Beloit, WI
Crusin’ Rating: B
Booze Rating: B-
Just five minutes off of interstate 90, right before you hit Illinois sits G5 Brewing Company. Perched atop a hill in a newly developed area, it stands as a lonely building waiting for the area to catch up with it's design. This last bastion of Wisconsin beer stands as a brand new addition to the border of our great state.
Opened in 2019, G5 is spick and span, clean, modern, and quite spacious. While we couldn’t find any information on the naming convention, I’d like to think it’s named after the plane of the same designation. Something about the views from the space, the cleanliness, the industrial lines. All of it reminds me of a hangar, while at the same time looking nothing like a hangar at all. I’m going to stick with the plane guess, even though the premise is thin. The space is actually entirely industrial, like so many others, but Hannah notes that this space was decorated in the style quite well. Driving up the hill to this brewery’s perch, you’re greeted by tons of parking space that was quite full on our late Sunday afternoon visit. There’s a single story building closest to the parking lot (actually the ceilings are probably 1.5 stories if not more) and then a larger connected building that we didn’t get to explore but was clearly the production floor (and possibly some event space). In between there was a pleasant little courtyard that could house quite a few tables and music by the looks of it, maybe even some bags, in the summer. This courtyard was closed on our trip. Although 41 degrees and sunny, it was still just a tad too early in the year for patios to open.
Inside, as I stated the ceilings are high and there’s plenty of glass all around which sports some good views if you don’t get stuck facing the parking lot, even then, due to elevation, you can see for a good few miles. The space is large and open with a black ceiling, exposed steel beams, and filled with plenty of wooden tables. The floors are polished concrete and the walls feature plenty of exposed brick. The space is the shape of the “L” shaped tetris piece with the tail of the L featuring a large, wide bar with its own seating. We sat at a low table next to the windows to enjoy the sun but there were also a few large high tops that sported some rowdy groups of college students which was a little loud, but pretty entertaining. We noticed that many of the patrons around us must have been from the southern state as they could not handle their beer. Amateurs. The space had tons of natural light owing to the large amount of windows and the staff was very attentive. We ended up ordering food and the bill was quite large at the end of the day, close to $100. We assumed the high prices were on account of the proximity to IL. Hannah liked the food, but I would say it was okay for the price. They do have a full menu, beer aplenty, wine, and cocktails. Falling squarely into the brewpub category, temper your expectations with the food. It’s good, but I wouldn’t travel back just to eat.
We opted to sample a whopping 10 beers at this spot since we had food to order and some nice-ish weather to enjoy (from inside, of course!).
Tiny Crown (5.0% ABV) - This Kettle Sour was a cloudy fuschia which was a color you don’t see often. It smelled like a strawberry cream saver that had a touch of rosemary added to it. There was definitely some vanilla tasting this one and some fake-tasting blueberry tartness with some honey sweetness and overtones of flowers. Definitely a creamy mouthfeel to this beer and while Hannah, our sour savant, enjoyed it, she said she wouldn't drink a ton of it as it was a little too sweet.
Hindenburg in a Lightning Storm (5.4% ABV) - You know, with a name like this I expected something pretty explosive and exciting, despite reading that it was just a Kölsch, which don’t get me wrong, it a style I’ve grown fond of, but with such a name, your expectations are raised. This beer was light straw in color with high carbonation. I thought this beer lacked character, tasting closer to a beer-flavored seltzer with a dry hop finish. It smelled crisp and had some citrus there, but it just did not deliver in the flavor department other than that last kick of hops. A Kölsch should be subtle, yes, but not so subtle as to be invisible.
G5 Percent - Flying Bluebird (5.0% ABV) - Their in-house line of cocktail-inspired kettle sours, the Flying Bluebird is full of red grapefruit and orange when smelling it, featuring medium-low clarity and was a pinkish hue of orange in color. However, Hannah and I agreed this beer had a very earthy taste with some orange bitters, maybe a slight cherry-tartness to the finish. It was odd that we didn’t find any blueberry and that there was so much of that earthiness to what we thought would be a fruity, if slightly, herbal sour.
Where You Want to Be (7.4% ABV) - This hazy IPA lived up to its name being a cloudy, distinctly Packer gold color. It smelled tropical, generally and I found a mix of coconut, pineapple and fresh banana. Hannah agreed on the banana but couldn’t get past her old nemesis, the coconut. We both tasted citrus that gave way to resinous hop notes which is always an interesting juxtaposition where you want all of that fruitiness instead of resinous plant matter in your mouth. The finish was bitter but didn’t linger too much.
