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A Brew with a View: Wisconsin Dells on Tap 2009

September 16, 1:33 AMMadison Craft Beer ExaminerHalina Zakowicz
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            Wisconsin Dells on Tap poster

September and October are the months traditionally reserved for beer fests. Never one to buck tradition, I will be making the rounds to one, if not more, beer fests around Madison. One of my favorite beer fests is the annual Wisconsin Dells on Tap, where one can sip a beer while surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs that overlook dark, rushing waters. This year's beer fest will occur on Saturday, October 17th, from the hours of 12-5 PM.

The Wisconsin Dells, located about 70 miles northwest of Madison, are truly a magical place. The town of not even 2,500 residents swells to several times its normal size in the summertime, thanks to an influx of tourists and nature-seekers. Also the self-proclaimed "Waterpark Capital of the World", Wisconsin Dells is certainly the place to be in the hot and dry months of July and August.

However, once the weather turns cooler and the waterparks shut down, thoughts naturally traverse to a different type of liquid refreshment. This refreshment is darker and more bubbly, much like the river waters of the Wisconsin Dells themselves. 

This year's beer fest will feature a number of local Wisconsin microbreweries, including the Madison-based breweries Ale Asylum, Capital Brewery, and Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company. There will be many more, as provided in the list below.

 

Ale Asylum
Madison, WI
Ale Asylum brews traditional, bold beers for those who demand quality and consistency.

 

BluCreek Brewing
Madison, WI
BluCreek Brewing specializes in producing unique, handcrafted beer that stands out in the market.



 

Capital Brewery
Middleton, WI
Winner of a 2008 Great American Beer Festival gold medal for their Autumnal Fire, Capital Brewery was founded on March 14, 1984 and produced its first brew in 1986.

 

 

 

Central Waters Brewing Company
Amherst, WI
Winner of a 2008 Great American Beer Festival gold medal for their Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, Central Waters Brewing Company continues to build on the solid reputation of producing the finest quality beers in central Wisconsin.

 

 

 

 

Corner Pub Brewery
Reedsburg, WI
Corner Pub Brewery is the smallest microbrewery in Wisconsin, producing 100 barrels of beer a year, two barrels at a time.

 

Furthermore Beer
Spring Green, WI
Furthermore Beer, brewed in Black River Falls at the Sand Creek Brewery, puts their products into the hands of the beerly beloved.

 

 

 

 

Goose Island Beer Company
Sun Prairie, WI
John Hall founded the Goose Island Beer Company in 1988. Today, they brew an innovative selection of over 50 craft beers.

Gray's Brewing Company
Janesville, Wisconsin
The Gray family has been creating some of the finest hand-crafted beers and sodas for over 150 years and five generations.

Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.
Madison, Wisconsin
Winner of a 2008 Great American Beer Festival bronze medal for their Old Scratch Barley Wine ’99, the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. offers a wide selection of ales and lagers, with a seasonal specialty brew always on tap to please the "stoutest" of beer enthusiasts.

 

 

Horny Goat Brewing Co.
Franklin, WI
Horny Goat Brewing Co. beer is top fermented with only choice ingredients and an abundant supply of love from their award winning Brewmaster; you are sure to find a brew that suits your inner goat.

 

 

Lakefront Brewery
Milwaukee, WI
Winner of a 2008 Great American Beer Festival silver medal for their New Grist beer and the 2008 Wisconsin Dells On Tap People’s Choice award for their Pumpkin Lager, Lakefront Brewery is a locally owned microbrewery that began in 1987 selling exclusively to taverns within barrel-rolling distance of the brewery.

 

 

Leinenkugel's - C & H Inc.
Lake Delton, WI
Winner of a 2008 Great American Beer Festival silver medal for their Creamy Dark beer, Leinenkugel's brews seven year-round and three seasonal brews. Its products are distributed in over 27 states, primarily in the upper Midwest.

 

 

Milwaukee Brewing Co.
Milwaukee, WI
Founded by local homebrewers on October 17, 1998, Milwaukee Brewing Co. is located in a brick and timber warehouse in Milwaukee’s historic downtown 3rd Ward.

 

Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co.
Wisconsin Dells, WI
Winner of a 2008 Great American Beer Festival silver medal for their Dells Chief Amber Ale, Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co. serves nine unique handcrafted brews from its 15-barrel "copper-clad" brew house.

 

 

 

New Glarus Brewery
New Glarus, WI
The New Glarus Brewing Company philosophy is based on individuality, cooperation and the employment of 100% natural ingredients.

 

 

O’so Brewing Company
Plover, WI
O’so Brewing celebrates hand crafted brewing methods on a small scale. It’s O’so good!

Pangaea Beer Company
Neshkoro, WI
Pangea Beer Company is crafted at Sand Creek Brewery in Black River Falls.

Pearl Street Brewery
La Crosse, WI
Pearl Street Brewery brings the award-winning beers that have made them the most popular craft brewery on Wisconsin's West Coast.
 

Potosi Brewing Co.
Potosi, WI
Founded in 1852 and shuttered in 1972, the Potosi Brewing Co. has been renovated and is once again a fully functioning brewery and home to the National Brewery Museum of the American Breweriana Association.

 

 

 

Rush River Brewing Co.
River Falls, WI
The brewery boasts a 20-barrel brewhouse, and enough fermenters to produce approximately 5,000 barrels per year.

Sand Creek Brewing Co.
Black River Falls, WI
Located in beautiful west central Wisconsin, the Sand Creek Brewery is Wisconsin’s fastest growing brewery.

Stevens Point Brewery
Stevens Point, WI
Back in the 1800’s, when lumberjacks were first chopping inroads through the rugged woodlands of Wisconsin, two partners were malting and grinding grain to produce one of the very first American lager beers – Point Special Lager.

 

Stone Cellar Brewpub
Appleton, WI
Winners of the 2007 Wisconsin Dells On Tap People's Choice award for their Vanilla Stout. Stone Cellar BrewPub, housed in a brewery that was built 150 years ago, is Wisconsin’s oldest continually brewing brewpub.

The Grumpy Troll Restaurant & Brewery
Mt. Horeb, WI
Winner of the 2008 World Beer Cup gold medal for their Amnesia Baltic Porter, the Grumpy Troll features up to 12 hand-crafted brews on tap spanning all styles and tastes.

 

Thirsty Pagan Brewing
Superior, WI
Thirsty Pagan Brewing has been brewing since 2006 along the shores of the largest of the Great Lakes.

 

 

Tyranena Brewing Company
Lake Mills, WI
Each beer brewed at Tyranena has a unique name specific to the history and folklore from the surrounding area or refers to something quintessentially "Wisconsin". These legendary labels have become a trademark of the establishment and are a part of the distinctive charm of Tyranena beers.

Water Street Brewery
Milwaukee, WI
Water Street is celebrating 20 years of brewing history, creating a variety of award winning traditional and specialty beers.

 

What if your fellow attendee is not too fond of beer (gasp!), or even hand-crafted local Wisconsin microbrewed beer? Don't fret. The Wisconsin Dells on Tap event coincides with the much larger Autumn Harvest Fest. The Harvest Fest runs all weekend, from October 17 to the 18th, and features such non-alcoholic activities as an arts and crafts marketplace, a pie contest, and live entertainment. There are also many children's activities, such as pony rides, hay rides, a petting zoo, a kids' craft corner, and pumpkin decorating.

Because not too many tickets are left for this event, you are best advised to buy one (or more) now. The attendance is limited to just 2,000 happy and inebriated participants (almost the size of the town of Wisconsin Dells!).


   A ticket to the 2009 Wisconsin Dells on Tap

 

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