DELAFIELD, WISCONSIN
Smack dab between Madison and Milwaukee, mighty DELAFIELD BREWHAUS simply offered Wisconsin’s most splendidly consistent, interesting beers, July ‘05. Opened in ’99 atop a hill off Route 94 in the town of Delafield, this green-trimmed, brick-solidified Far East architectural building features a large first floor deck, second floor balconies, indoor upper mezzanine, a right side oak bar, and proudly displayed dead center brew tanks.
A fine beer tray collection covers the walls, impressive brewpub insignias line the bar area, and a Sunday breakfast buffet is recommended. Woodstone pizzas and sandwiches solidify an expansive menu. Glorious Bavarian-inspired brewmaster John Harrison shows great depth and technique crafting such differing liquids as the 11% alcohol Millennium Tripel to the malt-y Bomb Pop! (a raspberry-blueberry ice pop-like concoction).
Light fare included raw-grained wheat-soured mandarin orange-tinged German bohemian Freistader Pils, perfume-hopped grapefruit-embittered lemon pith-induced Hops And Glory American Ale, raw-honeyed wheat-backed golden lager Dock Light, tea-like cereal-grained caramel shuffler Delafield Amber, and soft clove-lemon-plantain-aided Summerzeit Hefeweizen.
Heartier thirsts are directed to syrupy raw-grained yellow-fruited Fruhlingzeit Maibock, soft-flowing cask-conditioned cologne-fruited wheat-husked bitter-hopped Bengal Bay IPA, dry hop-toasted black coffee serenity Pewaukee Porter, and special Einhorn Whiskey Barrel Aged Bock, a sweet Jack Daniels/ Chivas Regal-hinted intricacy imbuing overripe cherry, stewed prune, and scurried ambrosia illusions.