We started our trek to the Summer Solstice Beer Fest and hit a few breweries on the way to our overnight in Pewaukee.
First stop was Randy's Restaurant and Fun Hunter's Brewery in Whitewater, WI http://www.funhunters.net/pages/history.html. It is located a little ways from the really cool downtown district. The overall feel of this place is a Wisconsin supper club and had the food menu to match. We sat outside on a small patio area which we had to ourselves, so the four of us were able to eat, drink and have a conversation alone.
We both ordered a sampler of their beer, which included 5 beers and then my wife had a barleywine while I had a pint of my favorite from the sampler. The beers are Warhawk Wheat Ale, Kolsch, Amber Larger, Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout. The wheat was my favorite it was light crisp and refreshing, the Kolsch was not overly good, the Amber Lager was cloying, the Pale Ale slightly hoppy and had some malt,a decent beer, and the oatmeal stout was thin harsh, tannic and where is the oatmeal?
The food menu had a good selection but some items were a bit pricey for lunch. We did all settle on food and it was very enjoyable. Needless to say this is a restaurant first and they just happen to make beer. It is worth a visit though, even though Whitewater is not on the beaten path.
Stop two Tyranena Brewing Lake Mills, WI http://www.tyranena.com/. What can I say about Tyranena beer that has not been said before, they just know how to make great beer. The brewery is located in an industrial area in Lake Mills just off of I-94, so it is easy to get to. The building is a purpose built building with over 3/4 of it as the brewery, there is a small office and a good size tasting room. Also they have a nice patio area with piped in music. Also they are dog and kid friendly, just obey the sign "If your dog does not like children do not bring it!" They serve no food but you can bring in your own, and as we were leaving a couple of ladies were setting up what looked like a good amount of food. We all just wanted to stay there and drink, but unfortunately our hotel rooms where aways away.
Again we chose the sampler, on for my wife and I and one for our friends. The sampler had 9 beers for $10 now that is a bargain. First up Three Beaches Honey Blonde; light and sweet lots of honey character. Next Headless Man Amber Alt some Pils malt and good overall, it did not stand out with all of the other beers in the sampler. Fargo Brothers Hefe, only available on tap at the brewery, an OK hefe but not outstanding, besides the cloves and banana I picked up some mint. I know odd but I found it so at least to me it is there. Stone Tepee Pale Ale a very good American Pale Ale a nice citrus hop to it. Bitter Woman IPA was next and no there were not bitter women to be seen, a good IPA that had a slight skunkiness as well as the citrus hops. Scurvy, an IPA with orange, yes it does work a good blend of the orange flavor and the hoppy IPA. Rocky's Revenge Bourbon Barrel Brown Ale, my favorite, malty, strong, good bourbon flavor with some tobacco like notes. Dirty Oldman Imperial Rye Porter, another awesome beer a close second, rye spiciness with chocolate and hints of the oak barrels. Lastly Chief Blackhawk Proter a good porter roasty chocolate and drinkable.
If you are heading to Milwaukee from Madison this is a must stop and yes if you imbibe to much there are hotels in town. Also as we were leaving a band was starting to set up so they have entertainment on the weekend.
Third stop Water Street in Delafield, WI http://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/home.htm. There is also the original location in downtown Milwaukee as well. They bought this location after it failed as a restaurant. It was busy but not overly busy for a Friday night and we found out why. Let me just say this about the beer it is unfortunately bad. Again we ordered a sampler which included nine beers and I thought that only two were drinkable. The beers are as follows: Honey Lager Light, bad, Munich Lager, bad, Bavarian Weiss, bland, Saison, tart spicy drinkable, Oktoberfest, ok, Amber Ale, buttery, Pale Ale, sweet, and Black IPA, roast and some hops drinkable.
We only had a couple of appetizers here so can't really say much about the food. So I would not recommend going here if you are in Delafield, especially since there is a far better choice across the interstate.
Last Stop for the night Delafield Brewhaus http://www.delafield-brewhaus.com/default.html. This is an award winning brewery that also has a very good restaurant in the same building. This is a purpose built building with the brew house located right in the middle of the building, so it is the first thing you see when you enter the building. We quickly were seated even though the parking lot had a number of vehicles. As usual for the day we sat down and ordered the sampler, which included 6 beers and we asked about a couple of other beers listed and our waitress quickly brought those over. So we had 8 beers to try. Dock Light a clean light gold beer with light hops. Sommerzeist a hefe I remember this beer fondly but at least last night it is not the same beer, it was buttery and unpleasant. Delafield Amber, malty mild hops very drinkable. Maibock that was light gold malty sweet restrained pils malt taste. Hops and Glory, APA, citrus hops, clean and malty. Pewaukee Portermedium full body roast chocolate just plain good! The extra two were Mango Lager, smelled and tasted of mangoes and Oats and Barley Stout some oatmeal and roast served on nitro.
The food menu is extensive and good. Everything from wood fired pizzas to fish to pasta to salads to steak and plenty of sandwiches as well. This is a good place for a meal and some really good beers, so if you are on your way to Milwaukee on I-94 after Tyranena stop here for dinner and beer.
Next up the Summer Solstice Beer Fest in Glendale, WI. I cannot wait!
QC Beerguy
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