Beer and Cheese Festival

Thoughts

Any time a festival is mentioned it immediately divides the listeners into one of two crowds: those who attended and those who did not. My goals with this post are to make those who did not attend want to give it a whirl next time the opportunity is presented  and to make those who did attend wish they had hung out with me. Ha.

But seriously, the Isthmus Beer & Cheese Festival is probably my favorite thing about Madison, aside from the people of course... and by people, I mean, my friends. This was the 5th year for the festival. It was my 3rd year to enjoy the greatness.

Here is the tale of this year's festival, through my eyes.

Planning

The day the tickets went on sale, I made sure to blast out several GroupMe's, Facebook posts and SnapChats. I wanted to make sure people knew that I was planning on returning to the Tundra. I was helped into a decision to upgrade my normal ticket to a PREMIUM variety... (Good call Patch and 13)

VIP

This would allow my group an extra hour to get the lay of the land before the hordes of others come swarming in. Also, if you know me, then you know I like the idea of VIP.

The festival was on Saturday, and I figured I should try to come up early. I convinced the #YoT crew #YoNJ' Crew that I would come up on Friday, but, with the help of Dunston, I would actually arrive Thursday night to surprise the birthday boy, Nigel.

Thursday

The drive up wasn't bad. I needed to hit St Louis around 4. So I loaded up Neytiri and rolled out around noon.

Perennial Artisan Ales

The brewmaster at Wiseacre, Davin, had given me some recommendations for breweries to hit on my trip. Perennial was my first stop. I had been informed that I would love this brewery. CORRECT. A whole slew of Belgian varieties. Perfect.

Beautiful tap row

As I walked in, I was greeted by the tap room manager. She walked me through the different offerings. I then was able to meet the co-founder, Phil. Hearing him talk about the place, I can understand why this brewery does well. I could sense his passion for making great beer. The tap room area was clean and sleek.

I made my decision to try a couple different beers.

Overall, my favorite was the Fête de Noël. The holiday spices and fruity flavours combined to make a beautiful beer.

Once I had finished my tastings, I packed up and headed back out, knowing that I still had some distance to cover.

Nigel's Birthday

Arriving in Madison, Dunston was able to pull some crafty wizardry to get Tony back to Buck & Badger. This could be my imagination, but walking in, I felt like Norm. It just felt good to be back with the crew. After a couple shot-ski's and some ones-that-got-away, I knew it would be a great weekend.

RageChill made it

Friday

Since everyone else had to go to work, I used Friday to explore a couple places that had been eluding me.

Ale Asylum

When I worked in Madison, I passed this place nearly every week, but I never got around to going in.

My buddy Brian was actually on his way out of town, so he stopped in an had a new cold one with me. This place was great. The food hit the spot, and the beer sampler was a good purchase.

My favorite beer was the Happy Ending. I have been on a Belgian kick lately.

I also thought the inside was beautiful.

I grabbed a hoody, and we headed to the airport.

My next stop had received some good reviews, so I needed to try it out.

The Malt House

My fearless softball captain met me, and we were able to take it all in. The place had a cool feel about it. A little dark, but that added for nice conversation. I enjoyed a Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot. It was a great beer. The full malty flavor was very well received. But seriously, who names these beers?

That night the crew and I headed to the Majestic theater to enjoy the patriotic tunes of Jon Pardi.

Classic Over the Shoulder shot

Dunston and CT

Partying with Pardi

After a good night, I was ready to head home and mentally prepare for the festival.

Saturday, the big day!

Pat and Mer arrived in Madison, and we were headed to the Alliant Center. We had to make up some lost time since traffic had delayed us.

But we were quick to hit up New Glarus.

This brewery just reminds me of the essence of Wisconsin. Cabin Fever and the Snowshoe were delicious.

My overall favorites were MobCraft Black Bretty, Lakefront Brewery's Big Easy Imperial Maibock, Pangaea Hell Hound Brown Ale, Rush River Nevermore, and Hinterland Maple Bock.

Hopefully those links work for y'all. Now all that said, the beers were great this year. Those were just the few that stood out. Obviously, another fun aspect is running into friends:

Volleyball ref, Jhen

Little Borjas!

Miss these girls

Last year, Christina and I did this and took a picture. We were asked to stop pretty quickly. So we decided to test event staff again... under 20 seconds. Good job.

Basically, if you see this guy wandering around, come on over.

We had to get a shot of the guys afterwards, because everyone was so scattered.

