What beer should I grab from Wisconsin?

[domdom]

I'm going to be up in Milwaukee, WI this next weekend. I'm planning to grab some Spotted Cow but wanted to check what other great, regional beers to grab that I can't get here in MO. I'm going to be fairly busy so I won't have a lot of time to run around searching for random, obscure stuff. Thanks!

 

[RunDadRun]

Spotted cow is a fine start, but really....just look for any bottle with the words New Glarus on them, put them in the cart, repeat. Check out the release schedule to study up on some names worth remembering.

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/beerschedule


Generally, where are you coming from? This would help us determine what you don't already have readily available.

 

[TallDan]

I'm going to be up in Milwaukee, WI this next weekend. I'm planning to grab some Spotted Cow but wanted to check what other great, regional beers to grab that I can't get here in MO. I'm going to be fairly busy so I won't have a lot of time to run around searching for random, obscure stuff. Thanks!

Not that spotted cow is a bad beer, but make sure you get some other New Glarus stuff too. Wisconsin Belgian Red is usually around and fantastic. Ale Asylum and Central Waters both make great stuff too.

Seekabrew.com shows a ton of beer that WI gets and MO doesn't. If you're stopping anywhere around the Chicago area, there's even more that you can find around that you can't get in MO (or even in southern IL).

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

Leinenkugel's is a great regional brew made in Wisconsin and sold in the Midwest, should be easy to find some. I can highly recommend their Canoe Paddler, which is a Kolsch style with rye, Honey Weiss, or Leinenkugel's Original.

 

[TallDan]

Leinenkugel's is a great regional brew made in Wisconsin and sold in the Midwest, should be easy to find some. I can highly recommend their Canoe Paddler, which is a Kolsch style with rye, Honey Weiss, or Leinenkugel's Original.

...and all of those beers enjoy national distribution. The OP can likely go to the grocery store and get any of them.

 

[aryoung1980]

New Glarus makes wonderful beer. Try multiple different Thumbprint Series. O'So Night Train is a great porter. Not sure if you get Lakefront and/or Sprecher in MO but if not hit up the breweries for the tours. Sprecher Black Bavarian is my favorite of their offerings but Special Amber and MaiBock are staples. Lakefront IPA and Cherry Lager are my favorites from that brewery. You could also look for their My Turn Series.

I highly suggest going to Discount Liquor on W. Oklahoma Ave. and spending an hour there browsing.

 

[signpost]

I was just in Wisconsin last week. The New Glarus beers I grabbed are:

Spotted Cow
Totally Naked
Moon Man
Scream IIPA (Thumbprint)
Berlinerweisse (Thumbprint)
Belgian Red
Serendipity

They are all really well made, but my least favorite is probably the IIPA. It's decent, but not as good as the rest. The 'sours' aren't really that sour in comparison to the Jolly Pumpkin stuff I have readily available around me in Michigan. The fruit beers (Serendipity & Belgian Red are really more fruit beer than sour beer) are delicious, though. The prices at the brewery are probably a little more than you might actually pay at a grocery store or something like that. I do wish I would've grabbed some of their Two Women lager. Just forgot to grab it. Oh well. Next time.

Another brewery we stopped at that is in Milwaukee was Water Street Brewery. They have a few locations, so I was thinking it was like a chain brew-pub kind of thing and the beer would be middle of the road at best. However, the food was great and the beer was even better. I only had a couple glasses as we just stopped there for lunch before getting back on the road (I wasn't driving), but the amber and the oktoberfest were both malty and delicious.

I did try a fare number of other beers while in the state and I'll second the suggestion of Ale Asylum. Another one that I enjoyed was Lake Louie Brewing. Oh, and I had a good stout from 3 Sheeps Brewing Co.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Unsure if Lucette brewing distributes all the way to Milwaukee but they have good stuff, the rose hips Hefeweizen they make is good.

 

[signpost]

Oh yeah, I am looking at possibly culturing up some of the Berlinerweisse yeast. The label says it is bottled with "five proprietary yeast strains." I haven't even tried the beer yet, though. My wife says it isn't all that sour and that she likes my Berliner better.

Either way, proprietary yeast makes me interested in trying to use it in a homebrew. I only have two bottles left though, so it may take a few steps to get close to a homebrew sized pitch. And there's no telling what the balance between the 5 yeasts might end up being.

