This past weekend my wife and I were childless for a couple of days and she suggested that we should finally take a trip to New Glarus, WI to visit the brewery (www.newglarus.com). We’ve talked about this trip quite often while we drive to Madison but it finally came to fruition this weekend. The drive is very simple, a right off of 151 and 16 miles later you are in the historical town of New Glarus. As we where driving in we noticed the old brewery off to the left coming into town. It was relatively small, and this but a mental image of the new one in or around the same size. Well, I couldn’t be more wrong. As you are going out-of-town you see a sign for the new brewery and as you turn into the winding drive you are taken to a hilltop were New Glarus Brewery rests. The scene is really quite beautiful. Old stone stairs, historical swiss architecture with a modern design, and the massive layout, made it look more like a quaint hotel than an awesome brewery.

My wife and I entered through gift shop and browsed a bit before deciding to hit the tasting room. At the tasting room you have the option of buying a full 12 oz glass with a draw of beer for $6 or a tasting glass and a small draw for $3. Both great deals as you get to keep the glasses. To make things even better they were pushing their Blacktop IPA because it has recently been added to their year-round lineup. I decided going with the black top and my wife went with the Two-Women lager. After a few rounds we decided to head back through the gift shop and going through the self-guided tour of the brewery. The place is absolutely pristine. Brand new looking, very clean, clean enough to eat (or drink) off the floor. The amount of piping and amount of equipment was very impressive.

Back in the gift shop I bought another beer glass and a sweet Moon Man pale ale t-shirt. So many cool items that would a great addition for any beer lover. After we made our purchases I had to stop downstairs to buy some brew. I was scared that there wouldn’t be anything left of their Double IPA but luckily there was enough left where my decision wasn’t how many four packs but how many cases to buy. Love that stuff. Got a case of IIPA, mixed and match of the Coffee stout, Cabin Fever, and Dancing Man Wheat, a few Serendipitys, 2 4 packs of Winter Warmer and some Moon Man. A nice little haul, not all for me, sharing with the Beer Counselor.

I asked the guys working where a good place to grab a quick bite would be and they both said to try out the Glarner Stube (www.glarnerstube.com). Driving into downtown New Glarus definitely feels like you are in Switzerland. The historic layout makes this place an excellent experience and as you walk into the Glarner Stube not only get the visual appeal you get to taste it as well. Glarner Stube means “Living Room of New Glarus” and it is that cozy. All old New Glarus brewing bottles line across the top of the bar and that is the only brewery available on tap, the only problem is deciding which one to order. A went with Moon Man and my wife suggested going with some Cheese Fondue to start. A great idea! Wonderful swiss cheese with cubed, crusted bread, that paired great with the pale ale. We also split a prime rib sandwich with horseradish sauce and a side of cooked sauerkraut with an onion cream sauce. The food was great but the people working there are so pleasant it makes everything that much better.

A great trip to New Glarus. I’m hoping to makes this a destination to hit a few times a year. Highly recommend making this trek, an easy 3 hour drive to beerdom.