This is the third installment in Niko’s series of the best beer bars in Madison.
6. The Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is THE place to go for Wisconsin beer. It has 50 or so Wisconsin-brewed taps and another 100 bottles (stick to the taps, though; pretty much the entire bottle list is available at Riley’s for cheaper). For this reason, there is no better place to go to try the local, relatively unknown microbreweries. The only problem is, most of them are relatively unknown for a reason. It’s safe to say a good staff recommendation is needed to confidently stray away from the safer choices like Ale Asylum, Tyranena, New Glarus, CW, O’so, etc. Sadly, I’ve ended up with a couple “IPAs” that straddle a confused, not-so-fine line between pale ale and pilsner.
Still, there are a lot of great hidden gems to be found at The Old Fashioned, like O’so Coffee Train Porter or Hop Whoopin’ IPA on nitro, a combination you don’t see too often for the style. It’s also ridiculously cheap, with most taps costing four bucks a pint and the special of the month just two. The restaurant also features what may be the best happy hour in Madison, with 2-4-1 taps and rails from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.-12 a.m., Monday-Thursday.
5. One Barrel Brewery
If you’re a student, chances are you’ve never heard of this new neighborhood microbrewery (unless you’re a devoted fan who has been reading my column since last fall, of course). Located a few miles off campus in the Atwood Street neighborhood, the brewery sits in a quiet little cluster of bars and restaurants just past Willy Street. Even though it’s far, I really recommend making the long walk out to One Barrel on a warm spring day, if for no other reason than to try their Strong Ale #2.
I was lucky enough to try the beer a few months ago, and I have to say this is easily my new favorite Belgian Ale made by any Wisconsin brewer. The beer is an explosion of tropical fruit on the tongue, with some fluffy malts, Belgian Spice, yeast and an amazing warming, boozy finish. It’s an ambitious style to pull off with this kind of balance, yet One Barrel nails it.
The microbrewery has also pulled out some other bold new beers like their coffee imperial stout, which takes the flavors of their Oatmeal Stout to a delicious new level. Oh, and I almost forgot: The bar is really cool too. Exposed brick, minimalist décor and lots of light gives the bar a warm and modern, if not slightly hipster, feel.
4. Paul’s Club
Speaking of hipsters, it wouldn’t be fair to talk Madison beer without mentioning the 20+ taps at the new Paul’s Club. The beer menu will look relatively familiar if you’ve been to bars like Brickhouse and Maduro, with popular brewers Founders, Oskar Blues, Lagunitas and Bell’s dominating the lineup. Unlike those spots however, Paul’s manages to walk the fine line between fun and chill, in a way that makes you want to drink and not sink into a cozy Maduro arm chair half asleep while your cigar stub becomes a potential fire hazard.
The point is, though it may need a giant tree, a cool modern look and a mostly post-grad crowd to do it, Paul’s Club makes the list for accomplishing the apparently miraculous task of making craft beer really popular. In fact, it may be the only spot mentioned here that manages to procure a line every Friday and Saturday night, so for that I have to give them credit. After all, it’s not easy to drag your friends to a bar where the average customer qualifies for Medicare.
Niko will continue his series about Madison bars throughout the semester. His beer column runs every other Thursday. Send comments to ivanovic@wisc.edu.