I'm guessing there is some lacto and maybe some wild, Wisconsin-native yeast in there. Could be cool.

 

[aryoung1980]

People have mentioned Ale Asylum and it reminded me of another Madison brewery; Karben4. People seem to love their Fantasy Factory but I think it has more to do with it label than anything else. They do make good beer though.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1436844423.277583.jpg

Furthermore and Hinterland are both solid breweries too. I always loved Furthermore Proper while my wife enjoys their Knotstock (brewed with black pepper).

 

[aryoung1980]

I'm guessing there is some lacto and maybe some wild, Wisconsin-native yeast in there. Could be cool.

I believe the only beer made with a Wisconsin native yeast was Lakefront Wisconsinite. Not sure if it's still produced. I remember Jeremy King from Northern Brewer isolated it a few years back.

http://www.isthmus.com/food-drink/beer/beer-here-wisconsinite-summer-weiss-from-lakefront-brewery/

 

[AndyRN]

Everyone around my area loves the Spotted Cow; there's not much to hate, it's a clean crisp beer however, I have to admit it's not my favorite. When you buy New Glarus beer make sure you read the label description, I have bought their beer before not realizing there was fruit added. Many places around here will let you make a sample pack of New Glarus beers so you can try several.

There are a ton of microbreweries in this area. You will not have a tough time finding a local beer that you like.

Leinenkugels has a lot of great beers; however, you can get Leinies anywhere these days it seems.

 

[JonM]

I'll second the New Glarus Thumbprint series. In fact, grab all the New Glarus you can!

EDIT: I see you're on a tight schedule. Then by all means hit Discount on Oklahoma. It's one stop shopping for all the great regional stuff. There's another location in Waukesha if that's where you'll be staying.

The following is my earlier post, probably stuff for a lighter schedule:


The Ale Asylum is a Madison brewery, but they just opened a Milwaukee tap room/restaurant in a great space on the river (3rd Street downtown.)

There's a great spot in Bay View where Lincoln Ave and Kinnickinnick Aces meet. There's a bar called Sugar Maple - 60 taps of great American craft beers. Next door is Cafe Centraal - great food and a TON of great European beers.

If you want to do tours, Lakefront is a blast. We also have a Northern Brewer retail store if you feel the need to get gear or ingredients.

 

[TastyAdventure]

Compare and contrast beers available in any 2 states:
Www.seekabrew.com

 

[Yooper]

Leinenkugel's is a great regional brew made in Wisconsin and sold in the Midwest, should be easy to find some. I can highly recommend their Canoe Paddler, which is a Kolsch style with rye, Honey Weiss, or Leinenkugel's Original.

As was mentioned, it's a national product, owned by SABMiller. It's not a little "regional brew" at all. If you like it, that's great but it's part of a big conglomeration and not a local find.

Everyone around my area loves the Spotted Cow; there's not much to hate, it's a clean crisp beer however, I have to admit it's not my favorite. When you buy New Glarus beer make sure you read the label description, I have bought their beer before not realizing there was fruit added. Many places around here will let you make a sample pack of New Glarus beers so you can try several.

There are a ton of microbreweries in this area. You will not have a tough time finding a local beer that you like.

Leinenkugels has a lot of great beers; however, you can get Leinies anywhere these days it seems.

Spotted Cow is probably most famous, but it is a simple cream ale. It's quite good, but nothing outstanding to share.

New Glarus is $7.99 a six pack around here, for all but their "special" beers. Even their Moon Man pale ale is very nice. I'm not a fan of sours or fruit beers, but they really are famous in the rest of the country for beers like their Belgian Red (bomber sized).

Milwaukee Brewing Company is ok, and I like to drink their beers at the Milwaukee Ale House but you can buy some to take home.

I second the stop at Discount Liquor on Oklahoma- they have everything and prices are good.

My favorite brewery in Milwaukee is Lakefront. If you're pressed for time, that might be THE stop to make.

 

[wobdee]

Look for Lazy Monk, very good German and Czech Lagers brewed in Eau Claire, WI.

 

[Yooper]

I can't believe I forgot about this (blame old age and lack of coffee this morning!) but Black Husky is on tap at Palm Tavern and Sugar Maple, and available in bottles as well.

