Pliny the Elder, a first-century Common Era, Roman historian and famous wine lover once said of beer, "Alas, what a wonderful ingenuity vice possesses! A method has actually been discovered for making even water intoxicating." Unfortunately, many modern people seem to agree with Pliny. Too many people think of wine as a sophisticated drink that one consumes for enjoyment and beer as a tool to get inebriated with friends.
Such sentiments are especially tragic in Wisconsin, a state with dozens of local breweries that make a variety of unique, painstakingly crafted beers. Sadly, Wisconsin is lost in a wilderness of self-deprecation, convinced that its native drink is inferior to a foreign one.
Fortunately, there is a way out of the forest. One visit to Capital Brewery, located at 7734 Terrace Ave., Middleton, is enough to show that beer deserves just as much respect as wine. Its guided brewery tours, which take place at 3:30 p.m. on Fridays and 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays, demonstrate how a wide array of flavors can result from a careful combination of four basic ingredients — water, malted barley, hops and yeast — along with a few variations. The tours are open to all ages, but the tasting is only open to those of legal drinking age.
The tour begins in the Bier Stube, a cozy German-style beer hall. There, the guide gives a brief history of the brewery, which was founded in 1984. From the Bier Stube, visitors walk through the brewery while listening to the guide explain each step of the process. Scientifically-minded folks and beer enthusiasts alike will enjoy the opportunity to smell hops and observe the fermentation vats in the clean, charming facility.
In addition to checking out the original brewing facilities, tour participants get a chance to view the addition the brewery built this year, something that has allowed the facility to produce 17,000 barrels a year. After stopping by the addition, the tour makes its way through the warehouse, a gigantic room containing a heartwarmingly large quantity of beer.
The part of the tour that people seem to enjoy the most, however, is the end: a tasting of six different Capital Brewery beers in the Bier Stube. The friendly staff comes around and serves the beers in complimentary miniature mugs, explaining what to look for when tasting each style of beer.
The Capital Brewery tour is a great way to gain more appreciation for the art of brewing, and at $2.75 for both the tour and the tasting, it is one of the cheapest educational experiences a University of Wisconsin student can enjoy.
