A good time was had by all
On Saturday, Bob, Sean and I went on a gastronomic trip through southern Wisconsin. This trip was planned by one of the brew clubs in the Chicago area and about 30 to 40 people showed for the trip. We toured a sausage maker, a cheesemaker and two breweries.
The sausage maker and cheesemaker were in small Wisconsin towns. And we got lost trying to find them. The sausage maker was outside of Juda, WI, which is such a small one horse town that it amazes me that we actually got lost. When we stopped for directions, we had a choice between the fire department or the local bank to stop at. We chose the fire department and were amazed when we found a firearms auction taking place in the fire department. We decided that we would leave quietly and go to the bank, where a very nice teller directed us to the right place.
The cheesemaker was in Monticello, WI (1150) but we decided not to follow the little horse trails in our directions since we needed to get gas. But finding a gas station took 20 minutes. And once we got gas, we asked directions to the road we needed. But the food at these places was wonderful, fresh and flavorful.
The highlight of the trip was New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, WI. Easy to find. We were treated to a tour by the brewmaster and more food and drink than we could consume, which is quite a lot. They simply gave us 3 cases a beer, which consisted of 9 different varieties. The food was great, the beer was phenomenal and the tour was the best brewery tour I have ever been on. Every question we asked was answered. They treated us like royalty. I am now a loyal New Glarus drinker and will stop by New Glarus whenever I have the chance.
Which brings me to the anticlimax of our tour. The Huber brewing company in Monroe, WI. The tour was lead by a person who was not a brewer but worked in the packaging plant for several years. We spent 30 seconds in the brewhouse and 40 minutes in the packing house. Do you know what is more boring than watching idle packaging machinery? Watching idle packaging machinery while someone drones on about the inane and uninteresting history of the packaging machines. The best part of the tour was when our tour guide yodeled. Unfortunately that only lasted for 45 seconds. The beer at Huber was OK. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad but after New Glarus it was such a let down.
But overall I will do this again.
The sausage maker and cheesemaker were in small Wisconsin towns. And we got lost trying to find them. The sausage maker was outside of Juda, WI, which is such a small one horse town that it amazes me that we actually got lost. When we stopped for directions, we had a choice between the fire department or the local bank to stop at. We chose the fire department and were amazed when we found a firearms auction taking place in the fire department. We decided that we would leave quietly and go to the bank, where a very nice teller directed us to the right place.
The cheesemaker was in Monticello, WI (1150) but we decided not to follow the little horse trails in our directions since we needed to get gas. But finding a gas station took 20 minutes. And once we got gas, we asked directions to the road we needed. But the food at these places was wonderful, fresh and flavorful.
The highlight of the trip was New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, WI. Easy to find. We were treated to a tour by the brewmaster and more food and drink than we could consume, which is quite a lot. They simply gave us 3 cases a beer, which consisted of 9 different varieties. The food was great, the beer was phenomenal and the tour was the best brewery tour I have ever been on. Every question we asked was answered. They treated us like royalty. I am now a loyal New Glarus drinker and will stop by New Glarus whenever I have the chance.
Which brings me to the anticlimax of our tour. The Huber brewing company in Monroe, WI. The tour was lead by a person who was not a brewer but worked in the packaging plant for several years. We spent 30 seconds in the brewhouse and 40 minutes in the packing house. Do you know what is more boring than watching idle packaging machinery? Watching idle packaging machinery while someone drones on about the inane and uninteresting history of the packaging machines. The best part of the tour was when our tour guide yodeled. Unfortunately that only lasted for 45 seconds. The beer at Huber was OK. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad but after New Glarus it was such a let down.
But overall I will do this again.
posted by Peter Young @ 3:05 PM
2 Comments:
At 12:14 AM,
Paul said…
Glad New Glarus was a good time. I've always enjoyed their brews. It will surprise no one that I once had to order their "Spotted Cow" Ale on the basis of the name/label alone.
At 7:12 PM,
Pasmoof said…
Good to hear you had a good time.
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