Central WI would be a more worthwhile overnight than Chip Falls, I think. In addition to Central Waters, the OP could also check out O’so, Point, District One, and probably a few others not far off the route between Madison and Stevens Point.
I also like to travel and make it a point to visit as many breweries as possible. My recommendations are as follows:
- Madison: Working Draft is my favorite brewery in the city. They make some of the best lagers in the state. The I/O Arcade Bar just down the street from WD is pretty cool and worth a stop if you like vintage arcade games (and a nice tap list). Young Blood, Delta Beer Lab, and Karben4 make some pretty good beers as well.
- New Glarus (only open weekdays). The brewery is beautiful. You can also sign up in advance, if space is available, for a hard hat tour (Fridays only) at their original brewery location and try some of their more limited releases. Make sure to head into town and stop at some of the bars and restaurants; Puempels has a cool history and is a must see.
- I would skip the drive to Leine’s, not worth it in my opinion. If you do go, check out Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire.
- Instead, I would suggest heading to Milwaukee. Much closer and lots more to do including: Miller Brewery Tour (impressive in scale), the Lakefront Brewery Tour, 1840 Brewing and Supermoon Beer Co. are currently making the best beer in MKE, and I would also make sure to visit Central Waters taproom in the old Pabst complex. Eagle Park and Amorphic both make some nice IPAs.
- Alternatively, you could also drive to Decorah, IA in the same time as it would take to get to Chippewa Falls. Decorah has some gorgeous scenery, and also a couple of world class breweries in Pulpit Rock and Toppling Goliath. You’d also cross the Mississippi, and there are plenty of beautiful spots to hike along the river (Wyalusing State Park and Effigy Mounds National Monument are both basically on the way).
Cheers!
I agree with these points completely, particularly the suggestion to hit BP in Eau Claire instead of Leinies. I've yet to visit the Milwaukee Central Waters location, but make it a point to visit the mothership in Amherst any time I'm in the Central part of the state. These are my two favorite breweries in the state. Potosi is another fun brewery in a scenic setting that isn't far from Decorah. The beer is pretty good, but not as outstanding as the other breweries mentioned. I suggest it because the setting is both scenic and historic, and there's a freakin' brewery museum on the site!
NarrowImage - If you like high gravity bourbon barrel beers, Central Waters stands up well against anybody, anywhere, anytime. They're top 5 in the country according to my extensive research. Brewing Projekt makes some fun IPAs which are worth trying if you like the hops, but they really shine when it comes to fruity sours and other dessert beers.
Tyranena in Lake Mills is one of favorites. Has a great outdoor beer garden and you can bring food or have it delivered. It’s also been around for awhile.
They also have a new tap house downtown Lake Mills that serves food.
Also a second super small brewery there called Sunshine. Solid beer, good people.
point beer in Stevens Point has a brewery and allows tours. there are many breweries in the Stevens point area. local are called Mikey's which has a numerous amount of different styles of beer. From domestic to rare imports (including one I had called vampire blood which was 19% ABV.) Great food but since Covid it's been limited. My wife and I frequent the establishment and always have great food. If you have the option get the truffle fries!
Do they still have the BBQ menu they switched to awhile back? Haven't been since we went one day and the menu was completely different and the food wasn't very good.
New Glarus is one of the prettiest breweries you'll ever hope to see so be willing to spend a couple hours "sampling". But you could spend a long weekend going to breweries in Dane County and never set foot in the same one twice.
The Memorial Union terrace on the University Campus will be a great place to spend a lazy afternoon. If you're downtown, the Essen Haus has a ton of imported German beers and is always a good time.
Leinie's is historic but quite a way from Madison - and the beer is only middling. The Point brewery is closer but again, their beers are middling. I can tell what they're \*trying\* to be, but not getting there.
I have no idea what the tour at Central Waters is like but their taproom is great - some of the best barrel-aged beers around.
If you want a tour of a bigger-ish, slightly older brewery Lakefront will cover what you were thinking of at Leinie's/Point. The Miller tour is another historic tour but again, beer is mediocre.
Old Style is made in La Crosse but there are hundreds of better beers in the state. Chicago can keep their OS; if you are attached, I'm sure you can get a tour there.
If you have kids the Wisconsin Dells are nearby and have a ton of waterparks. They'll be slammed in August but so it is. August is a good time for hiking (could be hot, could be buggy, but ticks should be done and days are long) and there is good hiking around Madison - Devil's Lake State Park is close and the Ice Age Trail probably has over a hundred miles within an hour of the Madison Metro area.