The festival was great this year. I really liked this article about it. I am a strong proponent of the IBaCF. I will be back next year as well.

After we left Alliant, we all had a fun time going to my old haunts in Madison.

As the weekend came to an end, I headed over to Chicago to see a couple more breweries.

Off Color Brewing

This is purely a production brewery, which is different from all the others I have visited.

Walking in we were greeted by John. I enjoyed a delicious Nitro version of Scurry. The deep rich flavor blew my taste buds away. The Nitro gave it a smooth finish. I was able to fully enjoy the honey and molasses. Solid beer. John is very passionate and dedicated to crafting some great beers.

After here, we head to fight through some Chicago traffic.

Haymarket Pub and Brewery

This place had an awesome street presence.

I truly wanted to check it out, even without a recommendation. After meeting Pete and his crew, we were able to enjoy some well-made beers and delicious food.

I loved the Lucy's Belgian Tripel. The flavour was rich and smooth.

The atmosphere was energetic and fun.

Next time you are in Chicago, do the right thing and drop by.

Summary

I had a great weekend. And even though the drive back was treacherous and long and tiring, it was very worth it. Thank you to Meredith, Pat, Dustin, Tony, Jeff, Caroline, Dolan, Kates, Elaina, Emily, Nigel, Sean, Brian, Jim, and anyone else I might be forgetting for an amazing time.

If you know of cool festival that I might enjoy, let me know. Post it in the comments.

I look forward to hearing from you.

New Series and Upcoming

Wisconsin Trip

I am heading up to Madison this weekend to see some friends and attend the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Festival. I am pumped for sure. #YoNJ is in effect. So you know life will be above the average of others.

On my way back I will be hitting up a couple breweries in St Louis and Chicago.

If you have any recommendations, let me know.

When I return, I will write up a review of my trip and such. So, get excited.

Beer 101

I also plan on creating a series of posts that will help shed some light on the basics of beer and brewing with the hope of building a foundation. So if you have any questions you have wanted answered, hit me up. I will be researching and sourcing information, as well as providing resources that can help.

So until I write again, I wish you the best. Have a good night and a great week.

Great Midwestern Brewery Tour, part 5

The Journey, Day 4:

After my riveting night out on the town in Grand Rapids, I was ready to make my way home. This trip had lived up to every expectation I could have had. I checked out a couple touristy spots near my hotel, but the weather wasn't great. So I thanked the front desk clerk for some great suggestions and headed on down the road. I had to make a little detour before meeting back up with Garry.

Perrin Brewing Company

This brewery was outside of Grand Rapids, so figured I could tack on another spot.

Cool building

Pirate flag.. and an island girl!?

It was a decent brewery. No faults, just nothing special. I ordered a small flight to test their creations.

Flight Board

Their Kona brown had a rich flavour. The rest of the beers seemed to have some forced IPA feel.

It was time to head down to Holland for lunch.

New Holland Brewing Company

This brewery is in a great little town on the west side of Michigan's mitten. I loved the whole aura as I walked up to the brewery

It was great to see Garry again as well.

New Holland had the most welcoming feel to it. We sat outside to enjoy the midwestern summer. A flight was the best idea to try several of their beers

The Dragon's Milk and Monkey King stand out as my favorite two. After we finished eating, we decided to hit the next stop together as well.

Saugatuck Brewing Company

So far, I had enjoyed every brewery on my trip. Walking into this brewery, I did not suspect this would be the first dud, with the great looking patio and cool backstory. But lo and behold, in the words of Billy Bob Thornton "they can't all be winners, can they?"

This brewery's one cool thing (in theory) is that, for a fee, you can brew your own batch of beer and take it home. We did not have time for that.

We selected our flight. One beer I decided to try was the Serrano Pepper beer. Well, here's my sign. It tasted like serrano peppers. So that was not good.

The service was not the best, and the waitstaff seemed unhappy to be working.

I bid farewell to Garry, and headed down the Michigan coast.

The Livery Microbrewery

This one was off the beaten path, but I wanted to try one more to wash the time wasted away.

The outside of this brewery looked cool. It was misleading from its contents.

Cool exterior

It there existed a scale for how hipster something could be, this would go to 11. It was nauseating. The bartender oozed some horrid sentiment of dissidence. As if I was so blessed to be able to drink his beer.

The beer was, as a whole, the worst I had on my tour. I hope this place gets its stuff together. Because it is a thriving beer state.

Yuck... Luckily, I had one last stop on the way home.

