Richard Hartley
Unless you’re one of the 6,000 who have tickets to the Great Taste of the Midwest, the best part of the region’s premier beer festival will be what happens in the Madison area in the days leading up to the big event.
This year marks the 30th Great Taste. More than 150 participating breweries and well over 1,000 different beers will be served at Olin Park on Saturday, Aug. 13. Tickets for the festival were gone long ago, back in May.
However, as the brewers descend upon our town, many will take part in special tappings and beer release pre-parties. The Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild tracks many of these.
These events top my list.
Wednesday, Aug. 10
Beer and Ice Cream Social
Next Door Brewing Company, 5 p.m.
Beer floats are on the menu here, pairing four of the brewpub’s beers with ice cream and/or sorbet from Sassy Cow Creamery. Tickets are $12/person; call 608-729-3683 to reserve a spot.
Thursday, Aug. 11
Farm to Table / Hop Farm to Tap
The Edgewater, 6 p.m.
This event showcases fresh hop-infused beers from Wisconsin Brewing, Vintage, One Barrel and Alt Brew. Early that day, brewmasters Kirby Nelson, Scott Manning, Peter Gentry and Trevor Easton will pick fresh (wet) hops from fields managed by Gorst Valley Hops. They’ll be infused into three beers from each brewery, resulting in at least a dozen hop-forward brews. Tickets: $20/person via isthmustickets.com.
Breweries of St. Louis
Dexter’s Pub, all day
This St. Louis brewery tap takeover includes 2nd Shift Brewing, 4 Hands Brewery, Civil Life Brewing, Perennial Artisan Ales, Kirkwood Station Brewing, O’Fallon Brewery and Urban Chestnut Brewing, and will feature a range of sours, German-influenced lagers and eclectic small-batch wonders from the Show Me State.
Friday, Aug. 12
Mob the House
House of Brews, 2-10 p.m.
This annual event has grown into a mini-fest of its own, with more than a dozen Wisconsin breweries participating and 25-plus beers. Tickets ($20 via isthmustickets.com, or at the door) allow attendees six 10-ounce pours. Four bands and food carts will also be on hand.
O’so and Friends at the Geuzeria
Funk Factory Geuzeria, 3 p.m.
This haven for sour-lovers at 1604 Gilson St. will share taps with O’so Brewing in what should be sour central among the pre-parties. Tastings of Funk Factory beers are rare, often limited to collaboration events with other breweries. Even more rare is when the Geuzeria opens its doors to visitors. A few of Levi Funk’s unique releases will include Door Kriek, Tradeship Rakau, Tradeship Blood Orange and Bosbes. In addition to beers from O’so, look for a few special beers from Mikerphone (Elk Grove, Illinois), Penrose (Geneva, Illinois), Transient (Chicago) and Forager (Rochester, Minnesota).
The Fermentorium Tap Takeover
Rockhound Brewing, 3 p.m.
Two of Wisconsin’s newest breweries come together to show what they can do. Rockhound opened in April and just a few weeks ago fired up its in-house brew kettle for the first time. The Fermentorium is a new brewery in Cedarburg.
Hop-Borer, the Gluten Tolerant and Treemo
The Parched Eagle, 3 p.m.
Brewmaster Jim Goronson has been busy for weeks in his Westport nano-brewery prepping two special releases. Gluten Tolerant, a bold wheatwine that finishes at nearly 11% ABV, will be on tap. At 6:50 p.m., Goronson will break out a brett-soured version of the brewery’s Hop-Bearer American IPA. The acoustic rock band Treemo will also be playing.
Thirsty Pagan and Capital Brewery Tap Takeover
Robinia Courtyard, 4 p.m.
Thirsty Pagan of Superior and Capital Brewery of Middleton
Brewmasters Ashley Kinart of Capital and Allyson Rolph of Thirsty Pagan will be on hand with their beers in the courtyard. A Mongoose Fat Tire bicycle will be raffled off — nice, but perhaps more to the point, so will a pair of tickets to the Great Taste of the Midwest.
Wisconsin Showcase
The Malt House, 4 p.m.
Show fealty to Wisconsin favorites — 14 tap lines will highlight standouts such as Capital 30th Anniversary Imperial Pilsner, One Barrel Big Bear Belgian dark strong, Lake Louie Oktoberfest, Central Waters Cassian Sunset and a surprise from House of Brews.
Lake Louie Oktoberfest
Jordan’s Big 10 Pub, 5 p.m.
This is the first time brewmaster Tom Porter has offered an Oktoberfest.
Brew City on Tap in Mad City
Next Door Brewing Company, 6 p.m.
Beer from four Milwaukee beer makers — Brenner, Good City, Sprecher and Raised Grain — will be on tap, along with some surprises from the host brewpub.
Bourbon County Stout Proprietors Vertical Tapping
Madison’s, 4 p.m.
A vertical tapping of Goose Island’s Bourbon County stouts will start with the 2015 version, followed by 2014’s vintage at 5 p.m. and 2013’s at 6 p.m. Bourbon County vintages always attract a lot of attention, so it’s advisable to show up early.
