Madison Wisconsin

[richbrew99]

I agree with it being bland... seems like most of the people who crave it live out of state, creating the demand. Bring on the lions! Lol

 

[Grinder12000]

Skip New Glarus. They suck and so does Capitol. Both are now semi Macro brewery's. Unless you like what USE to be craft beers. Go to Ayl Asylum and The Great Dane for real beer.

Check out The Malt House on East Washington.

OH. If you have a road trip, yea, New Glarus is cool.

 

[MichaelsBrewing]

Update:

Tuesday my wife went to work so I spent my morning walking around and just exploring; Dora would be jealous. I found a. Ice little shop called Fromagonation, a nice little local artisan cheese store. While there, I met a woman who is from SE Ohio (where I am also from) small world.

I had lunch at the Capital Ale House. I had a great pulled pork sandwich with a Manoomater Wild Rice Doppelbock. It was a great beer. Malty, complex, but slightly warming. This beer was much better than anticipated. After my sandwich was scarfed down I ordered the Capital (Munich) Dark. This beer is a diamond in the rough. I thought this beer was malty, complex, and had a great balance. A BIG Kudos on this beer.

For dinner, my wife and I went to Johnny Delmonaco's. Nice food, we both had steak, and I had the New Glarus Two Women. It was darker than expected. Not a bad brew at all, quite the quaffer.

After dinner, our night cap was spent at The Great Dane. This brewery is great with an amazing atmosphere!

I had a flight of 6:

Speedway IPA - not bad but nothing special.
Marzen - I have had better but good.
Old Glory American Pale - this was a nice balanced beer but not as hoppy as I prefer in a pale.
Crop Circle Wheat - very nice beer, simple yet impressive.
Hopsconsin Red Ale - very hoppy beer. All locally grown hops here in Wisconsin. This was the best beer I had at the Great Dane.
Lastly, I had the Black Watch Scotch Ale on firkin cask. Very nice beer. I fell like the cask takes a good beer and makes it great!

My two recommendations. The Scotch on cask and definitely Hopsconsin.

The winner of yesterday was a tie between the Capital Dark and the Hopsconsin.

Cheers!!

 

[bhchrist]

It is fun reading an out of towner's experience. I know I can sometimes get spoiled or overlook some of the really good options available in the Madison market. I just enjoyed a Capital Dark last night after not having one in way too long. Capital has had their issues in recent years, but they are really good in their wheelhouse of German style bocks and lagers.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Skip New Glarus. They suck and so does Capitol. Both are now semi Macro brewery's. Unless you like what USE to be craft beers. Go to Ayl Asylum and The Great Dane for real beer.

Check out The Malt House on East Washington.

OH. If you have a road trip, yea, New Glarus is cool.

I am sorry but this is plain dumb. New Glarus is hands down the best brewery in the state and one of the best in the country. Fact. It isn't taste bias, or anything else. Based on quality, creativity, commitment to community and all else, they are just the best we have. Deb seems like a total biotch by all accounts, but the beer stands on its own. Good beer becomes popular because it is delicious and at an awesome price point.

Capitol makes some of the best lagers made in the US. There price point is dumb.

Ale asylum is great.

The great dane is a nice place but the beer is meh for me. I know a lot of people like it.

I would check out the Weary Traveller for an awesome cheap meal sometime.

 

[bhchrist]

I am sorry but this is plain dumb. New Glarus is hands down the best brewery in the state and one of the best in the country. Fact. It isn't taste bias, or anything else. Based on quality, creativity, commitment to community and all else, they are just the best we have. Deb seems like a total biotch by all accounts, but the beer stands on its own. Good beer becomes popular because it is delicious and at an awesome price point.

Capitol makes some of the best lagers made in the US. There price point is dumb.

Ale asylum is great.

The great dane is a nice place but the beer is meh for me. I know a lot of people like it.

I would check out the Weary Traveller for an awesome cheap meal sometime.

Thanks for writing what I was thinking.

 

[logan3825]

I love Spotted Cow for the simple fact that it has allowed them to brew Enigma, Black Top, Dancing Man, ..........

100% agree with that.


I also love to hear an out of towner's experience of our beer. The Great Dane is pretty good for what the do but I find them to be kind of conservative with their styles.

Capital has had their issues in recent years, but they are really good in their wheelhouse of German style bocks and lagers.

I am not a fan of Capitol mostly because I am not a fan of lagers and bocks.(I know bock is a lager)

New Glarus is hands down the best brewery in the state and one of the best in the country. Fact. It isn't taste bias, or anything else. Based on quality, creativity, commitment to community and all else, they are just the best we have.

I was thinking the same thing. They are always willing to try new things and have a very good seasonal selection every year. Unfortunately you are a month early for their Black Top.

