Whistle Stop Restaurant & Woodman Brewery

Whistle Stop Restaurant & Woodman BreweryWhistle Stop Restaurant & Woodman Brewery
Whistle Stop Restaurant & Woodman BreweryWhistle Stop Restaurant & Woodman Brewery
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

401 Main St
Woodman, Wisconsin, 53827
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.32
Beers:
17
Ratings:
29
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.91
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
3
pDev:
5.12%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of arthuro11
Reviewed by arthuro11 from Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.5
We stopped into the Woodman Brewery after hanging out on the Wisconsin River on a sandbar (highly recommended in itself). Honestly we were pretty surprised to find a brewpub in a town with a population of 132(!) The place itself is decent enough, the decor is not very memorable, but people were friendly enough. But the selection of beers available was very surprising - four unique taps (rose red, jalapeno lager, vanilla bourbon barrel, and a 77 calorie cream ale that was pretty flavorful.) After a flight of those, we also got bottles of the white stout, Grecian ale (which was like a combo of grape soda and an IPA, the best beer imo), and also a cider that my wife who is rather picky about ciders liked enough to get 3 to go.

We weren't particularly hungry so can't say much about the food except what we did get was OK.

Although I have to say none of the beers we tried were over the top fabulous (probably give them all about a 7.5 on a scale of 10, average, maybe an 8 just based on the varieties brewed) it was still very cool to see a brewery in the middle of nowhere. We may have been the only ones in the bar drinking what was brewed on site, but we enjoyed the place and the beer and if we ever happen to be going through again (probably next year going back to the same sandbar for our friends birthday party again) we'll definitely stop in again. Apparently there is a sister brewery (third street brewpub) in Plattville WI, too - if you're near either of them I'd suggest stopping in to see what is on tap.

Bottom line - would definitely go there again!
Jul 23, 2013
Photo of mjsarch
Reviewed by mjsarch from Wisconsin

4.21/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped in on a quiet Saturday afternoon. This is the type of local establishment one doesn't see much anymore in these small, rural Wisconsin towns.
Had the Octoberfest and Amber Bock. Both were well made, clean beers. Chatted with the owner / brewmaster / postmaster Dennis, who graciously shared a lot of information on his brewing and recipe formulations. General approach is more on the creative, let's try something new concept. They offer a variety of their beers both on tap and in bottles, so we had him hand select a six pack to go. They also sell retail via Woodman's, and I'd recommend seeking his beers out.
Oct 09, 2011
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.89/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Woodman, WI
pop. 96

Drove by and the window neons were dark. No cars around... hmm, looks deserted. Past the red deer license sign, under a 30 year old PBR sign with "Whistle Stop" hand painted on it. Looks like a seriously rural roadhouse with no external signs about a brewery or anything. Can this possibly be the right place?

Approached the front door, and heard music inside. Try the door, hey it's open! It was dark in here. Once the eyes adjusted, we said hello to the lady tending the bar, who also turned out to be the owner. She offered free samples of all the drafts, and chatted with us about the beer though she admittedly wasn't a beer drinker. Her son is the brewmaster, and there were about a dozen varieties available, 7 on tap, 12 in bottles (some were both bottle/draft). The bar itself was relatively big, seating for 15+ and a dozen tables for many more. Some arcade games and electronic darts were in one corner, and there were some beer signs and mirrors around the wood-paneled walls.

As a true nanobrewery, the brewer brews on a 10 gallon system in the kitchen/basement/lair, and ferments in oak barrels apparently (?). What was great was the variety of brews available, and the clearly creative streak happening with the beers. A variety of styles, several using infusions of real fruit or nuts. Oatmeal Porter, Jalapeño Blonde Ale, Irish Dry Stout, Blueberry Ale, Coconut Wheat, and others. Some were much better than others, the two standouts were the Jamarillo and Irish Dry Stout for me.

Getting here is part of the fun, it's a very scenic drive with the river and state parks nearby.

2013:
The output of this brewer is very hit or miss, randomly all over the place. Throw it all at the wall and see what sticks. Several beers at the Great Taste in '12-'13 were infected. When I mentioned i'd visited the Whistle Stop before to the brewer, he looked at me sideways like I was lying to him. Then he later half-jokingly hassled a girl that she "must be underage" (at the Taste). Odd experience.

While I applaud the creativity, more focus is needed on putting out a clean and consistent product, which i'm skeptical of at this point.
Aug 04, 2011
Whistle Stop Restaurant & Woodman Brewery in Woodman, WI
Brewery rating: 3.32 out of 5 with 29 ratings