David Michael Miller
BeerType1
Madison may well be the epicenter of craft beer in Wisconsin. But could the city soon face a glut of pubs? There has been an explosion of new neighborhood nanobreweries, specialty brewers and taphouses, as well as an influx of new national and regional craft beer bars featuring 50 to 100 taps. On the plus side, it’s becoming easier for just about anyone to walk home from the nearby tap. Here’s a handy compilation of the latest pubs, those in progress and several proposed projects.
1640 Gilson St.
Producer of sours and lambics. Open now, but only for occasional tastings and art shows.
211 E. Main St., Stoughton
Beer currently being made at House of Brews will soon be produced in-house. Three or four house brews are on tap along with a handful of other Wisconsin craft brews. Appetizers, sandwiches. Opened: August 2014.
6818 Canal St., Paoli
Taproom with 4-6 taps, concentrating on locally grown hops. Opened: April 2015.
5440 Willow Rd., Westport
Nanobrewery with a half-dozen taps from brewmaster Jim Goronson. Small menu of appetizers. Opened: May 2015.
231 South Main St., Verona
Brewmaster Phil Hoechst hopes to maintain about a half-dozen house beers on tap. Opening: June 24, 2015.
1808 Wright St.
Greenview currently produces gluten-free Alt Brew at House of Brews but will be moving to this new brewing facility and tasting room. Target opening date: August 2015.
114 E. Main St., Waunakee
10-barrel brewpub with plans to serve 10 house beers at a time, plus other craft brews and local foods. Target opening date: January 2016.
Octopi Brewing
1220 Uniek Dr., Waunakee
Octopi will brew its own beers and brew under contract for other brewers. Construction on the 16,000-square-foot facility is well under way, and brew house installation may take place next month. Plans are for an indoor taproom for 60 as well as outdoor patio space. Target opening date: late summer or early fall 2015.
4539 Helgesen Dr. at House of Brews.
Mark Cook of Marshall and Jim Jorgenson of Fort Atkinson are working with Madison’s House of Brews to make their Bent Kettle brands. Their first beer, Insolence (IPA), just appeared on local taps. Produced first beer: June 2015.
8225 Greenway Blvd., Middleton
Large national chain. This new location
will offer more than 40 tap beers and
500-plus bottles in the coolers. Sandwiches, appetizers, flatbreads.
Target opening date: August 2015.
222 W. Gorham St.
Michigan-based taphouse chain specializing in burgers and beer.
HopCat commonly offers over 100 tap beers. Target opening date: July 2015.
305 W. Johnson St.; 103 W. Broadway, Monona
Burger and beer bar chain that’s opened outlets in Middleton, Verona and Waunakee over the past year and a half. Expect 45-50 beers on tap.
Downtown location opened June 2015. Target opening date Monona: Fall 2015.
Freiburg Gastropub
2612 Monroe St.
German-style gastropub with an emphasis on German foods. Target opening date not specified.
444 S. Park St.
Homebrewer Nate Warnke hopes to specialize in ales and lagers. Target opening date: 2016.
Proposed
A New Vintage brewpub in Sauk City
Madison’s west-side brewpub is developing plans to locate along the Wisconsin River in Sauk City. It would be the second brewpub for Vintage, which also runs the Woodshed Ale House in Sauk City. Target opening date: 2016.
Lucky’s
1313 Brew Pub, 1313 Regent St.
Rod Ripley of the current Lucky’s Bar & Grille is proposing a brewpub for the Foreign Car Specialists site along with an apartment building. In planning stages.
Prairie Brewing & Smokehaus
Sun Prairie
Plans for this Sun Prairie brewpub have hit a roadblock. Brian Benzine and Ron Dombroski announced last fall that they were negotiating to buy the Sun Prairie Knights of Columbus building with the dream of constructing a brewpub, banquet facility and catering business. That deal has since fallen through, putting the brewpub on hold for now. Benzine says he’s still looking for a suitable location in Sun Prairie.
