Just a little shout-out to say how much I love this place. Made the trip yesterday with the family and hung out for a couple hours. Fantastic beers, great people, an awesome mellow atmosphere. And perhaps my favorite beer yet from Dave, a galaxy single hop saison that was just fantastic. And perhaps more important than all of that, my non-beer-drinking wife was totally fired up about the place. That will definitely help make future trips more frequent! p.s. I know it's technically in the Great Lakes region, but seeing as the Twin Cities are the closest metro, well, I'm posting it here.
Excellent, I've been anxious to get out there for a visit. Thinking maybe more of a summer visit to be able to enjoy hanging out. The history blog on their website is a good read. Pretty cool what they are doing out there.
Plus a zillion. DBF is among my favorite breweries. I heard that DBF canceled its contract brewery relationship to bottle the large bombers itself. Anyone heard where that's at? I do miss my Matacabras...
Ditto the love. Went with a bunch of people this past Friday & had a blast, as usual. Brought in plenty of snacks, went through a sampler, sat around & bull-shat. The Sour Orange was divine.
So what is the setup like there? I've wanted to make the trek for awhile but havent pulled the trigger. Is there a taproom? A town nearby we could crash in? How long can we stay out there til?
Talked to them about that the other day. I have no idea on timeline, but it sounds like the plan is in motion. I'd love to get an update from Dave here, as I don't want to spread hazy or possibly mis-remembered info.
It's basically a taproom in a brewery space that's underneath their house, surrounded by their little farm. It has a very cool vibe, kind of like half craft beer bar, half midwestern grange hall. The times I've been there, they've had 8 different beers on tap. Sampler of all 8 is only $10!! Bring your own food, or snack on peanuts. On the days that they're open (typically two weekends a month - check their blog), it's usually from 3 to 7. Nearest towns of any size are probably Hudson and Menomonie, depending on which direction you're coming from. Or there are hotels nearby along I-94. Where are you coming from?
Would be coming from Chicago, which would be a hike so I would like to figure out a good place nearby to stay. Do they allow you to get growler fills? Do they usually slow down the open weekends during the winter?
Not growler fills, but they have bombers/750MLs of various brews. Not much nearby. You'd have to drive a ways to find a place to sleep. They're typically open from 3-7PM a couple weekend nights a month.
Coming from Chicago, Eau Claire might be a better place to crash. Or you could push on to the twin cities after the BrewFarm closes, and enjoy some of our many fine beer establishments. Growlers are for sale, pre-filled, and the list overlaps some with the tap list. Think they had ~9 beers in growlers on Saturday, and about half of them were also on tap. $15 for a 1-liter swing-top with the glass. No cards, IIRC. Open taproom weekends have gone strong through the winter, at least for the last two years. Check out their blog for more info. For serious, if you're coming all the way from Chicago, you should make the extra hour drive to the cities after hitting the BrewFarm. Just remember our liquor stores are closed on Sunday.
Thanks for all the BrewFarm love! Let's try and answer a few of those lingering questions... We're no longer contract brewing any of our beers (never intended to contract but was a means-to-an-end, and a good way to initially get out into the world). You'll see more variety (slowly but surely) mostly draft, with some going into 22 and 750s (until someone starts a mobile canning business...). For those who miss Matacabras and Select, I still brew both and you should taste the BF versions - MUCH better I must say. It's the water... For our CHI visitor, there's not much in the way of other beery options around here - the Twin Cities would be my suggestion (if you're headed that way). There is a motel about 5-6 miles west (http://www.woodvillemotel.com/) but not much else to do in the area. And yes, throughout the winter, the Tap Room continues hoppin' - what else ya gonna do in the middle of winter??? Any other Qs, drop a note or swing on out - we're open this weekend (12/8-9 from 3-7 each day). Thanks again for all the support! FarmerD
