Irrational Fear at Fox River Brewing

Probably it's because I'm a homebrew geek, but I'm much more interested in beer flavor created through the brewing process and the transformation of raw ingredients than I am in beers flavored with syrups, extracts, and the like. So for me, what's been happening lately at Fox River Brewing has been worth following.

the brewhouse at Fox River in Oshkosh.

Andrew Roth took over as the brewmaster at Fox River in August. Since then he's been changing the brewery's approach to making a number of its beers. You won't notice it in Fox River's core brands such as BLU Bobber, but it's readily apparent in the new beers released in the brewery's taprooms. Today (Thursday, October 31) at Fox River, they're releasing a new IPA named Irrational Fear that demonstrates what some those changes taste like.

The beer's hop profile is built along the lines of a hazy IPA, with a large and late addition of hops. For Irrational Fear, Roth used Citra, Mandarina Bavaria, and Michigan-grown Chinook. The hops come in at the end of the boil and in the whirlpool after the wort has cooled to 170ºf. Then it gets dosed again with dry hopping. There was no bittering addition.

The grist includes flaked barley and Blonde RoastOat Malt. This is a new malt from Briess Malting of Chilton that imparts slightly sweet and toasty flavors while creating a creamy mouthfeel. It's definitely a modern IPA sort of malt.

Roth has also been dealing with the water chemistry for the IPAs he's brewing at Fox River. If you've made IPAs with Oshkosh water you already know it can be a challenge making a pale beer with a pronounced hop flavor that doesn't come off as harsh. Since taking over as the head of brewing operations, Roth has been adjusting the mineral content of the local water to create a profile more hospitable to hop-forward beers.

I'm looking forward to seeing how these changes continue to present themselves in the beer Roth is making and tasting those changes in real time. Maybe this stuff isn't as sexy as the latest Chocolate-Peanut-Vanilla-Slushee-Habernaro Stout, but it's a lot more drinkable. And, for me at least, a lot more interesting.