One of the things they are most famous for is a Spruce tip beer. I'm not usually a fan, but it is really quite good. It's called Sproose Joose. He had an imperial version of that a couple of years ago called "Sparkley Eyes" that was wonderful. I also like their pale ale, but it's an over-the-top pale, more like an IPA.

The brewery is here in the Northwoods, but he distributes primarily in Milwaukee and southern Wisconsin, so it should be available.

 

[ImNoExpert]

Central Waters. I put their bourbon barrel aged stuff up against anyone. Though, this is the wrong time of year to find it. Not sure what the've got in bombers right now, but it's usually pretty good. Their DIPA and Imperial Stout (six packs) are also very good for the money.

 

[ImNoExpert]

Also Mob Craft is getting pretty popular. I've had one or two of their beers and they were excellent. I think in a couple of years they are going to be huge.

They're moving to Milwaukee, though I'm not sure if they are distributing there yet.

 

[JonM]

I have seen Batsh*t Crazy from Mobcraft at Discount on Oklahoma.

 

[ImNoExpert]

I can't believe I forgot about this (blame old age and lack of coffee this morning!) but Black Husky is on tap at Palm Tavern and Sugar Maple, and available in bottles as well.

One of the things they are most famous for is a Spruce tip beer. I'm not usually a fan, but it is really quite good. It's called Sproose Joose.

+1

I had this at Great Taste of the Midwest a couple of years ago. Should be considered the gold standard for spruce beer.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

Look for Lazy Monk, very good German and Czech Lagers brewed in Eau Claire, WI.

Western Wisconsin represent!

Unfortunately I don't think Lazy Monk distributes all the way down to Milwaukee, I think they're having a hard time even keeping up with demand here in Eau Claire. Though to the OP, if you see the Lazy Monk cans, and they have the Biere de Garde, buy it, its fantastic.

Basically in Wisconsin, you would have to *try* and buy bad beer, of the Wisconsin breweries theres very few that make anything bad, at best there are a few that make "average" "meh" beers.

If you see stuff from South Shore such as their Coffee Mint Stout, buy lots of it. Its seriously fantastic

 

[aryoung1980]

I can't believe I forgot about this (blame old age and lack of coffee this morning!) but Black Husky is on tap at Palm Tavern and Sugar Maple, and available in bottles as well.

Ray's Growler Gallery on W. North Ave. in Wauwatosa had a tap take over with that brewery a while back. That'd be another good place to stop for some one-off and hard to get beers. They'll fill your growlers or you can purchase their own. Prices are fair. Check their website once you're in town to see what is on tap.

 

[SirSpectre]

Lake front brewery tour is fun, beers are just OK in my opinion.

Sprecher brewery has a really good Russian imperial stout and abbey tripel. Tour is pretty sweet too. If you can, they have a reserve tour that does special beer and cheese pairings. Plus awesome soda.

Ale Asylum, grab the one offs. This year my favorite is Pantheon. Imperial brown ale. Definitely worth a grab.

MKE Brewery has a pretty small and boring tour, but decent beers. Lots of IPAs

Anything from New Glarus. Raspberry saison is actually really good.

Bars to hit up:

Sugar Maple - Huge Variety of US craft
Cafe Benelux - Belgians - awesome food too
Cafe Bavaria - Germans
World of Beer - All kinds, plus a damn good place to eat.

 

[adamranders]

Make a stop at the malt shoppe in wauwatosa, on hwy100. Easily the best bottle shop around and they guys there will gladly help you find the best locals available, reasonable prices too.

Plus you can grab a pint while you browse

 

[hanuswalrus]

All New Glarus is good.. I'd have to say Two Women is my favorite of their's that I've tried.

Also, you can get 3 Floyds in WI. As well as Toppling Goliath.. and I just read that Surly is now in Wisconsin. All awesome breweries that I don't believe distribute to MO

 

[JonM]

The Malt Shoppe, World of Beer, and Northern Brewer are all on the same street (Hwy 100) and I'd guess less than a mile apart. Maybe a tad more.

