This post marks the end of a lengthy
blog hiatus. While much of the reason for posting on the 2013 edition
of Madison Craft Beer Week
can be attributed to my passion for brew; an equal amount of
recognition can be given to my inability to craft a decent Google
calendar. With so many events of note this year, I've had a hard time
narrowing down my choices, let alone coordinate them with friends,
and arrange my schedule with my partner. After reaching a high of 43
events, I'm now below 20 (although the exact number continues to
fluctuate). Balancing work, parenting duties and a home about 30
minutes aways from most events, I've broken down my list to
“specialty”, “seasonal” and “year round”.
Specialty (Events I refuse to miss)
Cask
Ale Fest, Saturday 4 May, Madison East Side Club, 1pm
As my friend Kyle pointed out after
posting his own preview,
with no early entry option for this year's Great Taste of the
Midwest, one should take advantage on any real ale events they can
get to. Highlights on the list thus far are Bell's Hopslam and the
two mystery brews coming from Tallgrass in Kansas.
House
of Brews Tap Takeover and Death Star Agave Ale Beer Release Party,
Saturday 4 May, Tex Tubbs, 6pm
How do you top an afternoon of beer?
With tacos and more beer of course. Thankfully we won't have to land
a squad on the small forest moon orbiting Tex Tubb's and deactivate
the shield generator to enjoy this meal. Page Buchanan of House of
Brews had me at Star Wars but he pulled me in with a tractor beam of
agave syrup.
Great
Taste of the Midwest Ticket Sales, Sunday 5 May, Noon (but not
really)
There will be no beer but there will
friends, good slow expensive coffee, and likely rain. I wouldn't
miss this for the world. Getting up early for Great Taste tickets is
something every beer lover should do because the payoff is so great
come the second Saturday in August. Last year you could gain early
entry if you used Dwolla but this year it's just cash, check or
forget about it.
Toppling
Golliath, Sunday 5 May, Cooper's Tavern, 5pm
Toppling Goliath has been my favorite
brewery of the last month. Not a longtime for sure but the 3 brews
I've tried have left a big impression and a fourth is waiting
stealthily in my beer fridge. I figure this to be a good event for
the family to have dinner plus they'll be selling bombers of their
Naughty Temple and Assassin limited releases.
Central
Waters Night!, Wednesday 8 May, The Old Fashioned, 6pm
You never know what Central Waters will
bring to one of these events. An anniversary brew, a bourbon barrel
one off, a cask conditioned something something? Again the family
friendliness of the locale makes this an attractive event. French
fries on the first floor, La Petite Mort on the second.
O'so
Nitro Tap Takeover!, Thursday 9 May, Blue Moon, 6pm
Maybe my favorite brewery in Wisconsin
right now, partly because they produced one of my favorite beers of
2013 with their Wee on the Lam. I'm a sour fan and I have to say this
beat out my latest Jolly Pumpkin favorite and Surly's Pentagram. The
promise of more brett beers at this tap takeover is so alluring even
if nitro taps aren't really my thing.
Howdy
Partner... There's a New Brewery in Town: Lift Bridge, Saturday
11 May, Brennan's Market, 6pm
One of my favorite Minnesota breweries
just came to town and is exclusively at Brennan's. Their Hop Dish IPA
and Farm Girl saison are two of my go-to everyday brews but the real
promise of this event is the “additional offerings”. Their Irish
Coffee Stout was one of the best beers I've had this year. $5 for
sampling seems fair but I'm a bit thrown by the free wine glass
promotion.
Seasonal (Events I'd really like to
hit)
Angelic
Brewing Company Reunion, Friday 3 May, Free House Pub, 9pm
Pete's Wicked Ale was my first craft
brew but Angelic's Shakedown Nutbrown was my first love. High
nostalgia coupled with Angelic's familial descendents Sixpoint and
Ale Asylum make this event very appealing. Sixpoint came to Wisconsin
a year ago from Brooklyn and I don't believe I've had a bad brew yet.
Plus this is their only beer week event. Meanwhile, Ale Asylum keeps
humming along after their new brewery expansion and keeps chalking up
#beerbracket wins.
Founders
on Sunday for a Day of Relaxation, Sunday 5 May, Dexter's Pub
A 3 year vertical of KBS. 'nuff said.
Destihl
Brewing - Meet and Greet/Special Tappings, Tuesday 7 May,
Brassiere V, 5:30pm
This brewery from south of the state
border intrigues me with their impressive slate of brews. They don't
show up in Madison very often so this is a great chance to try a
variety of their offerings.
Toppling
Goliath Cask Ale Night, Wednesday 8 May, Alchemy, 8pm
If I don't hit the first Toppling
Goliath event I could do far worse than hitting this one. I had my
bottle of PseudoSue last week and feel deeply in love. Having it on
cask seems like a can't lose situation.
Karben4
IPA Release Party, Friday 10 May, Karben4
I recently visited Karben4's tap room
and after sampling all their offerings was uniformly impressed. These
guys are doing it right and their recent gin barrel release party
sounded like a blast so I imagine this will be a good time indeed.
Oh,
ooh... it's O'so., Friday 10 May, Dexter's Pub
Much like the Toppling Goliath cask ale
night, this is my back up event if I can't make the takeover at Blue
Moon. 10 brews being promised including 5 specialties.
Year Round (Events I'd like to hit but
it won't break my heart)
Common
Thread Tapping, Friday 3 May, Great Dane
Common
Thread Debut, Friday 3 May, Vintage Brewing Company
I'll have plenty of chances to try this
year's collaboration brew between 10 different local breweries but
there's something fun about having it the first night. Plus the Dane
and Vintage are kid friendly so a post work dinner seems likely. Last
year's steam brew is a style I'm more fond of but
Schell's Snowstorm may have turned me around on bier de gardes.
IPAs
and Spicy Pizza, Tuesday 7 May, Roman Candle, 6pm
I'm humming “these are a few of my
favorite things” as I type this. Beers unknown but Batman loves his
Roman Candle cheesesticks.
Craft
Beer Blowout!, Saturday 11 May, Craftsman Table & Tap
A non-descript sale on craft beer week
leftovers. Another family friendly event and I'm always fond of a box
of mystery.
