Capital Brewery

2/5/2008 3:51:36 PM, tuesday, february 05, 2008 [ Updated tuesday, february 05, 2008 ]
WinTour 2008. Visited on what had to have been their busy Saturday, because our tour was nuts. Too many people and not enough attention. They closed the gift shop before we were even done with the tasting. Our tourguide, however, was awesome. The beers were very good, but only six of them on draught. A mixed experience to say the least.

1/8/2008 12:27:03 PM, tuesday, january 08, 2008
I think I’ve only managed to drop by here once when there were open (a few times when they should have been open). The brewery occupies a cool location in a small suburb of Madison. The gift shop has big fancy growlers and lots of Capital stuff that I would wear, and the Bier Stube bar has a solid selection and is a fun place to chill. They also have the NFL network, which is a selling point in their e-mails ) I have yet to do the tour.

10/10/2007 12:39:41 PM, wednesday, october 10, 2007
The second of a Madison-area brewery tour for my group of friends after New Glarus. I was impressed by the Bier Stube bar area indoors although the tour didn’t pass through it. The tour was relaxed and informative. Our guide really made our tour for us. Rhett did a fantastic job and his personable nature made it a memorable afternoon for us. Inside the brewery, we were able to sample a couple beers straight from the tanks (Autumnal Fire and a new Baltic Porter). After the tour moved outside, the guide was very liberal with sample pitchers and even visited with us while sampling. He gave candid answers when asked various questions about behind the scenes brew information and opinions on the beer industry. I’m always impressed by a knowledgable guide, and Rhett definitely fit that bill. The only marks against this brewery is the beer itself for me. I can recognize it as well-crafted beer, but malty German beers are not my favorite style. When/if they make a nice hoppy IPA or even a good stout, their newfound diversity will rocket them up my favorites list. Still a great tour and a great brewery.

6/29/2007 10:22:26 AM, friday, june 29, 2007
Visited the Bier Garten on a Friday night. Weather wasn’t so great, but the crowd was decent. They had five beers on tap at a cost of $3.50 a piece. All beers were very tasty, with the exception of the Brown Ale which had a bad aftertaste. The service was great, and one of the brewers there sat down and talked with my friend and me. He came back and gave us a free glass of their Oktoberfest, which was not yet released at that time. He also brought us a free glass of what he called a "Double Oktoberfest", which only one batch was made for the employees, and it was tremendous. I hope to get back sometime for a tour. Great people.

10/9/2006 12:40:23 PM, monday, october 09, 2006
Visited July 11, 2006. On the way to take in the MLB All Star game at Jt Whitney’s with some friends decided to stop here and see if I could pick up some 12 oz bottles. Got there after 5pm and the gift shop was closed. But a very nice woman didn’t get her name, she opened the gift shop and I walked out of there with about 15 beers I havn’t had or would of took me few more stops to get them. Also bought a pint glass that had a map of Washinton Island on it and that was one of the spots the wife and I had gone on vacation to before our move to AZ. My service was great and got a good selection of beers to rate. Noticed a big bar and beer garden at the place.

9/5/2006 7:49:11 AM, tuesday, september 05, 2006
Got here too late for the tour and just had a few pints outside while they were showing a movie on a Saturday night. Not too many people around, place was as described previously. Nothing special on tap, Oktoberfest was just so-so. Definitely not a must see in Madison, but worth a visit. I’d like to come back during the day.

6/18/2006 9:45:49 PM, sunday, june 18, 2006 [ Updated sunday, june 18, 2006 ]
Got there too late for the tour on a Friday afternoon, so the majority of my impression is the beer garden. Nice idea, although it doesn’t have a lot of character. There’s a decorative concrete slab that dominates the "garden" with a sea of long wooden picnic tables. Stage at one end. The bar at the other end is kind of nice actually and they had two satellite beer stations as well. This "biergarten" needs more to make it feel like a biergarten. Get rid of the concrete slab and grass it. Put up some umbrella tables. Put in a few more trees (but not enough to eliminate the sun) and maybe a some hills. They had only 5 beers on, which was hugely disappointing, especially due to the fact that they were "out" of the Eisphyre. Don’t get me wrong; if I lived in town, I would love coming here on Friday afternoons after work with coworkers to share some pitchers. And the closed inside bar looked cool, but it was closed. I’ve always thought their beer was overrated, and my experience on this day with the Island "Wheat" and the Brown did nothing to change that impression. They don’t serve food.

5/22/2006 9:18:52 AM, monday, may 22, 2006
AMBIANCE: Not a very impressive place to look at the from the outside, but its pleasant when you enter. The beer area is warm with old wood. Its spacious enough for a crowd of say 50. SERVICE: Very knowledgeable (and aesthetically pleasing) bartender who was eager to help. She also walked me down to the area where they sell merchandise, leaving her post at the bar to allow me to buy a few items. SELECTION: Solid, all of Capitals regulars and the Blonde Doppelbock. No Eisphyre (Memorial Day weekend party). FOOD: Unfortunately, not applicable. This would make the place. OVERALL: The beer garden is a nice addition and option as well, although its not quite as nice as the facility indoor. Its a great place with a lot of potential, but looses out for the lack of food.

4/19/2006 9:40:49 PM, wednesday, april 19, 2006
Fun tour. Guide was enthusiastic and gave us plenty of time to ask questions. Pretty basic facility that does not include a bottling line. The beer is bottled down the road at Huber in Monroe. Tasting room had lots of ambiance, friendly staff and friendly patrons, many of whom seemed like regulars. Beer is top-notch. Lots of samples, served in small 3 ounce complimentary beer stein. Gift shop is adequate with limited selection.

4/4/2006 12:58:25 PM, tuesday, april 04, 2006

Spent some time at the bar overlooking the kettles. The bartenders are pretty knowledgeable but the most interesting characters are some of the regulars. There were six beers on tap, including a test batch of a new release scheduled to be bottled later in the month.

I will have to return once the weather warms to enjoy the ambience of the beer garden. Along with great taps, they offer live music or other activities most weekends. If you are in the area, make sure to stop by here on your way into Madison to visit the Dane.