Furthermore Beer - Floating Fire

Floating Fire is one of the more unique offerings we've seen recently, and is a great representation of Furthermore's adventurous brewing philosophy. The name is a nod to a Viking funeral, which is appropriate considering this is a smoked IPA. Oh, and there's hibiscus, too! We've been reviewing beers since 1994, but we've never crossed paths with a brew quite like this one. Floating Fire presents a rich, deep red-amber color in the glass, due not only to the selected malts but also the infusion of hibiscus flowers during the dry-hopping stage. On the nose, look for aromatic floral notes with fruity, candied citrus tones, prominent caramel, and hints of spicy rye and just a wisp of wood smoke. On the palate, the rich caramel malts form a very sturdy core. The smoked malt is subtle – this is certainly no Bamburg-style rauchbier – but it contributes a delicious savory dimension. Juicy, fruity, and quite floral hop flavors add plenty of brightness and zing, along with a spicy rye note which plays nicely with the hops and the hint of smoke. Bitterness is firm but not crushing, and the whole thing comes together extremely well-balanced for an IPA while delivering a ton of complexity. Pair this unique offering with a pizza with spicy Italian sausage, or go full-bore meat-lovers – Floating Fire has plenty of oomph to stand up to bold foods. Cheers!

Furthermore Beer founder, Aran Madden, grew up in the Pittsburgh area and attended the University of Pittsburgh. During his time at Pitt, he ventured out to Fort Collins, CO as part of the Student Conservation Association. It was a fateful visit, as the brewing haven that is Colorado left its mark on the student. He purchased his first homebrewing kit and began developing his skills, eventually choosing to attend brewing school at the American Brewers Guild. After graduating, he worked at multiple breweries around the Pittsburgh area including a head brewer job at Foundry Ale Works and, critically, a stint at Church Brew Works where he learned the business of brewing from owner Sean Casey.

In 2006, with business partner Chris Staples, Aran took the plunge and founded Furthermore Beer in the small town of Spring Creek, WI, where his sister lived. Like many microbreweries, Furthermore was not sitting on a massive amount of capital, so investing hundreds of thousands in new, shiny equipment was out of the question. Instead, they partnered with Wisconsin's small but well-respected Sand Creek Brewing Company to help bring the Furthermore recipes to market. Aran would brew on Sand Creek's equipment and use their bottling line while separately managing Furthermore's distribution. It was a successful strategy, allowing the extremely small operation to grow without burdening the company with debt, and the brewers could focus on the quality and uniqueness of their portfolio without pressure to expand too rapidly. After nine years, Sand Creek and Furthermore took their partnership further; Sand Creek officially acquired Furthermore in 2015 and Aran now represents both the Furthermore brand as well as Sand Creek's beers. As Furthermore has stated, the new arrangement allows the brewers to "spend less time communicating at arms reach and more time tweaking ideas for the next beer." Cheers to that! For more info, contact them at 715-284-7553 or visit www.furthermorebeer.com.