O'So Brewing Company - Walk It Off IPA

Pouring a well-hazed orange hue, Walk It Off boasts quite a robust head of rocky, persistent foam that drops plenty of lace as it slowly recedes to a lasting collar. Dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic, this IPA offers up a fruity amalgam of citrus rind and ripe tropical fruits in the aroma, backed by an herbaceous spice note, orange blossoms, hints of melon, and a touch of piney woodiness. In the flavor department, citrus zest and a deep resinous herbal character take prominent roles, merging into a fairly bold hop bitterness to grasp the palate firmly and keep this brew dry into the finish, which lingers with notes of grapefruit zest. The malt backbone is straightforward but robust, providing plenty of satisfying heft to support the bright hop notes without overshadowing them. For pairing considerations, there is enough hop bitterness here to stand up to spicy dishes like chicken tacos with mango salsa and a dash of diced serranos, Thai lemongrass soup, or Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls with a spicy dipping sauce. Cheers!

O’so Brewing Company, in the small village of Plover, Wisconsin, has quietly become one of the very best breweries in the state. O’so was founded in 2007 by husband-and-wife team Marc and Katina Buttera, who both grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It took a whole lot of steps in-between to get O’so up and running, as Marc and Katina raised two young children while working and going to school (which is pretty badass, let’s be real). Marc earned a degree in mechanical design and Katina earned hers in accounting, and, after establishing their careers and even moving their family away to Tennessee (for Marc to take a promotion at the foundry he worked for), they realized that something was missing.

As these stories often go: homebrewing soon changed everything. After moving back to the middle of Wisconsin, the couple opened up Point Brew Supply (a beer- and winemaking supply shop) as a side project, which gradually transitioned into a five-year plan to also open O’so Brewing. In the period since, both entities have grown in leaps and bounds. O’so has been one of the fastest growing breweries in the state; their year-round The Big O wheat ale won gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015, and their hoppy and sour releases, especially, have made them one of the most influential breweries in Wisconsin. Should you happen to find yourself anywhere near the center of Wisconsin, O’so Brewery’s Tap House offers up an exceptional selection of the brewery’s house beers along with a surprising number of beers from all around the state. As O’so puts it, “Our mission as a Tap House is to promote a ton of great Wisconsin beer.” So: 40 taps in total, including 20–25 of their own, and the Tap House regularly highlights members of the Wisconsin Brewers Guild. In 2019, they opened another location known as the Madhouse in Madison. For more info on O’so, call 715-254-2163 or visit www.osobrewing.com.