Goose Island

It was so much fun to meet up with Meredith and Pat. This place is tucked away from the busy streets of Chicago.

This is a staple in the Midwest. people drink the 312 and Honkers as far as Memphis. I got a delicious dark beer.

The trip was winding on, so I didn't stay too long. But this was a great way to end my GMWBT.

The Recap:

Looking back at the level of awesome I was able to enjoy in 4 days, my mind has begun to wind. I was able to visit 21 total breweries. Obviously, I would have loved to spend more time and maybe even tour the facilities, but this trip was impromptu.

I am blessed to have been able to experience this.

**are there any questions?!

Great Midwestern Brewery Tour, part 4 (Bonus Features)

Just as any good Bluray will have, I am going to include a bonus story for my readers.

Relaxing:

Arriving in my room, I was greeted with an almost palatial spread: King sized bed, Large view window, and a giant bath tub. To some of my family members, I am known and The Giant. I am very fond of the moniker. Now I could enjoy some relaxation befitting of a giant.

After some Bocelli and steam, I fired up GroupMe to let my friends know where I was (as if they couldn't find me by my gratuitous checkins on Facebook, Foursquare and Yelp). I polled my Texas Forever group whether I should go have a night on the town or enjoy a night in. Man, they gave bad advice. Just kidding. Of course I am going to go out. There was a karaoke bar across the street and a whole of activity a couple blocks down.

I wasn't sure what the prescribed attire for Grand Rapids nightlife was at all. So I brushed off the Reagan Bush 84 tank and made my way to the door.

Night Out:

Z's Bar and Restaurant

As I approached the door, I noticed everyone was dressed in button downs or half decent attire. Well, that was about to get rocked. The girl on stage was absolutely butchering Whiskey Lullaby. I mean, it was bad. Dunston, you would cried at the horror. I knew the fun of this crowd was dependent on me. I needed to liven it up. I grabbed a cider from the bar, told the man in charge that I was next, and gave him the info for the new American classic, I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys.

Did I need the teleprompter, no, and I wanted the crowd to know it. I owned the stage. Hand motions and all.

I might have imagined it, but I am pretty sure I got some kind of standing ovation. I grabbed the mic one last time, "Grand Rapids, you're welcome."Boom, drop the mic and head out.

Well that was a rush.

Onward to my next stop. Now here is a thing: barhopping solo is not for the timid or the faint of heart. You have to be willing to be overlooked at bar lines and hold your ground.

As I walked the street, I met a fellow big guy. He complimented my tank. "Well thank you." Turns out he was the bouncer at several bars. He recommended I give Stella's a try. Sure

Stella's Lounge

Looks good to me. The inside was a little scary. This was hipster heaven. One side was a calm bar with arcade games and the other was very clubby. When in Rome. I ponied up to the bar and met a gorgeous blonde bartender. She recommended the Chronic Fries. Apparently they serve some good soup...

But I went with the fries. Good call, ma'am. They were delicious. I also enjoyed their punch. This one had a kick.

Well the bar began to close, so I made my walk back to the JW.

Grand Rapids, Thank you and you're welcome.

Great Midwestern Brewery Tour, part 4

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully if you are returning to this, then you are eagerly awaiting my story about the infamous day three. Well wait no more.

The Journey, Day 3:

I decided on my Reagan Bush 84 tank, much to my uncle's chagrin I am sure, and collected my belongings. I had a full day of adventures awaiting me. After driving through Michigan's campus, I headed up 96 to Lansing.

EagleMonk Pub and Brewery (http://www.eaglemonkbrewing.com/)

I was excited to try this brewery with all the buzz I heard from the locals.

Cool looking place

Unfortunately for me, I did not check the hours of operation before heading out: rookie mistake I know. They were closed.

Not to waste any time, I pulled a U turn and headed to campus.

I didn't want to miss an opportunity to find some local brewery. I called my friends who went to MSU... and was told of a place near campus.

Harper's Restaurant and Brewpub (http://www.harpersbrewpub.com/)

I walked in to this college spot unsuspecting of anything. It had a wide open layout. In my mind, "this place could be a ton of fun." Who knows if I am right or not.

It was nice out so I took my spot on the patio.

Selfie

I was a little worried wearing my GOP Jersey in an away setting, if you will. I kept noticing the table next to me turning and looking at me. Well, that is typical... But then the man got up and walked over. He wanted to tell me it is good to see that shirt up there.

