*This is the ninety-third post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
Pitchfork Brewing
709 Rodeo Cir
Hudson, WI 54016
(715) 245-3675
Visit date: 01/14/17
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
8 on tap, around 50 total.
2) How long operational?
Since 2013.
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
Owner/brewer got interested in home brewing through friends at a young age, started experimenting in his spare time.
4) Distribution?
Kegs available in local bars.
5) What sets you apart?
Try to stay authentic to style and to their small-town roots.
6) How did you get your name?
A nod to the surrounding rural communities they call home.
Pitchfork Brewing in Hudson. All photos by Joe Powell.
“This is not a get-rich-quick scheme: we’re here to make great beer.” – Jessie Fredricksen, co-owner
Every now and then we’ll come into a place on our journey where it’s hard for us to answer the question, “Is this whole crowd of friendly people here because there’s a brewery, or is there a brewery here because of this crowd of friendly people?” Pitchfork Brewing in Hudson, just across The River from Minniesnowtah, left us wondering.
The rural community feel is accented by farming-focused decor, not to mention the prevalence of camo adorning the backs of our fellow beer drinkers. These are typically locals, dedicated to patronizing the brewery that distributes only locally. The draw could also be the jovial and engaging Jessie behind the bar.
Shortly after we arrived, this sleepy-seeming little brewery exploded into the most raucous neighborly-party we’d seen in some time. Luckily we had already ordered our flight of beers.
Pale Ale
Nosey & dry; more malty in taste than hoppy.
Smash IPA
Extremely interesting taste: like a juicy, heavy liquor.
Firkin
Rusty and smooth mouthfeel; satisfying.
Kolsch
Buttery. Fuller-bodied than expected. A lasting coat of the tongue.
Barn Door Brown
A spicy brown, heavy on caramel malts.
Smoked Scotch
Hits you with the booze, then settles down with a smooth Scotch taste.
Imperial Honey Porter
A bubble of candied sugar that pops the Porter taste.
Sassy Milk Stout
Very smooth, very milky. Makes me want to sleep soundly.
“It’s very important to us to keep (all of the beer) handcrafted; there’s no computers used in our brewing process.”
When we were informed that Jessie and her brewing husband have dumped out whole batches of beer they weren’t satisfied with rather than serving it, we knew there was no doubt to their “passionate attention to quality.”
Named after a farming instrument as a nod to the agrarian communities surrounding them, Pitchfork Brewing is both a place to celebrate and a celebration in itself of the fruits of these people’s labor.
