Robin Shepard
Hop Haus Brewing, on Main Street in Verona, is planning a grand opening for July 17.
Hop Haus Brewing Company in Verona is the latest brewpub to open in the area, among a current spate of openings. The Hop Haus started learning more about its customers and training its staff during a soft opening phase over the past week. “It’s been fun just having [people] come in and tell me how excited they are having us come to town,” says owner and brewmaster Phil Hoechst. The grand opening is planned for July 17.
Hoechst and his wife, Sara, jointly run the brewpub, despite holding down other jobs and raising two young children — a 3-year-old and one just five months old. Phil is a physical therapist for the state of Wisconsin and Sara is a bar manager for the Tipsy Cow in downtown Madison. Both say they’re waiting to adjust to the growing demands of brewpub ownership before leaving their day jobs.
While Hoechst has room for nearly a dozen taps of his own beers, he’s currently offering about four housemade brews alongside several guest beers from such other local breweries as Karben4, Vintage and Wisconsin Brewing Co.
Robin Shepard
The bar and dining room are decorated with recycled barn wood, sourced in Mount Horeb.
One of the biggest crowdpleasers so far, says Hoechst, is the Wildcat Amber, a beer named after the local high school team the Verona Wildcats. It’s a solid amber ale with a malty backbone that finishes balanced and clean at 5.3% ABV.
The other early favorite is El Andy IPA. It’s firmly hopped with El Dorado hops that give it an estimated 55 IBUs (International Bitterness Units). There’s a nice crisp citrus bitterness to El Andy (which takes its name from a character on the Showtime series “Weeds”). It ends up at 6.6% ABV.
Allegedly Albino shows off Nelson Sauvin hops, a New Zealand variety that’s named after Sauvignon Blanc grapes. There’s a solid bitterness to this pale ale and a hint of grape-like bitterness.
For dark malt fans, the Deuce Deuce Porter is a flavorful middle-of-the-road brown porter; its name stemps from it being the second batch of beer made by Hoechst. It’s a dark, with balance and a hint of roasted coffee bitterness. Among the beers coming up in the next few weeks will be another hoppy IPA, a Belgian Dubbel and an Imperial Red Ale.
Robin Shepard
The 2,600-square-foot storefront is next to the Military Ridge State Trail.
The Hop Haus has been in the works for over a year. It’s located at 231 S. Main St., in a 2,600-square-foot storefront next to the Military Ridge State Trail. The bar and dining room are decorated with recycled barn wood (from a barn near Mount Horeb ). The heart of the operation is a small three-barrel system (similar in size to those used by Next Door Brewing in Madison and the Viking Brewpub in Stoughton). Much of the work was done by Phil Hoechst and his father, Hartmut, right down to the hand-carved barnwood taster-trays used for beer flights.
The Hop Haus is open 3-10 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-10 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. and 4-11 p.m. Mon. Most beers are $4.50/pint; flights (5 oz. each of of five beers) are $9; and two sizes of growlers are available, ranging from $8 to $14 (refill). The brewpub offers pizza, but encourages customers to bring in food or order delivery from other local restaurants; food carts are also set to make regular stops.