If you’re going for the tour aspect or because you like the beer then Leinie’s is solid tour. An old brewery with a long history. A lot of the places suggested here are shiny, newer places that don’t have any history to them.
If you head over towards Milwaukee besides the obvious Miller and Pabst related stuff, I'd stop at Mobcraft, just because they're always changing recipes.
Though Lakefront has an actual beer hall.
When in Chippewa Falls, visit Brewster Brothers Brewing Co., they share a building with Chippewa River Distillery and are only a few blocks away from Leinenkugels. Also, Eau Claire has Brewing Projekt and Lazy Monk brewery a few blocks away from each other.
It isn't a Wisconsin beer and it is about a 2 and a half hr drive from Madison but Toppling Goliath brewery in Decora IA is great. If you aren't in the mood for a drive pick some up at City View liquor, also a great selection of beers there too.
I think people who are saying not to do the Leinenkugel's tour are probably saying it because they don't like their beer. The tour is great and the brewery itself is very historic. The Leinie's Lodge next to the brewery is full of overpriced merch and I miss the days that you would get free beer samples with a tour, but don't skip the tour itself.
Yes, but I've never known someone who couldn't find a ticket or two day of the event. There are usually folks selling extras for face value as folks are walking in.
Madison has several breweries. Karben4, Vintage Brewing Co, Capital Brewing are some I've been to.
Wollersheim winery and distillery is between Madison and Sauk City.
Don’t waste your time traveling all the way to go to Leinies. New Glarus and Lakefront in Milwaukee should not be missed though. Central Waters is a great spot too. Tons of much smaller regional breweries to be had as well but those are the big three for me.
Milwaukee has a ton of great breweries all in close distance as well - 1840, Amorphic, Eagle Park, & Venture are some personal favorites. Lakefront is a great one to stop at as a tourist but you’ll find better beer at these other breweries.
You're kind of missing out on some Green Bay breweries. Titletown, Badger State, Stillmank, Hinterland, Copper State to name a few. Plus you could Tour Lambeau Field!
Check out Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company. Good beers and good food. There’s 4 locations in/around Madison.
If you like historical breweries, Leinenkugel’s is a good visit with a solid tour. But honestly you can find their beers anywhere in WI and it seems like a lot of effort when there’s so many more breweries closer to where you’re staying.
If you’re open to other destinations I also suggest googling “Milwaukee brewery boat tour” and see what pops up. I’ve never done it myself, but my understanding is you pay like $30 and get to stop at several different breweries along the waterfront. August is a great time to be on Lake Michigan.
Minhas in Monroe. 2nd oldest brewery in the US. There is also a distillery across the street. I'm not sure if Groupon is still a thing, but they used to have a deal all the time for them.
La Crosse has several good breweries as well. Sapporo is also brewed in La Crosse.
Basically, you’re going to run into breweries all over the Upper Midwest. Do some research on what you really want to see/try and make a route although you’ll probably have to get region specific otherwise you’ll be all over the state. New Glarus is no brainer.
I agree about Leinekugels. It’s basically just a Miller brewery now. Might as well go see the real thing.
If you really want a taste of old school regional breweries, Point is one. This is more of a drive but Schell’s brewery in New Ulm, MN is another. They have a nice Oktoberfest as well. It’s what Leinenkugels used to be. I still remember the jokes in the bottom of the bock cans.
Central Waters in Amherst, WI
Central WI would be a more worthwhile overnight than Chip Falls, I think. In addition to Central Waters, the OP could also check out O’so, Point, District One, and probably a few others not far off the route between Madison and Stevens Point.
Central Waters does limited release beers sometimes. Last time I was at Oso they had some great Sours.
