Invasion of the Flatlanders:
Return to Dairyland, Pt. 3

I'm taking all my vacation time this year in little chunks -- weekend getaways here and there -- and last weekend was one of these little roadtrips. Me and my wife Carol decided to point the car west and then north towards to the Badger State and ended up visiting the communities of Monroe, New Glarus, Mount Horeb and Spring Green.

The first stop in our journey was Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern (pictured right) just across the stateline in Monroe. If you haven't been to Baumgartner's, you should go, the delightfully tasty simplicity and history of the place makes it a national treasure. Chunks of cheese and meat make up simplistic sandwiches that remind you how important it is to serve cheese and meat at room temperature. The beer taps at Baumgartner's remind you how good a fine Wisconsin lager tastes with a robust meat and cheese sandwich. Or perhaps, in the coolness of autumn, you crave some hot food. In this case I would recommend the 2nd Best Chili, preferably with a pint of Huber Bock. The rich, caramel flavors of Huber Bock seem to sustain the body and soul just as much, if not more so, than the food from the deli. The Huber Brewery is literally down the street from the tavern and the Huber beers here seem to be the freshest I've tasted. If a lighter beer is what you're looking for, then I would recommend a luxurious draft of Wisconsin Club, with it's perfumy aroma and crisp flavor.

After a lunch at Baumgartner's we set out for our next stop, the New Glarus Brewing Co., a very small brewery that makes some world-class ales. At least that was our intention: we ended up getting sidetracked at a Brennan's market advertising "mix and match microbrews" along with fresh fruit such as "chin drippin' peaches." It sounded too good to pass up. Once inside, we found a remarkable collection of microbrews from not just Wisconsin, but California, Colorado and Iowa. The beers we picked up included Mass Transit Ale and Red Rocket Pale Ale from the Bristol Brewing Co. in Bristol, Colorado; Denver Pale Ale of Great Divide Brewing of Colorado; Avery IPA, from Avery Brewing of Colorado; El Toro IPA, from El Toro Brewing Co. in El Toro, Calif. and Millstream Pilsner and Amber from Amana, Iowa. I hadn't seen these beers around Chicago and I was surprised to find them in Wisconsin. I also picked up a six-pack (there weren't any single bottles) of Lac du Bay IPA from Central Waters Brewing Co., of Junction City, Wisconsin.

After raiding Brennan's for microbrews, we headed north up to New Glarus and made a quick stop to see what was new at the New Glarus brewery. After picking up a mixed six-pack of Edel Pils, Spotted Cow, Coffee Stout and Hearty Hop IPA, we made our way to the north and west to Mount Horeb and the Grumpy Troll Brewpub. We stayed for a pint of the heavily roasted, almost smoky, Grumpy Stout and left with a growler the stuff for further analysis. Once back on road (again) we made our way to the House on the Rock Resort just outside of Spring Green. This cozy resort, filled with amenities such as a fitness center and two pools, (not to mentin 27 holes of golf) proved to be a wonderful spot to spend the night and sample some of our brews. However, our beer hunting was not yet over, as a stop at the Spring Green General Store netted two more microbrews: Tyranena Stone Tepee Pale Ale and Headless Man Amber Alt. After a pretty full day you'd think that we had enough beer hunting, but with $20 in complimentary "House on Rock Resort dollars" we popped into The Turn Pub & Grille at the resort for a Capital Amber and a Lake Louie Arena Pale Ale. The rest of the night was spent quietly in our room. An adventure at the House on the Rock attraction was planned for the next day. The 2 to 3 hour tour merited a good night's sleep and too many microbrews coudl spoil the occasion.

Another great trip through southern Wisconsin, with lots of beer, and peaceful lodging. I highly recommend each of our stops, including the House on the Rock resort. A suite for two that included admission to Houe on the Rock attraction, plus $20 to spend at the resort, was only $200 for a one night stay.

Links:
Huber Brewing Co.
New Glarus Brewing Co.
Monroe, Wisc. (Chamber of Commerce)

Send comments and suggestions to: marc@marcobrau.com