 

[MichaelsBrewing]

Update:

My wife had the day off so she wanted to shop and take me to see her work campus, which was amazing btw. Anyway

First place we went for lunch was State Street Brats. The place was really cool but nothing special. My wife got a chicken sandwich with curds and I got a hamburger with onion rings. The beer I ordered was a Fat Squirrel by New Glarus. The Fat Squirrel was a wonderful beer and my favorite NG beer so far. (that's not saying anything yet though). The beer is very malty and has a nice clean finish. Good stuff.

We continued to shop and even went out the the West Mall. After the shopping my treat was the Vintage Brewing Company. This place had great beer!

I ordered a flight of 5:

Better Off Red - Great beer. Nice copper color with a malty nose. Taste was very balanced as the malt fades to a hoppy bite finish. I was very satisfied with this beer.
Derby Girl ESB on Firkin Cask - WOW!! Is all I have to say initially. This beer was light Carmel in color with a soft Carmel nose. Taste was very complex with earthy, malty, balanced hops, and finished clean. This beer on cask is a must have if you go out to the Vintage.
Jinja Ninja - Very nice beer. This is a spelt-based, ginger laced, amber double wit beer. Say that 5X fast. This was an impressive beer that had it not been dinner time may have been my pick. Nice on a summer day.
Tippy Toboggan - Again, a very nice beer. The style is Roggen Bier. This beer was very pleasant much like the Jinja. The color was dark and the taste was malty with touches of fruit. Also malty spiciness and nuttiness dance around the palate.
Lastly and less impressive was the.....
Woodshed IPA - This beer was balanced but not what I am looking for in an IPA. Made with Goldings and Fuggles the English style IPA is not my favorite. The taste was malty and not as dry as I prefer. I picked up a lot of earth-y taste from the beer Nd subtle oak presence. Understand, I am splitting hairs with this one but IPA is a style that I am very picky about.

At night for a nightcap and my wife wanted cake we went to the concourse hotel bar. There I had the Full House Pale Ale by the House of Brews. This was a great beer but again not that sharp hop presence I look for in my pale ales. The bartender spent a lot of time with me talking about this amazing community brewery new to the area and keeping it local! Very impressive. Best of luck to the House of Brews.

The Winner of the night was..... Derby Girl ESB! A close second was the Better Off Red.

Beer at the Vintage was great.... Food, not do great. Our waitress was great and very knowledgeable. Nice ambiance and good Wisconsin friendly folks.



Cheers!

 

[steinsato]

One place I can't go to Madison without hitting up for food is the Parthenon. It's gyro restaurant. Good for a quick lunch while your down on state street. Can't say that they have much for beer but the gyros are great.

 

[MichaelsBrewing]

Update:

So, yesterday was quite a crazy day for me here in Madtown. I got up early and went to the Tipsy Cow and had some fried cheese curds and ordered a Down ‘N Dirty Chocolate Oatmeal Stout by Tyranena Brewing Co. This was a very nice drinkable beer that was not too hard to get down at 11:30 in the a.m. Not heavy but had a very nice roasty character balanced by the chocolate malt. While there I met a woman who was about half lit on white wine. She told me I had to go to the Malt House out by the airport. So, I say “hmm, yes I do!” She told me she walk it all the time so it is not a bad walk. So, walk I did but I would soon regret it!

By 45 minutes of walking my dogs were barking! I decided to flag down a taxi to no avail! I did not see a taxi anywhere!! To make matters worse I started to wonder if I was in the neighborhood to be walking….. I get to the Malt House and they do not open to 4:00 Grrrr… just my luck. So, I walk on to the Ale Asylum…. The folks there cannot believe I walked from the Tipsy Cow and buy my first two beers because they say that is “total dedication man!”

So, one to the tasting notes: (All beers were served in small sample glasses)