Down to business, I ordered their porter. It was a smooth malty flavor. With the nice breeze, it was a great day. Then came my bill, $2. Um, okay.

I enjoyed my last sip and headed out to Neytiri. Onward to Grand Rapids.

Founders Brewing Co (http://foundersbrewing.com/?av-submitted=true)

This was the fourth and final of the Top 25 Breweries for my trip. It had been built up and heralded by all beer mentors I know. I just hoped it wouldn't be a let down.

Parking was a pain. The brewery was doing some construction which limited the available spots. After parking down the street in a public lot, I hoofed up to the front door.

This will be cool when construction is done

Walking in, I was impressed. The quick-acting pourers answered questions with ease, and kept patrons' glasses filled with happiness.

I ordered the Nitro Oatmeal Stout and the Dirty Bastard. Both beers gave reason for all the hype. The nitrogen gave a smoother finish to a normal oatmeal stout. The DB had a delicious malty flavour with just enough hint to the Scottish highlands.

As I purchased my dry goods, I spoke with the cashier about places I should also visit while in Grand Rapids.

***SIDE NOTE***
Earlier in the year, someone had told me that they were taking a vacation to GR. I listened to them tell me all about the awesome trip they had planned, but all I could focus on was the thought "WHAT A LAME TRIP." I can't recall who was telling me this, but I want to apologize. This city is awesome. Touche to you.

Back to the story

HopCat (http://hopcatgr.com/main/About.aspx)

This place is consistently in the top 5 for best beer bar in the country. Yes please!

Walking in, I was greeted with some beautiful tap display.

It was a thing of art for sure. They had seasonals, locals, crafts, bottles, draughts, etc. I can't remember which beer I tried. I know I sampled the DragonMead and had a Virtue Cider, but nothing more.

Speaking with the bartender, I learned some tips for visiting beer bars and brewpubs. I will be writing about this in a future article, so get pumped.

I headed around the corner for more experience.

Grand Rapids Brewing Co (http://www.grbrewingcompany.com/)

Michigan's first certified organic brewery... Since that is what pulls me in.

This place had an impressive layout. I ordered a flight of their dark and malty brews. The couple next to me remarked on my tank, and I struck up a conversation with them. As we talked about journeys and travels, they were the first to encourage me to write this story down. I wish I had gotten their contact info. They were heading out west to Portland. We talked about my trip to Mount Rushmore and my time in the Pacific Northwest. I ordered their pork belly appetizer. It was truly a treat. This place can make some delicious food.

Before I ordered a full meal, the couple advised me to go over to the Grove for dinner. I knew I had to experience this. I fired up Yelp to check the reviews... over 4 stars. Why not?

I made my way across town, to a lovely little outdoor shopping area. As I walked in, I realized that I was a little underdressed. But, I held my head high. "Ahem, sir. Does this place have a dress code?" To which he replied, "Um...." head shaking in disbelief. "Sir, it is a sweet tank, though. Do y'all have a bar or something?" "Yes sir it is actually directly behind you." He begrudgingly informed me.

As I took my spot at the bar, I was greeted with a cold beverage. I chose the North PEak Nomad cider... Nomad, that seems appropriate. This place was great. The menu was one of the Three Courses for $XX. So I had pork three ways, for all three courses. Why, you ask? Well, sir... America.

After a well-recommended and divine meal, I headed out to my next recommendation. It just happened to be on the same street.

Brewery Vivant (http://www.breweryvivant.com/)

To think, I almost skipped this place. Wow. That would have been a miss. The brewery is situated in an old church: stained glass, balcony and all. The inside of the brewpub is absolutely stunning.

The bartender was very helpful. I was not big into Belgian beers at the time. I thank my lucky stars I found this place.

Big Red Coq

I ordered a flight of their yearly beers. They were delicious. The Big Red Coq was my favorite. It had the smooth flavour that was covered with a complexity that I couldn't put my finger on.

Once I had purchased my goodies, I headed out. I figured it was a good time to check in to the hotel.  While sleeping in my car is something I don't mind doing, I had a couple Marriott points left over, so I had booked a night in the penthouse at the JW Marriott. The view of the city was amazing.

Oo a little accidental selfie

And they had a straight shot to the ceiling from dowstairs:

Looking Up                Looking Down

I asked the front desk what the cool things were to do in Grand Rapids. After getting a list I headed up to my room to think about options.

I am going to stop this part of the story here. But I will be posting the rest of the day in a post tonight. This one is just getting long.

TALLY SO FAR:

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