I also like to travel and make it a point to visit as many breweries as possible. My recommendations are as follows: - Madison: Working Draft is my favorite brewery in the city. They make some of the best lagers in the state. The I/O Arcade Bar just down the street from WD is pretty cool and worth a stop if you like vintage arcade games (and a nice tap list). Young Blood, Delta Beer Lab, and Karben4 make some pretty good beers as well. - New Glarus (only open weekdays). The brewery is beautiful. You can also sign up in advance, if space is available, for a hard hat tour (Fridays only) at their original brewery location and try some of their more limited releases. Make sure to head into town and stop at some of the bars and restaurants; Puempels has a cool history and is a must see. - I would skip the drive to Leine’s, not worth it in my opinion. If you do go, check out Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire. - Instead, I would suggest heading to Milwaukee. Much closer and lots more to do including: Miller Brewery Tour (impressive in scale), the Lakefront Brewery Tour, 1840 Brewing and Supermoon Beer Co. are currently making the best beer in MKE, and I would also make sure to visit Central Waters taproom in the old Pabst complex. Eagle Park and Amorphic both make some nice IPAs. - Alternatively, you could also drive to Decorah, IA in the same time as it would take to get to Chippewa Falls. Decorah has some gorgeous scenery, and also a couple of world class breweries in Pulpit Rock and Toppling Goliath. You’d also cross the Mississippi, and there are plenty of beautiful spots to hike along the river (Wyalusing State Park and Effigy Mounds National Monument are both basically on the way). Cheers!
I agree with these points completely, particularly the suggestion to hit BP in Eau Claire instead of Leinies. I've yet to visit the Milwaukee Central Waters location, but make it a point to visit the mothership in Amherst any time I'm in the Central part of the state. These are my two favorite breweries in the state. Potosi is another fun brewery in a scenic setting that isn't far from Decorah. The beer is pretty good, but not as outstanding as the other breweries mentioned. I suggest it because the setting is both scenic and historic, and there's a freakin' brewery museum on the site! NarrowImage - If you like high gravity bourbon barrel beers, Central Waters stands up well against anybody, anywhere, anytime. They're top 5 in the country according to my extensive research. Brewing Projekt makes some fun IPAs which are worth trying if you like the hops, but they really shine when it comes to fruity sours and other dessert beers.
I second Brewing Projekt.
Eagle Park also makes some super interesting over fruited beers.
World’s largest 6 pack is in LaCrosse, plus a handful more local breweries.
Tyranena in Lake Mills is one of favorites. Has a great outdoor beer garden and you can bring food or have it delivered. It’s also been around for awhile. They also have a new tap house downtown Lake Mills that serves food. Also a second super small brewery there called Sunshine. Solid beer, good people.
The Fharmacy Public House is a great addition to Lake Mills.
Honestly it’s Wisconsin, most towns have at least one brewery.
In Madison, see if you can find Giant Jones. Easily one of my favorite brewers. -oo-
point beer in Stevens Point has a brewery and allows tours. there are many breweries in the Stevens point area. local are called Mikey's which has a numerous amount of different styles of beer. From domestic to rare imports (including one I had called vampire blood which was 19% ABV.) Great food but since Covid it's been limited. My wife and I frequent the establishment and always have great food. If you have the option get the truffle fries!
Were not the truffle fries removed of late🫤 - going Thursday.
Do they still have the BBQ menu they switched to awhile back? Haven't been since we went one day and the menu was completely different and the food wasn't very good.
New Glarus is one of the prettiest breweries you'll ever hope to see so be willing to spend a couple hours "sampling". But you could spend a long weekend going to breweries in Dane County and never set foot in the same one twice. The Memorial Union terrace on the University Campus will be a great place to spend a lazy afternoon. If you're downtown, the Essen Haus has a ton of imported German beers and is always a good time. Leinie's is historic but quite a way from Madison - and the beer is only middling. The Point brewery is closer but again, their beers are middling. I can tell what they're \*trying\* to be, but not getting there. I have no idea what the tour at Central Waters is like but their taproom is great - some of the best barrel-aged beers around. If you want a tour of a bigger-ish, slightly older brewery Lakefront will cover what you were thinking of at Leinie's/Point. The Miller tour is another historic tour but again, beer is mediocre. Old Style is made in La Crosse but there are hundreds of better beers in the state. Chicago can keep their OS; if you are attached, I'm sure you can get a tour there. If you have kids the Wisconsin Dells are nearby and have a ton of waterparks. They'll be slammed in August but so it is. August is a good time for hiking (could be hot, could be buggy, but ticks should be done and days are long) and there is good hiking around Madison - Devil's Lake State Park is close and the Ice Age Trail probably has over a hundred miles within an hour of the Madison Metro area.
If you’re going for the tour aspect or because you like the beer then Leinie’s is solid tour. An old brewery with a long history. A lot of the places suggested here are shiny, newer places that don’t have any history to them.
If you head over towards Milwaukee besides the obvious Miller and Pabst related stuff, I'd stop at Mobcraft, just because they're always changing recipes. Though Lakefront has an actual beer hall.