Water Witch (5.0% ABV) - A fruited beer, Water Witch was the color of strawberry juice, a sort of dull, but warm red. It smelled exactly like that gum from the 90’s that had a zebra as the logo and was rainbow-colored with the flavoring lasting all of one minute. If you know, you know. I tasted strawberry again with some definite hop notes in the finish. Hannah got notes of solid blueberry. We both had a feeling that overripe or frozen fruit was added during the creation of this beer and it didn’t pan out. It ended up being that stage where the fruit starts to turn mushy and bland, rather than firm and sweet.
2 of My 4 Favorite Things (7.0% ABV) - This was a sour IPA that was garnet red with medium clarity. Points for originality here, the first sour IPA we have come across. We’ve seen some sours that ended up pretty hoppy, but not quite like this. It smelled of smooth mosaic hops and just a bit sour. The flavor was wholly unique with the sourness that greets your tongue giving way to floral hoppiness. The sour, as you drink, sort of ramps up to the point that you think it’s going to end in this squish-faced pucker but instead it plateaus out and transitions into floral hops that's really unique. Notes of blackberries and apricot culminate in wet earth, lilac, and dogwood. The only downside is that those flavors playing together leave a distinct wet dog aftertaste. Still, the flavor trip up to that point was definitely worth it.
Champagne’s Muse Seltzer (6.1% ABV) - This opaque, bright yellow seltzer is the same color as Tropicana and smells and tastes just like Sweet Tarts to me. Hannah loves that candy, so, naturally, she loved this beer. She stated she might like it more than an actual mimosa or beermosa. I think this one treads into man card revocation territory and Hannah was fine with that evaluation as she said it would mean more of this beer for her and the girls. Although I don’t enjoy mimosas, this was strictly worse from my perspective since there was none of that dryness that usually balances out the tart sweetness of the cocktail here. Oh well, more for the ladies to enjoy for brunch, I suppose!
Hot Day in Helles (5.0)% ABV) - This Helles Lager was pretty solid. Now, to many, a Helles isn’t very exciting and I will admit, it’s not. But this gold-colored lager was smooth, malty, and had a nice, gentle, soft finish. I thought it was a little on the sweet side for the style, however, I detected a decent graininess to the flavor and a decent, pillow-soft impression when drinking and a malt-sweet aroma. I think this was a solid example of the style and I quite enjoyed it even if it's not the wildest of beer styles. Nothing wrong with getting the basics right.
N.G.G. Oatmeal Stout (6.4% ABV) - This dark stout had an approachable, creamy head, with notes of nutiness and coffee on the nose. It was a soft stout, with dark chocolate, roasted almonds, and a little bit of coffee in the taste. Hannah and I both agreed this is a very approachable, inoffensive stout that may leave devout stout fans a little underwhelmed but it’s an excellent starter stout with its mild flavors and sweetness.
Mostest Smartest (5.2% ABV) - This blonde ale (get the joke?) featured high carbonation, brilliant clarity, and lots of hops. So much so, that I had to double check I wasn’t drinking something else. A blonde should be balanced, malt-oriented, caramel, honey, those nice toasty notes in the flavor profile and a low to maybe medium hop aroma. But all of these hops up front and an overabundance of them when tasting? This did not line up at all with what we were expecting or what we were looking for. I would say this was closer to a pale ale than a blonde by a significant factor of hop presence. Skip this one.
Final thoughts. You know, Hannah enjoyed the food, and while expensive for the style of pub grub, it was serviceable. They had a beer that Hannah and I each enjoyed - not quite enough to take home, but enough to get a pint of - which is more than some places can say. Their other beers were pretty average with only one or two misses. Hannah enjoyed the seltzer, but not quite enough to bring it home. The space is great, nice and bright, open, modern without being forced, and there are some decent views available. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by this one and think it makes for an excellent local spot. If you’re headed down to Beloit, Wisconsin and need a place to stop for lunch or to quench your thirst we suggest stopping in. I could see the two of us doing that at some point. However, unless you’re headed that way or live nearby, say 30 minutes. I wouldn’t recommend a trip out to Beloit just for a visit.
Until next time, keep on Crusin’, don’t stop boozin’.
To learn more about G5 Brewing Company, please visit their website at: www.g5brewing.net or on Facebook : @G5Brewing or on Instagram: @G5BrewCo
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