm up than with liquid long johns? I give this boozy scotch ale a 4.5 out of 5.
I have to say I was extremely impressed with Horny Goat. I went there about two years ago and I am sad to say I wasn’t impressed then. The beers lacked luster, the environment was a great feel, outdoor patio, volley ball courts, you can see the brew room from the restaurant and bar. Luckily though they have a new head brew master(whom I had the honor to sit down and toss back these lovely brews with and he had some excellent hospitality) and he really is turning things around in the beer department. The beers have a deeper complexity and deeper and stronger flavors. Don’t get me wrong they still have their watered down light beer that they give the non-craft beer loving crowd, but their specialty beers really have been brought to a new level. I have definitely added this place to my frequent stop list. I give this brewery a 4.5 out of 5. No doubt about it, since it is on the way home from most of my local events in the area I’ll likely even hit it up after my own local races.
Cheers!
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