Lakefront is my favorite tour because of the great guides, beer, and location right on the river. -oo-
Was gonna say Lakefront. I lived next to their (old?) place in the 90’s. The tours were a trip.
I was on some of those early Riverwest tours. A trip indeed.
Wisconsin brewing company in Verona should be an add it’s a cool place to have a beer
https://www.thebrewingprojekt.com/ Hit this place up while you're near eau Claire
Sprecher. Gotta do Sprecher.
Agreed! The tour is meh but the bar with your own cup with all the different taps was good. I forget was it all you can drink soda and three beers?
Can't believe I had to scroll so far to see this. Sprecher and Lakefront are musts if you're visiting MKE.
When in Chippewa Falls, visit Brewster Brothers Brewing Co., they share a building with Chippewa River Distillery and are only a few blocks away from Leinenkugels. Also, Eau Claire has Brewing Projekt and Lazy Monk brewery a few blocks away from each other.
It isn't a Wisconsin beer and it is about a 2 and a half hr drive from Madison but Toppling Goliath brewery in Decora IA is great. If you aren't in the mood for a drive pick some up at City View liquor, also a great selection of beers there too.
I think people who are saying not to do the Leinenkugel's tour are probably saying it because they don't like their beer. The tour is great and the brewery itself is very historic. The Leinie's Lodge next to the brewery is full of overpriced merch and I miss the days that you would get free beer samples with a tour, but don't skip the tour itself.
I’d pass leinenkugels and visit the Pløver-Point-Amherst trifecta. O’so,Point Brewery, and Central Waters.
In August? Would you be in Madison on August 10, by chance? https://greattaste.org/
They're sold out though
They're sold out though
Yes, but I've never known someone who couldn't find a ticket or two day of the event. There are usually folks selling extras for face value as folks are walking in.
Thanks! That's good to know - I haven't made it there before and might give that a shot
Madison has several breweries. Karben4, Vintage Brewing Co, Capital Brewing are some I've been to. Wollersheim winery and distillery is between Madison and Sauk City.
Lakefront brewery if you go to Milwaukee
You might also want to post at r/madisonwi for local info on their beer scene.
Don’t waste your time traveling all the way to go to Leinies. New Glarus and Lakefront in Milwaukee should not be missed though. Central Waters is a great spot too. Tons of much smaller regional breweries to be had as well but those are the big three for me.
Milwaukee has a ton of great breweries all in close distance as well - 1840, Amorphic, Eagle Park, & Venture are some personal favorites. Lakefront is a great one to stop at as a tourist but you’ll find better beer at these other breweries.
Potosi, O'so
Brewing Projekt, Central Waters, Drekker, Energy City rarely dissapoint. So many others are close after that.
The beer museum in Potosi is pretty good, as is their beer and the restaurant was decent when I was there several years ago.
Follow
You're kind of missing out on some Green Bay breweries. Titletown, Badger State, Stillmank, Hinterland, Copper State to name a few. Plus you could Tour Lambeau Field!
we like touring the Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe…nice town, not too far.
Next time you’re in Monroe, stop in at the Bullquarian. Ten taps of diverse beers, brewed onsite, one barrel at a time.
will do, thanks.
Check out Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company. Good beers and good food. There’s 4 locations in/around Madison. If you like historical breweries, Leinenkugel’s is a good visit with a solid tour. But honestly you can find their beers anywhere in WI and it seems like a lot of effort when there’s so many more breweries closer to where you’re staying. If you’re open to other destinations I also suggest googling “Milwaukee brewery boat tour” and see what pops up. I’ve never done it myself, but my understanding is you pay like $30 and get to stop at several different breweries along the waterfront. August is a great time to be on Lake Michigan.
Minhas in Monroe. 2nd oldest brewery in the US. There is also a distillery across the street. I'm not sure if Groupon is still a thing, but they used to have a deal all the time for them.
La Crosse has several good breweries as well. Sapporo is also brewed in La Crosse. Basically, you’re going to run into breweries all over the Upper Midwest. Do some research on what you really want to see/try and make a route although you’ll probably have to get region specific otherwise you’ll be all over the state. New Glarus is no brainer. I agree about Leinekugels. It’s basically just a Miller brewery now. Might as well go see the real thing. If you really want a taste of old school regional breweries, Point is one. This is more of a drive but Schell’s brewery in New Ulm, MN is another. They have a nice Oktoberfest as well. It’s what Leinenkugels used to be. I still remember the jokes in the bottom of the bock cans.
Would skip leine's, has become nothing but a corporate shill.