Great Dane Pub and Brewery (Fitchburg)

8/3/2008 1:55:33 PM, sunday, august 03, 2008
Very friendly service. Food was served quickly and was very good. Beer sampler selection was great. Atmosphere was a bit yuppie for my taste... too many vodka mixers and martinis being ordered...also the odd looks due to my biker gear. Did not like the cooking staff taking up bar space while eating their lunch. Good to see they are eating their own food, but this did not seem professional. They should reserve a place for workers to eat away from the bar.

5/11/2008 11:44:16 AM, sunday, may 11, 2008
Nice atmosphere for the two level brew pub. The food I had was spectacular. A burger with a brat patty and bacon with sharp cheddar on a Bavarian pretzel bun… very good. The wait staff was friendly and informative and helped me fill up my 10 flight sampler. While none of the beers were out of this world, most weren’t bad. I would return here for the food alone and could find a beer or two on the menu to enjoy. The lone knock would be the lack of styles amongst the 11 beers… two pale ales, two pilseners, and a pale lager made up about half of the available choices.

4/30/2008 9:13:42 AM, wednesday, april 30, 2008
A large selection of food that is very good. Service is rather good, been only bitten a few times but a random screw up. Beers are average to above average, but good enough to share with some buddies or co-workers. Work Happy Hours are always great. It is now non-smoking, which I like but I’m not a fan of such laws. It’s a large open place that seats a lot of people, so it can get a little loud.

1/8/2008 12:37:22 PM, tuesday, january 08, 2008
This Dane was conveniently located near a client of mine, so I spent some time there. I found the facility warm and welcoming, with TVs available around the bar that were helpful for watching some B-Ball. This location has Dane beers, a few of which differed from the downtown selections, but it looks like downtown gets more of an allotment of specialty stuff. The food was on par with the other locations (great!), and the service was very good. I’d prefer downtown over this location, but this was still great!

7/5/2007 10:16:56 PM, thursday, july 05, 2007 [ Updated thursday, july 05, 2007 ]
Big brewpub/restaurant. As mentioned in previous ratings, it’s located in a strip mall. Not much karma, but then, who cares as long as the beer is good...and as at the downtown location, the beer is pretty good. I visited on a Wednesday afternoon, so it wasn’t crowded. The bartender was very attentive and gave me a few free samples. I visited the downtown location on the same day and their lineups are a little different. I didn’t eat here, but it looked the the menu was pretty similar to downtown, so I suspect it’s decent.

6/28/2007 12:36:39 AM, thursday, june 28, 2007
It’s in a strip mall, and it looks pretty corporate and soulless, with the exception of the excellent horseshoe bar in the center -- that alone gives it a little character. The food is the same combination of pretty well done pub favorites, a few Wisconsin spins on same, and a fair amount of veggie-healthy stuff. Alas the beer list was weaker than I’ve ever seen at the downtown location, only one new one for me and that a pretty dang mediocre nitro stout. Oh well. Certainly worth a stop if you’ve never been to the downtown one -- but if you haven’t, why not go there?

6/11/2007 8:57:15 PM, monday, june 11, 2007
This place is pretty nice regarding the quality of their beer and the building itself. However, it lacks some character in my opinion, it’s almost borderline franchise for me. Service and food were good and since my brother lives in the area I’m sure I’ll be back. However, I prefer my Titletown for the crowd, atmosphere, and food.

11/27/2006 8:42:13 AM, monday, november 27, 2006
After several visits to the downtown location, I finally made it over to Fitchburg. AMBIANCE: Certainly more upscale than downtown. We were there for lunch, and about 1/3 of the people seated near us were wearing ties. It lacks the feel of the place downtown, but they layout is better and it certainly seems to be better maintained. (You won’t find food on the floor like downtown.) SERVICE: Considerably better than downtown as well. SELECTION: Fair. Black Earth was on tap, which was solid. The others were fine. But five 4 oz samples for 6 bucks is a nice deal. They have other sampler platters as well. FOOD: Same as downtown. Solid menu. The applewood smoked bacon adds a nice touch to the sandwiches.

6/4/2006 4:55:24 PM, sunday, june 04, 2006 [ Updated sunday, june 04, 2006 ]
Following up the downtown location is tall order. This place is completely different than Doty, but it’s outstanding in its own right. Upscale maple interior. Has an outdoor patio with adjoining bar and a wrap around deck that is covered in removable canvas. There is also an upstairs section with its own bar. Well worth a visit to West madison. The year-round beer selection was identical to Doty but their seasonal/specialty brew selection was smaller. There was one unique brew not available downtown: ESB.

3/9/2006 3:00:13 PM, thursday, march 09, 2006
Lacks the same sort of atmosphere as the downtown location, probably because it is located in the middle of a strip mall. Once you go inside, it still feels like a brewpub. The food is above average - you can’t go wrong with most things on the menu. Beerwise, selection might be a little more limited than downtown but expect to find at least 8 beers on tap. Overall, if you are in the area, stop by. However, if it comes down to a decision, go downtown.