Robin Shepard
Tom Christie officially pulls the construction permit off the front windows in preparation of Parched Eagle's opening day.
The bar top is sealed, the furniture is in place and Burgeoning Goth Queen is on tap as Parched Eagle opens its new Madison taproom Friday, May 12, at 3 p.m.
“There’s a lot of excitement on our part, the neighborhood’s and from our friends and customers,” says co-owner and brewmaster Jim Goronson.
Parched Eagle’s new taproom is located at 1444 East Washington Ave., near the Yahara River and bike path. It shares a building with the Art In gallery and Maria’s bar, adding a new dimension to a location already known for art and music.
The taproom had been scheduled to open last Friday, on one of the busiest days of Madison Craft Beer Week; however, delays in construction and final inspections forced a delay.
Goronson and his business partner, Tom Christie, opened the first Parched Eagle brewpub in Westport just two years ago. While business in that location has been steady, Goronson says being so far on Madison’s north side has been a challenge to the bottom line: “This will allow us to be more profitable.”
He and Christie plan to continue operating both taprooms for the time being, and the Westport location also contains the brewery. With two locations and growing interest from other local bars for his beer, Goronson says he’s planning to expand that brew house by doubling its capacity. Currently he using a one-barrel brewing system, so even a 100 percent increase still keeps him among the state’s smallest brewers. To meet the demand he’s also contract brewing with Madison’s House of Brews for his most popular beers.
Goronson always hoped he would find space a little closer to downtown Madison and this location near the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood achieves that goal. “This is an up-and-coming area for craft beer,” he says. The neighborhood is part of the craft-beer-centric east side that includes brewery taprooms of One Barrel Brewing and Next Door Brewing, and beer hangouts like the Malt House and BarleyPop Tap and Shop.
The new Parched Eagle taproom is about 700 square feet, with an art deco feel that fits well with the adjoining gallery space. It has arching corner glass block windows, as well as large picture windows that face East Washington Avenue. The taproom’s focal point is the white pine bar top made from recently harvested trees from the UW Arboretum and milled by Baraboo Woodworks. Goronson relied on his older brother, Bill, to do most of the inside renovations, including the finishing and installation of the bar.
Parched Eagle’s taps allow for 12 beers, most of which will be made by Goronson, with a handful of brews from other Wisconsin breweries. There’s a tap dedicated to gluten-free beer and one will eventually be reserved a cider. The opening beer list includes Goronson’s main house beer created just for the Madison taproom, Burgeoning Goth Queen. It’s a very dark oatmeal stout with lots of roasted chocolate malt.
Other Parched Eagle beers for opening night include Golden Ale (kolsch), Crane Ale (American pale ale), Hop Bearer (IPA), La Chingade CACA (maibock), and Stella (Belgian dark strong).
The new Parched Eagle will be open Tuesday through Sunday. It does not serve food.
