Wisconsin Brewery Tour

Yes, 2018 marks our 10th year of touring together! We've ventured out over the years to various corners of Wisconsin and beyond. This is another "beyond" year - follow us as we make our way to Iowa. No, really - Iowa!
It's not always about beer. Sometimes it's about coffee! Yes, we caffeinated before hitting the road.
Reeds Landing - Our first brewery stop was another familiar place from a prior tour, in Reeds Landing MN. A great stop for lunch, and still the only brewery we've been to that uses Cap'n Crunch in one of their recipes. This year, their Simcoe SMaSH was a favorite!

Island City Brewing - Next, it was on to Winona. We hoped to visit a quirky favorite from our SXSW Tour - Wenonah Brewing, but they were no longer on the map. Island City has a neat spot, though the beers received mixed reviews. Steve thought the Docksider DIPA was worth the stop.


Skeleton Crew Brew and Lost Island Wine - So this is what happens when one partner likes beer and the other favors wine. And it's a good thing! This was a nice little stop - small batch brewing, big wine flights, and evern home brewing supplies. A comfortable hangout and the Powder Monkey spiced red ale was a unique twist!
	Turtle Stack Brewery, La Crosse - Convenient to our stay at the Radisson, a stop for an afternoon refreshment. Good IPAs and DIPAs. However, no turtles to stack.


Pivo Brewing - Calmar Iowa - This is a newer brewery that has hit the ground running! Big tap room/beer hall with more variety than we've seen elsewhere. Such a wild selection of infusions and variations - they are not afraid to push the envelope. Alpha - good Double IPA, ranging on to cucumber ale, fruit beers, and a nice bourbon Bock.

Toppling Goliath - Excellent afternoon at Toppling Goliath! Pseudo Sue double dry hopped with mosaic and Citra hops, Term Oil Maple Cakes (a little heavy-duty), and good old Pompeii IPA. Not to mention some Mabe’s pizza delivered to the tap room.


Pulpit Rock Brewing in Decorah - non-descript building that houses a great little brewery. Live entertainment as a storm approaches... “Cs Get Degrees” - a name that sheepishly implies mediocrity - but is a really good IPA - bright clean and hoppy. Mjau Mjau DIPA (pronounce it as you may) - all that good and more! The band - the Guilty Kilts - was great fun!


Life’s Too Short - great little brewery in Rochester MN. From “Fun” - their Belgian blonde, to strawberry infused Vienna Lager - excellent! Our host was even a former UWRF instructor, so Faye couldn't resist a selfie. Another first for our tours (at least that we noticed) - LTS's tanks are from Minnesota!

Forager Brewery - Rochester MN- you could stay here all day! Coffee shop to lunch to brewery - super stop. Great Emoji Hop IPA. Curious and likable guava infused “Push Pop”, and carrot cake to boot!

Kinney Creek marked our last stop in Rochester. It was a neat facility - lots of good indoor "giant" games to play. They had a great looking beer list, but the beers all shared a strong common flavor profile that overshadowed any style differences. When a belgian tastes the same as an IPA, something's going on. Hope they can get it "dialed in"!