Best German styles in Madison area

Capital has been known to make good lagers; they make a good oktoberfest when it is that time of year, and autumnal fire is a different take on a dopplebock, but good. Also, a lot of people like their maibock.

Two women from New Glarus is a pretty good pilsner, and available year round, although it really doesn't have a stereotypical pils taste. But, when edel-pils and/or hometown blonde are availabe, grab them. Hopster is out now from NG, and although the name is stupid, and its not a typical hefe(its hopped up), its pretty tasty.

Wisconsin brewing companies ole reliable is a pretty good munich helles.

Most the other breweries around here do mostly ales.

 

If you want German craft, then also look at the beer from August Schell out of MN.

 

Or stick with the good stuff from germany; ayinger, weihenstephaner etc..

 

Yes, you can find Schell at Woodmans and Rileys.

 

Try Lakefront's Big Easy Maibock this year -- great rendition to-style. And Sprecher's German style beers are always pretty good -- see Black Bavarian in the beer list.

 

I don't think Two Women is a pilsner. Landbier is probably a better description.

 

Unfortunately, that's what it's been labeled here at BA. But Landbier is also a difficult style to define as it can vary from brewery to brewery in Germany. That said, 2 Women can be labeled as "good."

 

It is very similar to what are called Landbier/Lagerbier in several breweries around Bamberg. Sabine Weyermann is one of the 2 women, and Weyermann's malting is in Bamberg. @steveh is correct that Landbier is not easy to put in a tight box like Pilsners are.

 

Check out more of the German style beers at Vintage. In the winter they have a roggenbier brewed to bock strength. One of my favorite beers of all-time. Scott also brews a fine alt, Kölsch-style brew, and tasty bocks as well.

I also really like Next Door Brewing's gose which I think is called Egon. I believe it is a bit bigger than the style is traditionally brewed but very tasty. The salt and coriander are right up front.

Also on the brewpub front, the Great Dane has lagers on tap year-round plus various seasonals.

New Glarus brews an excellent Berliner Weisse as a limited release Thumbprint in the summer. Two Women is great as are Edel Pils and Hometown Blonde. They have seasonal bocks as well with a dark bock, Back 40, out in the winter while you should be able to find Cabin Fever now. It's a pale bock. I think these beers are less of an attempt to mimic German styles and more "Wisconsin bocks" - Americanized brews. Perhaps like the domestic bocks from 50-60 years ago.

Ale Asylum has a great hefeweizen called Unshadowed which is now bottled.

Capital has a German pils, Munich dunkel, and amber lager as annuals. They also brew a great Oktoberfest. From from through spring they offer bocks aplenty. The aforementioned Autumnal Fire, a blonde doppelbock, a dark doppelbock, an apple bock, and the current maibock.

Also check out Lakefront and Sprecher from Milwaukee. Lakefront has a similar annual lager lineup as Capital plus most of their seasonals seem to be lagers. Sprecher's Black Bavarian is fantastic. Think Köstritzer schwartzbier but thicker and richer. They also have a great amber lager and seasonals.

I'll second the Schell recommendation. In addition to the year-round lagers, they have a fresh hop pilsner and a Berliner Weisse series called Noble Star. Their winter seasonal is a rauch dunkles called Chimney Sweep which is fantastic.

I don't know of many locally brewed rauchbiers. Brenner in Milwaukee has one but I don't believe they distribute to Madison. Valkyrie has Whispering Embers, a rauch Oktoberfest which is great but only available in the autumn. And I didn't see it down here this past fall. You are stuck with Schlenkerla's brews though they are nice to be stuck with. I only see their helles at Steve's but the other styles are easy to find. Vintage brews a Grodziskie in the summer which is a Polish smoked wheat beer, though. Another fantastic brew.

I also recommend Rubee by Valkyrie, a nice Märzen. Hopefully, Night Wolf, their schwartzbier, will be available soon. Plus check out Lazy Monk's beers. I love their Czech and Munich style dark lagers. I believe LM is only available at Trixie's. As of last weekend they only had the golden ale and rye IPA. (The former is excellent.)

For German imports go to Riley's. They carry 3-4 Kölsches - real ones from Köln. They also have Professor Fritz Briem's retro Berliner Weisse and gruit. In the singles coolers you'll also find Berliner Kindl, a Berliner Weisse. They've also started carrying some of Freigeist brews - a spruce gose, a smoked Lichtenhainer weisse, and another of their more off-beat beers. Riley's also has Uerige alt beers which are from Dusseldorf and I believe I've seen Leipziger Gose there on occasion as well.

Other miscellaneous brews:

Berghoff's Germaniac, their take on the Kotbusser, a nearly-extinct style.

Leinenkugel's Big Eddy series has an imperial Oktoberfest and a big cherry dunkles.

Southern Tier's Where the Helles Summer should still be around

Sierra Nevada's Nooner Pilser is very tasty

Wisconsin Brewing Company has a fine amber lager and helles.

Both Port Huron and Tyranena have alt beers.

Sorry for the rambling. Prosit!

 

Landbier seems like a good catch-all category. Plus NG describes Two Women as being a "Classic Country Lager". Landbier just seemed appropriate.

 

Yep. Landbier translates to Country Beer -- no surprise, eh?

 

Found some more Lakefront Big Easy Maibock and can't recommend this one enough; to-style and in its tastiness.

I see some recent reviews that really don't reflect the beer I've been getting, makes me think there's some of last year's batch on shelves. Buyer beware.