Beyond stout

There’s more to March than St. Patrick’s Day. Coming first on the calendar, on March 14, is Pi Day, when we celebrate the mathematical constant pi (3.14 etc.). Not to be confined merely to eating pie on Pi Day, beer lovers can hit Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton and Monty’s Blue Plate Diner on Atwood Avenue for samples of Delta Beer Lab’s latest beer, called ? (pi), to accompany pie slices. Delta’s ? is a caramel apple pie cider-beer, part ale and part cider, with a little caramel syrup added for sweetness. Delta owner and brewmaster Pio Piotrowski made it especially for Pi Day. The beer finishes at 5.4 percent ABV and it sells for $18/4-pack and $9/glass in the Delta taproom. If you’re taking some home, try adding cinnamon-sugar to the rim of the glass (like salt for a margarita) and know that it pairs especially well with apple pie.

Karben4’s latest is a traditional dry Irish stout with an easy name to remember — Ireland. Ireland is medium-bodied with subtle chocolate sweetness and nice hop balance, It’s deep black color is very Guinness-like in appearance. Brewmaster Ryan Koga also added a little flaked barley to the grist for smooth texture. And at just 4.5 percent ABV, it is very sessionable. It’s available in Madison stores in four-packs ($11-$13/each). In Karben4’s tasting room, it will be available on a nitrogen tap to accentuate its silkiness...