Beercation: Quick Trip to Madison to Try Some New Brews Proves Fruitful

Because the busy summer season is right around the corner, I decided this was the best time for a quick getaway. I chose Madison for its driveable location, smaller city size and great beer life. 

I didn’t hit nearly all the places on my list, but I do have some new – and reaffirmed – favorite places to drink beer! There are tons of breweries in the capital, and even more amazing places to try beer, but I’ll stick to just a few of my favorites. 

While walking around the Capitol area, I stumbled on Great Dane Pub and Brewing. It’s probably well known to most of you, but I still figured it would be nice to check the place out. The downtown-Madison location – one of five – was spacious and beautiful. Being a little obsessed with sour beers, I tried the Flemish Sour Cherry. 

I was expecting a craft take on a Flanders red ale, a type of sour beer that originated in the Flanders region of Belgium. What makes this style distinctive is that it uses acetobacter in the fermentation process. This type of bacteria gives beer some crazy, funky, vinegar-like flavors because of its production of acetic acid. This beer wasn’t exactly a Flanders red, but the funky flavors from the Door County cherries – a little sweet and a lot tart – and definite acidity made this a surprisingly drinkable version of the Belgian original. 

Conveniently located a block away from Great Dane is the Young Blood Beer Co. taproom. The head brewer is Kyle Gregorash, the former head brewer at our local Hacienda Beer and Door County Brewing Co. in Baileys Harbor. The taproom is located on the main level, but a hole in the floor allows you to get up close and personal with the brewing facility. 

As for beer, I’m not sure what else to say besides that during the three nights I spent in the area, I visited this taproom twice. I tried a few brews – hoppies, malties and lights – and I have to say, each one was extremely well balanced and incredibly delicious. 

One called Templeton Ferrari the Third was brewed using a Zappa hop, which I had never heard of. Gregorash explained that the Zappa hop gives a flavor that’s described as being – yes, technically – like Fruity Pebbles cereal. I don’t think I could describe it any better. 

Just outside the city center is the Delta Beer Lab. I had never heard of this brewery before, but dang, it’s going to be on all my lists now! I tried two beers there and was impressed by both, but the one that really got me excited was its Mango Gose. A Gose (pronounced GO-zuh) is a style of wheat ale that originated in Goslar, Germany. It’s lightly tart and has an unusual coriander and salt character. 

Many American breweries have been making Goses, but they often make them overly sweet or tart, and they frequently forget about the salt altogether. Delta Beer Lab, however, did not forget what this style is all about and brewed its version with a light fruitiness and lots of focus on lactobacillus-style tartness and sea-salt brine. 

If you’re looking for a wide selection of beer to take back home – and maybe grab a beer on location – stop at the BarleyPop Tap & Shop. I love Door County, but there’s nothing like a city for finding an insane selection of beer. I even saw a few bottles from a small brewery outside of Austin that I didn’t even know was distributing. This place also has an excellent tap list if you want to have a beer at the shop. 

Unfortunately, many breweries that I wanted to try were closed during my weekday trip, but I’m staying positive: This only means that I’ll need to make another trip soon!