A brewpub is a bar that doesn’t just serve your everyday swill. Instead, it serves its very own beer made right on site. This phenomenon was born in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Sprouting in cities of all shapes and sizes, these trendy establishments epitomized the microbrew movement. What could quite possibly be more local than a beer made right down the street?
It is a novel concept to put a brewery in the middle of a bar or restaurant. As can often be the case, the enchantment of a brewpub loses its appeal if the beer can’t match the taste of its macro-brewed brethren. Madison, of all places, is not going to tolerate second-class suds for too long. After all, this is the land of people who drink beer for sport.
The Great Dane Pub and Brewery got it right when they opened their doors at 123 E. Doty St. in 1994. The first brewpub in Madison, the Dane delivers excellently crafted beers in a setting certain to fulfill your expectations.
A huge sign by the bar, or near the hostess station, greets you with the 12 to 15 beers available on tap. The year-round beers are labeled on wooden boards, while the seasonal and specialty brews are written in chalk below.
A good starter beer is the Verrückte Stadt or “Mad City” German Pils. Golden in color, and crisp on the palate, this beer is very drinkable. The Landmark Lite Lager is an alternative with fewer calories and less alcohol. In turn, it is also one of the Dane’s best sellers. Other solid year-round beers include the Old Glory American Pale Ale and the Crop Circle Wheat.
These beers will appeal to almost any beer drinker. The Great Dane, however, offers more exotic tastes typically not found at your corner tavern. The Wooden Ships ESB, Potters Run India Pale Ale, and the Black Earth Porter are examples of cask beers. Cask-conditioned beers are pulled directly from their own keg under their own carbonation, flowing easily into your glass.
Served at a warmer temperature, cask beers represent the traditional English style ale. The taste range can vary from creamy to malty, and their texture makes them an exceptional choice in colder months.
A seasonal beer called Pumpkin Pie is currently popular. With an orange-yellow tint, this beer really does taste like its dessert namesake.
One of more unique varieties is the Old Scratch Barley Wine. Barley wine is a very strong flavored ale, with higher alcohol content. Sweet-but-strong, this makes for an interesting after-dinner drink.
While the Dane brews complicated beers, all are priced the same, which keeps things easy to understand. Remarkably, their prices are also affordable. A 12-ounce glass is $2.75, while 20-ounce pints are $3.75. Liters are $6.50, and pitchers are $10.
Sample packs are a fun way to experiment many flavors at once. Served in four-ounce glasses, a set of four is $3.50, and a set of five is only $1 more.
Built at the site of the former Fess Hotel, a Madison Historical Landmark since 1975, the Dane is one of Madison’s more unique drinking environments. More importantly, the design is conducive to the companionship many associate with beer.
According to UW graduate and bartender Joe Tarpey, the atmosphere is tough to beat. “We have an environment that appeals to every demographic,” he explained.
The sports-bar section features six pool tables, which are available for $8 an hour. This area also features a big-screen TV surrounded by couches. On weekends, the couches are replaced by musicians playing everything from jazz to pop.
The main bar also offers a view into the Dane’s brewing machinery, as two giant windows provide a glimpse of the boiling kettles. Downstairs, en route to the bathrooms, there is another close-up view of some of the fermentation tanks, which have a tendency to stop people in their tracks.
In the end, the Great Dane owes a lot of success to its beer. Nationwide, the Dane has the fifth-largest production of any brewpub; in Wisconsin they are the largest producer. These facts are impressive, adding further proof that the Great Dane is Madison’s big dog, minus the painful bite.
Bartime will rock out this weekend at the Regent Street Retreat, located at 1206 Regent St. Cheers!
