Driving west out of Boulder Junction, you pass over the Manitowish River, it’s waters dark and a bit stormy from the shallow rapids.  Canoers and kayakers paddling down river must do a short portage around them. The Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail passes over the water here as well with space on the bridge to view the dark pool and winding river downstream. This spot is known as Lower Dam.

Back in the late 1800s, though, this spot was home to a major piece of infrastructure critical to the local logging economy. Not to be confused with Upper Dam, which is upstream and closer to Fishtrap Lake, Lower Dam is downstream of Boulder Lake. Logging companies constructed a large dam out of earth and timber to control water levels and enable transport of fallen trees by floating them down river. The dam reached the end of its functional life around 1915 with control gates destroyed by fire and the logging industry in decline. In 1974 the Boulder Lake Private Homes Association sought to stabilize the water level with the construction of a more permanent, fixed dam that persists today.

Our Lower Dam Irish Stout features a grain bill anchored by Maris Otter malt and includes plenty of roasted barley and chocolate malt, giving the beer that rich, dark color that looks like the water flowing through the Manitowish rapids. East Kent Golding hops provides just enough balance to the malt sweetness the beer has that fantastic dry finish you expect from a traditional Irish Stout.