One of the perks of visiting wineries is the people you meet. At a recent visit to Trout Springs Winery and Vineyards in Greenleaf, Wisconsin, we met a group from the Appleton Libation Enthusiasts. This group, ALE for short, make beer. They had an afternoon outing at Trout Spring to taste the wines and tour the winery. We met up with the group on the tour. The members were all interested in wine and beer.

I asked them to explain simply the process of beer making and they were more than enthusiastic to talk about their passion. They were also knowledgeable of the winemaking process. They even had a few wines that they made with them and offered a taste of their elderberry. The wine was in a beer bottle, it’s maker confessing that he didn’t have a wine bottle corker, so he just put the wine in a beer bottle. The aroma and taste was elderberry and had some pepper on the finish. It would pair well with grilled food. What was surprising is the extremely long elderberry aftertaste. This wine’s aftertaste lasted fifteen minutes. This is a delightful group of people who enjoy both beer, wine and friends.

The ALE group has a blog. You can follow along at: aleclub.org.