Robin Shepard
Union Corners Brewery owner Eric Peterson.
Madison’s beer scene continues to expand — explode? — with new bottle shops, breweries and brewery-tied taprooms. Can’t keep track of what’s opened where? Here’s a handy cheat sheet that covers Madison’s new breweries and taprooms that have opened over the last year.
2438 Winnebago St.
The latest brewery to open in Madison has — surprise! — a rustic-industrial, steam punk vibe, and the main bar was constructed from local reclaimed barnwood. Union Corners has 24 taps and its initial offerings have included several collaboration beers made with the help of Capital Brewery and Rockhound Brewing Company. The brewpub also invites customers to recommend recipes and come in for brew-day parties as their suggestions become beer-based reality. Brewery owner Eric Peterson says, “We want to be a union for craft brewers, a place to come hang out with brewers of all levels of skills and to celebrate making beer together.”
Specialties: Pale ales, IPAs, porters and sours.
What to watch for: Brewer John Puchalski’s first housemade brews should appear by July. They will include a pale ale made with Comet, Mosaic and Jarrylo hops; a Bavarian-style hefeweizen; and kettle-soured Berliner weisse. Later in the summer Puchalski will release a kvass (a Russian table beer) made with fermented rye bread from Stalzy’s. The brewpub also makes its own ice cream, used for beer floats.
1817 E. Washington Ave.
This new east side taproom is in the Marling Building. O’So’s core brands are on tap, but it is really an outlet for the brewery’s limited and experimental releases. The taproom offers about two dozen taps. There are a few tables outside along East Washington Avenue; there are plans to add a glass garage door to open the taproom to the sidewalk.
Specialties: IPAs, barrel-aged beers and sours
What to watch for: Blood of the Cherry, an extremely tart sour ale made with Door County cherries; and Groovy Smoothie, a sour made with crazy amounts of blackcurrant, vanilla and lactose.
121 W. Main St.
The second business venture from the owners of BarleyPop Tap & Shop. Both BarleyPops function as specialty bottle shops with a well-thought-out selection, coupled with 50 beers on tap. “We keep our downtown beer list a little more diverse, while the Atwood location is a little more focused,” says co-owner Jason Hajdik. The biggest difference here is live music (hence the name) in the Capitol Square location.
Specialties: A wide range of Wisconsin and Midwest craft breweries, often tapping limited, hard to find releases.
What to watch for: This is among a small list of local places where you will find beers from Milwaukee’s Eagle Park Brewing. Several hazy milkshake IPAs from Eagle Park are expected to turn up throughout the summer. Also on tap soon will be Dolphin Sparkles, a double IPA from Iowa’s Toppling Goliath Brewery, made in collaboration with Minnesota’s Barrel Theory Beer Company.
Delta Beer Lab
Delta Beer Lab
167 E. Badger Road
The taproom has the look and feel of a laboratory, complete with the characteristic hard black bench tops and tables like those in many science classrooms. Owner Tim “Pio” Piotrowski designed the space to remind patrons that making beer involves experimentation, and that’s what guides his constantly rotating beer selections.
Specialties: Light- and medium-bodied ales, kettle sours and a range of IPAs
What to watch for: Currently on tap (and in two-packs of 16-ounce cans) is a bold double IPA that comes in at 12 percent ABV and 90 IBUs. Also hitting Delta taps soon will be a New England IPA featuring Falconer’s Flight, Amarillo and Citra hops.
803 E. Washington Ave.
Located in the new Gebhardt Building, this upscale bar offers great views of the Capital, especially at night. It’s in the heart of a burgeoning entertainment district that includes The Sylvee and Breese Stevens Field. Tangent is affiliated with Vintage Brewing of Madison and Sauk City; while no beer is brewed onsite, drinkers will find at least a dozen beers for most visits, roughly half of which are brewed at Vintage but available only at Tangent.
Specialties: Some of the more unusual brews, often with a historic recipe behind them, from Vintage brewmaster Scott Manning.
What to watch for: Manning has been playing around with experimental hops and plans to release a new session IPA called Hop Scholar made with a variety that offers “barrel-aged” character. He also has a Norwegian farmhouse ale scheduled for July called A Fjord-able Luxury.
Giant Jones Brewing Company
Giant Jones Brewing Company
931 E. Main St.
Inside the Main Street Industries complex, Giant Jones’ taproom is barely separated from the brew area. A high ceiling and exposed rafters add to the industrial feel. Warming the atmosphere up are shows from local artists on the well-lit walls, and plenty of reclaimed wood in the bar top and tables. A large garage door along South Brearly Street can be opened in nice weather. Throughout the winter, there were food cart pop-ups with chili from the Ugly Apple food cart on Thursdays and fish fry from Laila Borokhim in Fridays. Throughout the summer, the Ugly Apple will be onsite Fridays 5:30-8 p.m.
Specialties: Big beers, often 8 percent or stronger, especially barleywines and Belgians. Giant Jones brews all certified organic beers. Owners Jessica and Erika Jones are passionate about pursuing an environmentally conscious way of making beer.
What to watch for: Brewmaster Jessica Jones’ latest creation is a double “international” pale ale made with organic ingredients from around the world — like Pacific Gem, Nelson Sauvin and Taiheke hops, American and German malts and cane sugar from Paraguay.
