What's Brewing: Capital Brewery's Hop Cream

Among the many things I want to learn now that I'm no longer working full time is how to taste beer.

You might think that living in Wisconsin, I'd have been born with that skill. But the truth is, I was born in Michigan, about a half mile from the Wisconsin border, and I missed early acquisition of that particular gene.

I prefer wine, anyway. Although perhaps perversely, when in France I often order beer at cafés. Go figure.

Fortunately, the Italian Market in my home town offers a mix-and-match six-pack option in its beer-and-wine shop. So I stocked up, with the intention of making beer bread soon.

Each week - or at least most weeks - I'll taste and review a different brew. More often than not, my beer of choice will be a Wisconsin brew. I like to eat and drink local. I'll do the same with wine. (I've taken a wine-tasting course and held several wine tastings so I feel more confident there.)

I'm certainly not a novice at drinking beer, but I am at reviewing it. So bear - or is that beer? - with me.

We'll start with Hop Cream, from Capital Brewery in Middleton, right next to my old stomping grounds of Madison, Wis. Not coincidentally, Capital Brewery was the first brewery I visited about 26 years ago when I was fresh out of college and out on the town with friends a good deal. Beer was cheap and I was broke most of the time.

On to our recent tasting.

Hop Cream is golden, almost copper in color with a creamy, almost tan foamy head. A hoppy aroma is followed by an initial creamy taste. This beer is relatively smooth, light bodied and crisp. It took me a while to identify the fruitiness of it: It's almost citrus. There's a floral note, too.

The finish is smooth, but a tad bitter. Not offensive, but bitter. My husband thought so, too. He found the bitterness masked a fruity aftertaste. The bitterness seemed to increase as the beer grew warmer. I agreed.

We sampled the beer without a food pairing, trying to imagine what would draw out and balance the beer's flavor. My best guess is an egg salad sandwich on a rustic, whole grain bread with a side of spicy, home-made potato chips. I'll try that sometime; I think tanginess and saltiness would provide a good foil for this beer.

While I did not find Hop Cream to be unpleasant, I probably won't buy a six pack of it. I would order it, though, or even buy another single bottle.

Splitting a brewsky on a Friday night was fun, and I'm looking forward to our next beer tasting.