Hello from Madison, WI

Well, this past weekend I picked up my first real home brew kit......I say "real" because I don't count that Mr. Beer disaster that I experimented with in college as brew.

Anyway, I look forward to perusing the forum, learning a lot, and providing my own 2 cents when I can.

Welcome - plenty of people started with Mr Beer. howtobrew.com is a good place to start reading if you haven't done so already.

Otherwise, have fun - it's an addictive hobby

Yep - welcome!

Welcome - My biggest client at work is in Madison... just visited for the first time last fall. Really nice area...

Welcome! You're near one of my favorite brewpubs of all time, Great Dane Pub & Brewing! You should be able to get inspiration from some of their brews! I go to Madison every February for the annual model train show at the Alliant Center and always stop by the downtown location for beer and grub! I'll be there again 2/17/07 and can't wait!

Ask any questions you like!

Rhoobarb said:

Welcome! You're near one of my favorite brewpubs of all time, Great Dane Pub & Brewing! You should be able to get inspiration from some of their brews! I go to Madison every February for the annual model train show at the Alliant Center and always stop by the downtown location for beer and grub! I'll be there again 2/17/07 and can't wait!

Ask any questions you like!

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Hey - Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co is one of the places they took me while I was there... pretty cool place but was it ever busy!

Welcome fellow Cheese Head. They are a bunch of people from the great state of Wisconsin. You have a legacy to hold up to as to be able to drink a lot of beer in a short time. Coming from madison though that shouldn't be a problem. If you have any question be sure to ask but a quick search might answer your question a little faster. See you around.

The Dane is definately a local favorite. They just opened their 3rd location in Madison.

Rhoobarb, when you're in town in February, you might want to check out The Ale Asylum. They just opened up last summer and have become a real hot spot. Can't really call it a brewpub as they don't serve anything other than deli sandwiches, but their brews are really top notch.

It's on the east side of town, minutes from the airport:

http://www.aleasylum.com/cms/index.php?option=com_beerontap&Itemid=57

I highly recommend their Hoppalicious or their Happy Ending brew.

Bones said:

Well, this past weekend I picked up my first real home brew kit......I say "real" because I don't count that Mr. Beer disaster that I experimented with in college as brew.

Anyway, I look forward to perusing the forum, learning a lot, and providing my own 2 cents when I can.

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I'm Bones not so silent partner. We're going into this as beer snobs that want to experiment with, learn, understand and enjoy the product we consume so often. This site looks great and with the amount of folks that have already welcomed Bones I believe it will prove extremely helpful.

On a side note, don't be shy if you're in the area. Its always fun to hook up with like minded individuals and show them some of our great pubs.

Good to see another Wisconsinite! Brew on!

Welcome guys......not sure where you got your equipment from, but if you haven't checked out the Wine and Hop Shop on Monroe St., be sure to check it out, always have great stuff, very fresh ingredients, very helpful staff and fair prices. Here's to making great beer Prost!

Bones said:

... you might want to check out The Ale Asylum. ....

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Thanks for the heads-up, Bones! Looks like it's just a short drive northeast of the Dane. Last February, I went to the show with a buddy and we stayed overnight. Looks like I'll be doing an overnight again, as I'd like to hit both places!

We also stocked up on regional beers at a liquor store with a great selection somewhere on the northwest side that I had read about at the time. The name of the place escapes me, but I want to go back! Picked up some Tyranena Rocky's Revenge, Lake Louie Warped Speed Scotch Ale and a couple of New Glarus selections, including the Smoked Rye Bock! All very tasty!

I'll let you and Rottnme know when my buddy and I plan to hit the pubs. Maybe we can meet up!

Sounds great...........there are quite a few liquor stores that do a VERY good job of supplying us with our favorite local brews, so I can't be too sure which you might be talking about, but regardless, you definitely found some of our best.

Definitely check out Capital Brewery and the Ale Asylum, otherwise The Angelic is right downtown off of State St. and JT Whitney's is on the west side of town.

The Wine & Hops Shop is exactly where we went to get our starter kit. I was like a fat kid in a candy store at that place.

And I can definitly confirm everything you say, very helpful and friendly, and from the looks of it, we should be able to find everything we need as we (and our brews) grow.

Bones said:

Sounds great...........there are quite a few liquor stores that do a VERY good job of supplying us with our favorite local brews, so I can't be too sure which you might be talking about, but regardless, you definitely found some of our best.

Definitely check out Capital Brewery and the Ale Asylum, otherwise The Angelic is right downtown off of State St. and JT Whitney's is on the west side of town.

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Dude, don't forget that Dean was Angelic and is now Ale Asylum. andgelic has a couple of their beers on tap as well as some other micros, but they no longer brew anything of their own.

add one more cheesehead to the bunch. i went to school at UW-madison, raised in milwaukee, now live in the south. this is an addictive hobby, huh?!

like going into best buy and trying to leave without buying something....very tough to not keep trying new recipes and buying/building new gadgets.

happy brewing!