 

[ruralbrew]

I really like the Wisconsinite from Lakefront, their Fixed Gear is pretty good too. Any of the thumbprint series from New Glarus is good, and I like their fruit beers. Not as sour as a true lambic but good nonetheless. It is probably all gone but if you should happen upon a 4-pack of their Cranberry Lambic from last fall grab it. I guarantee it will make your mouth pucker.

Another brewery I like is Rush River. Good solid beers. Haven't had anything from them I didn't like.

 

[WI_Wino]

I had never heard of Black Husky before and found their website. If I didn't hear from someone on this board they were actually in business I would have bet a lot of money that it was defunct. Seriously, looks like a Geocities site from the 90s.

http://blackhuskybrewing.com/

 

[beersk]

Look for Lazy Monk, very good German and Czech Lagers brewed in Eau Claire, WI.

Was going to suggest this.

Also, if you can find it, look for Tribute Brewing Co. beer. The brewer, Marc, has been a long time member of Northern brewer and American Homebrewers Association forums (as well as Leos, brewer of Lazy Monk). He (Marc) sent me some of his homebrews about 6 years ago that were stellar. Check 'em out if you can.

Otherwise, the obvious, New Glarus.

 

[wobdee]

Western Wisconsin represent!

Unfortunately I don't think Lazy Monk distributes all the way down to Milwaukee, I think they're having a hard time even keeping up with demand here in Eau Claire. Though to the OP, if you see the Lazy Monk cans, and they have t he Biere de Garde, buy it, its fantastic.

Basically in Wisconsin, you would have to *try* and buy bad beer, of the Wisconsin breweries theres very few that make anything bad, at best there are a few that make "average" "meh" beers.

If you see stuff from South Shore such as their Coffee Mint Stout, buy lots of it. Its seriously fantastic

Ray's Wine and Spirits in Milwaukee, Bernie's Tap Room in Waukesha.

 

[JonM]

And if you're a coffee guy, grab a pound of Collectivo. The cafés are all over town.

 

[domdom]

Thanks for all the suggestions! hopefully i can find a few of these. last time i was only in milwaukee for a day playing a show. we were in a hurry and my only options that weren't BMC swill was spotted cow or new glarus's brown ale (a style i'm not a fan of).

 

[WI_Wino]

Oh yeah, I am looking at possibly culturing up some of the Berlinerweisse yeast. The label says it is bottled with "five proprietary yeast strains." I haven't even tried the beer yet, though. My wife says it isn't all that sour and that she likes my Berliner better.

Either way, proprietary yeast makes me interested in trying to use it in a homebrew. I only have two bottles left though, so it may take a few steps to get close to a homebrew sized pitch. And there's no telling what the balance between the 5 yeasts might end up being.

I'm guessing there is some lacto and maybe some wild, Wisconsin-native yeast in there. Could be cool.

Let us know if you have success in culturing from the NG Berliner Weisse. I know they pasteurize a lot of their beers but I'm not sure about this specific one.

 

[JonM]

I think NG's Berliner Weisse gets its tartness from Riesling must rather than from lacto, but I could be wrong - that could have been an old recipe.

 

[Jwash1705]

Lakefront fixed gear was one of my favorites and the tour was cool if you have time as others have stated. Best part being the Laverne and Shirley soundtrack on the bottling line

 

[signpost]

I think NG's Berliner Weisse gets its tartness from Riesling must rather than from lacto, but I could be wrong - that could have been an old recipe.

Ah, the side of the bottle does mention riesling, but I thought that might just be an addition rather than a replacement for the traditional sourness.

 

[domdom]

reporting back on what i got and tried in milwaukee. as i figured, time was short so my only option was a liquor store a couple blocks from my friends place.
What i tried:
I was at a bar for a show and got a try some stuff:
-NG totally naked:
-Fantasy factory IPA
-Ale Asylum demento
-NG road slush

brought back:
-NG spotted cow
-NG moon man
-NG berliner weisse
-NG scream iipa
-capitol brewing ghost ship white IPA
-surly bitter brewer
-horny goat laka laka pineapple heffeweisen

 

[JonM]

Well done! Nice selection. That Scream IIPA is especially fantastic.

 

[aryoung1980]

Capitol's white IPA was really good the last time I had it. I'm curious what you'll think about the Horny Goat. I haven't had any of their beers in three years or so. They used to be crap. Hopefully they've improved.