Weekend in Madison

Funk Factory Geuzeria (if you like sours)

 

Oh Jesus you're going to be busy.

Shopping

There are great bottle shops all over town. Riley's downtown. Steve's in three different locations around town. City View on the far east side. Trixie's, Star, Jenifer Street Market nearer to the city center on the east side. Woodman's and HyVee grocery stores all over the metro area. There are more.

Drinking

Funk Factory, definitely. Brasserie V for excellent European beers. Dexter's Pub. Blue Moon Bar and Grill. Jordan's Big 10 Pub. Karben4. Ale Asylum. Grampa's Pizzeria. Salvatore's Tomato Pies (both locations). Oliver's. Forequarter. There are more. So many more.

Any idea of where you'll be in Madison, or what you typically like, will help to narrow it down. A little.

 

Vintage Brewing has some good beer and food. We were just there. Although, their Belgian style beers were a little on the sweet side. Very good, just a bit sweet.

 

Downtown
The burger and beer list at Tipsy Cow are always great - and a go-to spot when visiting Madison. Hop Cat, Lucille, and Cooper are other good beer-centric restaurant options in the downtown area.

East Side
For Belgian beers, Malt House on the East Side is a gem.

Next Door Brewing Company has solid beers. And it isn't a trip to Madison without a session at One Barrel Brewing.

Parched Eagle is doing phenomenal work in the beers-to-style department.

Barley Pop is a solid slashie with a huge beer list and good package beers.

Alchemy is a strong option for dinner, and right across from one barrel.

Funk Factory
I second Funk Factory. I really dug the Kiwi Melon and Cherry Meerts last weekend. And the Cervinos are unlike anything I've had.

 

Lots of good options mentioned. One I will add is Cask & Ale which is on State Street near your hotel. Lately, their tap list has been great; you can find it on digital pour. They open at 4pm.

 

@kylenabilcy has a great list, and @Cannonball has good additions, but I would further recommend The Old Fashioned for what is essentially a nicer take on a supper club with a massive taplist of all Wisconsin beers. Also go to Maduro if you're not bothered by smoke; it's a cigar bar, and they usually have a fun taplist, a good whisk(e)y list, and leather couches plus cigars makes for a unique experience.

If you go to Funk Factory (which I highly recommend, and make sure to buy some on-site bottles), go eat at Taqueria Guadalajara nearby for some of the best (and best value) Mexican food in the city (lengua tacos are recommended, but if tongue isn't your thing, carnitas or the mole chicken enchilada is superb).

Best bottle shop for your location is Riley's, but I also recommend Jenifer Street Market, Star Liquor, and, if you've got a car, Woodman's West. Pick up any Brewing Projekt Dare Mighty Things you see.

Non-beer-related, if you're staying around the capitol, make sure to eat breakfast at Marigold Kitchen and Bradbury's (get to both early, or you will wait, and make sure to get a pour-over coffee at Bradbury's).

 

You'll want to check out BarleyPop, which just held its monthly barrel-aged night and will probably have some of those beers on tap for a little while yet.

 

Working Draft is a brand new brewpub on E Wilson, by Central Park. I haven't been there yet but folks are raving about it.

 

I'm guessing that the OP will be visiting Madison before the weather gets good, but, in case not, there are few better settings in which to drink beer, in Madison or anywhere else, than the Memorial Union Terrace on a nice day. Der Rathskeller / Der Stiftskeller inside has a decent craft beer menu. You can grab a modestly priced pitcher of Capital, New Glarus, Lake Louie, Ale Asylum, or Karben4 and take it out to the Terrace. It's part of the University of Wisconsin campus on the shores of Lake Mendota, but you don't need to have any connection to the school to eat or drink there.

 

You do need a union membership or university ID to buy beer at the Terrace. https://union.wisc.edu/visit/terrace-at-the-memorial-union/terrace-rules/

 

Doesn't the terrace still do free temporary/1 day passes? I've been using my friend's pass for so long I have no idea if that's still a thing though.

 

It seems one can do this based on the following link. It should only be requested on the day of use it appears.
https://union.wisc.edu/get-involved/become-a-member/wisconsin-union-guest-pass/

 

Can anyone help me prioritize among the following breweries during a Madison visit? Even if you're familiar with only one or two of them, I'd be happy to hear your take, pro or con. I've already been to just about all of the rest in the area (I think) except for Funk Factory, which already is my top priority.

• ALT Brew
• Boulder
• Dead Bird
• Giant Jones
• Hop Haus
• The Hop Garden
• Lucky's 1313
• Parched Eagle
• Working Draft

If I'm missing any others that have opened in 2017 or 2018, please let me know. Also please let me know if any of these lack visitable taprooms.

I have broad tastes and enjoy well-made versions of both true-to-style classics and modern style-pushers and style-busters, with the notable exception that I dislike most Sweet IPAs (NEIPAs, Milkshake IPAs, fruited IPAs) and other gimmick beers (I can put up with them, but there's no need to emphasize them in your recommendations).

 

Working draft has a really good brut IPA and plenty of other good beer available, great vibe, decent food and neighborhood too. I’d say it is my favorite local to Madison brewery right now and there are many to choose from. Haven’t been to Giant Jones yet, have heard every thing they have are “big” beers, if you are looking for all day session beers I’d hit that one last.

 

@islay, when you say "Boulder," do you mean Rockhound? Or has a brewery opened completely off my radar?

Either way, Working Draft is the one, no question. Hop Haus would probably come next, and then Giant Jones just for its newness.

 

Boulder Brewpub in Verona, which opened in May

 

Man, I even searched before I replied. This may be the problem with naming a brewery after another city in a (very beer-positive) state, at least as far as the google is concerned.