Robin Shepard
Gaston Solis with a Crucial Zs Czech pilsner.
The Borough Beer Co. & Kitchen opened in July in the former Rockhound Brewing Company space at 444 South Park St. Rockhound closed in November 2020, one of the first local restaurant/bar casualties during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Borough is positioning itself as an upscale craft beer and specialty cocktail hangout. Principal owner Gaston Solis says the idea for the brewpub emerged from traveling in New York and experiencing the city’s boroughs. “Madison has some cool neighborhoods with their own community feel, so I thought why not just roll with the borough concept,” he says.
Solis is a former general manager of The Statehouse in the Edgewater Hotel and also worked at the now-closed Brocach Irish Pub.
Rockhound’s equipment still sits inside the brew house. For now, Solis is contracting Borough’s beers, brewed by Delta Beer Lab for the next year. That will give him time to learn about the preferences of the neighborhood — or rather the borough — that surrounds the pub.
The Borough is currently offering three of its own beers, designed by Solis and brewed at Delta. The Roly Soli, a play on Solis’ name, is a hazy yellow-golden IPA with firm citrus flavor and dry grapefruit finish. It’s been the most popular so far and is the early customer favorite for becoming the brewpub’s eventual flagship. The Drake is an English-style pale ale made with Golding hops that lend pleasant bitterness to a malty background. It is very sessionable at 5 percent ABV.
My pick of the current lineup is Crucial Zs, a Czech-style pilsner. It’s a solid representation of the style and the Saaz hops really shine with herbal and floral aroma. It is crisp, flavorful, easy drinking, and pairs well with just about anything on the brewpub’s menu. Borough beers sell for $6/pint or a three-beer flight for $8.
Solis says these three will be his core beers for now, but he hopes to add a seasonal or two in the fall and winter.
The interior has not changed much, except for a darker color scheme. A wall that had been part of the square bar in the center of the dining room has been removed. The food menu includes appetizers, salads, sandwiches, tacos, and heartier entrees: short ribs, fish, chicken and shepherd’s pie. The Borough Beer Company & Kitchen is currently open Tuesday-Sunday. Starting Sept. 5, it will also be open Mondays.
