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 Our South By South West Tour started with a stop at Reeds Landing - what a gem! Our first flights included Cap'n Amber, Twheat, American House EDF on Nitro and Cremora. All delicious! We did get the opportunity to check out their brewing area in the basement, complete with custom equipment designed to fit in some tight spaces. An expansion was under way - Good things should be in the future for this great stop along the Mississippi! |
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| Our next stop, while technically not a brewery, a great piece of history and featured the Original Fountain City Brewing recipe on tap! |  |
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 You won't go in to Wenonah Brewwing due to the inviting nature of the exterior. However, if you don't stop, you'll be missing an awesome experience. Truly three guys and a brew kettle, living the dream. We had a great mead among other fine samples. While we were there, the crowd slowly built up, including bicyclists and neighborhood regulars. And then, we were treated to an accordian jam! |
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Next stop was Pearl Street Brewing in LaCrosse. Located in the old rubber mills, it again is not all that inviting from the outside, but welcoming on the inside. The tap room was a little reminiscent of Central Waters - pretty casual, somewhat spartan, but meant to be fun. Ping-pong was available, and again, a broad cross-section of clientele. The sampler had a little bit of everything. There may not have been any show stoppers, but the sampler had a little bit of everything! |
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 Good Ol' Potosi! Looking for a little culture, we found a museum - the Potosi Brewery Museum - what a great showcase of Wisconsin brewing history! After the museum, we found the Potosi taproom (the ladies did take a detour to a nearby winery). Potosi features recipes old and new, from Good Ol' Potosi, to their Snake Hollow IPA. |
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 Driftless Brewing in Soldiers Grove - worth the drive off the beaten path! Driftless Brewing features quite a combination of brewing passion, brewing science, and the dedication that becomes apparent in the final product. They had recently moved to their new location when we stopped in. Previously the home of a grocery store, their facility has plenty of room for expansion, and visions of a great neighborhood taproom will hopefully become a reality. Michael Varnes-Epstein gave us a great history of their efforts, and introduced us to some great brews - Rice Cream Lager and their flagship Dirt Brown Ale. Their "get it done" attitude will carry this brewery far (need a bottle filling system? Build one)! |
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Yes, Dickeyville has quite a grotto. 'nuff said. | |
| Since we had already left the state of Wisconsin once on this tour, why not again? We headed down to Galena Illinois and had dinner at Galena Brewing. A busy place on a summer evening! We had some fairly typical but enjoyable brewpub offerings, and a good casual dinner. How can you not have a good time in Galena? |
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