1. Happy Ending – A Belgian Abbey Ale. Pleasant spicy aromas and flavor with a slightly sweet finish. This beer was served in a gobblet and did not have much head. The color was dark and appealing.
2. Bamboozleator – A malty Doppelbock that was full-bodied and very smooth.. I picked out the notes of caramel and dark fruit. It had a nice malt presence and a rich, bready finish. Very good beer!
3. Big Slick Stout - Oatmeal Stout. Nice coffee aroma which complimented the rich full body and finish. This beer was quite drinkable and I prefered it over the porter.
4. Ambergeddon – A absolutely AMAZING beer that had a nice west coast hop flavor and a hint of malt to balance; this baby is all American! I highly recommend this one to any of you who like the style but prefer a little hop bite.
5. Madtown Nutbrown – A true quaffer in my opinion. This nutbrown ale is velvety smooth with a rich caramel aroma. I read that it is “blended with seven different malts for just the right touch of sweetness and a creamy finish I’ll really dig.” If I were not told this I would have not been able to tell. Did I dig it? Yes, it was a nice beer but wouldn’t be my regular beer if “ya dig.”
6. Ballistic IPA - This IPA is an American-style and te only oner I have tried so far in this town that I like!! The use of American Amarillo hops give it explosive citrus aromas and aggressive bitterness with a smooth finish. I was able to pick out the Amarillo hops so I felt very happy by that…
7. Sticky McDoogle – A scotch ale that I really liked… I would have liked to see this one on cask but they tell me there is no room… boo! Not a bad beer and I definitly recommend this one..
8. Lastly, I had the Bedlam - A beautiful blend of Citra hops and Belgian-style yeast give this Belgian IPA aromas of summer fruit with a bright hop presence and a plush finish. This is by far the best beer I have had while visiting Madison!!! AMAZING BEER!! I will be loking to clone this baby soon =) anyone ever try to clone it?

My wife picked me up after she was done with work and I went back to my hotel, showered, tried to get rid of some of my buzz lol and we headed back to the Old Fashoned to eat. While here I had the New Glarus Moon Man and the House of Brews Amber. The HoB Amber was great!!

So far, here it is folks….

Best brewery in all of Wisconsin is New Glarus

Best brewery in all of Madison is The Vintage

Best beer I tried while here is Bedlam!!

I am bringing home a sixer of Lake Louie!

Cheers to all you local Madtowners out there! I have truly enjoyed this amazing capitol with a small town feel!

 

[Tolroe]

I'm enjoying the love for Bedlam. Ale Asylum has been my favorite brewery in the area and Bedlam is my current favorite beer. I enjoy Vintage, New Glarus and The Great Dane, but Ale Asylum is my most common choice. I have a Bedlam inspired homebrew in my kegerator right now. Still working on tweaking the recipe.

 

[logan3825]

Sorry to hear you got some really bad advice from a local. That is not a short walk at all. I don't think I have ever hailed a cab in Madison. We usually call for one.

I love the Vintage. They have a very diverse selection of beer. Belgian, German, and American styles. They usually have at least 2 beers on cask. Almost always with something thrown in. They had a beer on Hibiscus one time I went in. I didn't like it but I like that Scott was willing to try something like that. I always order a build your own burger.

I think the only things we really lack in Wisconsin for beer is a truly great IPA and Belgian styles. The Vintage and Red Eye make Belgians but they are not available except at the brewpub and a few select other places.

 

[firstRWD]

Are you still in town? Check out the Fitchburg Great Dane too if you like the general feel of the Dane and liked the beer. It's like the downtown Dane but more chill and friendlier bartenders who tend to know a bit more about beer.

Also, just to clarify, The Vintage downtown doesn't brew their own beer. There are two local places called "The Vintage." One is a brewpub ~15min from the capital out kind of near west town mall. The other is owned by the same people, hence the name, but they're more of a college town bar place. I think they might have some of the brewpubs beers on tap, but not many. The brewpub one is a good place to go with some really good beer. Nice place with nice people too.

EDIT: Just read that last thing you wrote. Glad you made it to the downtown Dane at least, and made it to the correct Vintage. Those are my favorite two for beer in Madison. And yeah, the food at The Vintage is pretty blah. The Great Dane is the one to go to for food(Fitchburg Dane, at least. Never actually eaten at the downtown one).

I am sorry but this is plain dumb. New Glarus is hands down the best brewery in the state and one of the best in the country. Fact. It isn't taste bias, or anything else...

The great dane is a nice place but the beer is meh...

Good to know you're the final vote of the world. New Glarus makes some OK beers and some pretty blah beers. Yeah, they're worlds better than the crap big beers like Coors, but that's not tough to do. I guess if you like a bottle of foam they're pretty good, though(ever poor their beer into a glass?). And The Great Dane(especially the one in Fitchburg) kicks ass and Ale Asylum is pretty awesome too. Capital is totally decent. I'd Definitely take any of them over New Glarus every single time. To each his own.

 

[logan3825]

I haven't noticed any difference in the food between any of the three Great Dane locations I have visited in Madison. Downtown seems to have the widest selection of their own beer.

Good to know you're the final vote of the world. New Glarus makes some OK beers and some pretty blah beers. Yeah, they're worlds better than the crap big beers like Coors, but that's not tough to do. I guess if you like a bottle of foam they're pretty good, though(ever poor their beer into a glass?)

Wow. New Glarus is pretty well respected around the country. I always pour beer in a glass and I am not really sure what the problem is other than you don't personally prefer them. I would guess that you like lagers and traditional styles more than ales if you prefer Capitol. Both make quality beer.