Wisconsin Brewpub Odyssey

There's nothing quite like being dwarfed by a six pack. Bust out the bifocals and see if you can find me and Josh in the picture below.

After six months of enduring Ecuadorian lagers, it was time for a pilgrimage to the world's largest six pack and a six day, 300-mile bike tour to some of the Midwest's best brewpubs.

DAY 1: La Crosse

We began with a pint and fortifying lunch at Chicago's new Revolution Brewing. We filled a couple of growlers and then pedaled downtown and boarded an Amtrak train for the 5-hour trip to La Crosse.

We rolled out of the La Crosse depot and it was just a short ride to the Pearl Street Brewery. There, Joe Katchever has breathed new life into a derelict shoe factory by launching a craft brewery and tasting room.

John Greenfield had scheduled to read excerpts from his new book Bars Across America at Pearl Street, but the train was late and the crowd had thinned. So instead, Joe gave us a brewery tour while we sipped on his wares. The Hemp Porter was fantastic and his operation was inspiring.

Next, we did a quick roll by of the City Brewery and the world's largest six pack. We ended the night at a local beer bar before flopping in our motel.

DAY 2: Sparta Elroy Trail

Joe had tipped us off to the Corner Bar brewery in Reedsburg , which we had somehow missed on our itinerary. We decided to bike the additional 20 miles to Reedsburg on Day 2 (resulting in an 85-mile day) in order to have dinner and pints at the Corner Bar.

We rode the famed Sparta Elroy Trail, said to be the country's first rail-to-trail bikeway. Just before sunset, we rolled up to the Corner Bar. We enjoyed the excellent spread of ales and, as a bonus, prime rib happened to be on special. Chef Max cooked the steaks to perfection. Kevin's veggie burger was reportedly delicious as well.

After a couple of hours of eating and imbibing, we retired to a renegade campsite a couple miles out of town at a highway wayside.

DAY 3: Brewpub Desert

Because we had ridden 20 extra miles on Day 2, we were able to spend less time in the saddle on Day 3 and take advantage of a rich Wisconsin cultural opportunity.

House on the Rock, an architectural wonder and unrivaled collection of oddities, was on our route and we decided to spend a few hours exploring. And besides, the day's itinerary took us through the West Central Wisconsin Brewpub Desert, so there would no breweries en route.

We left the bike trail's railroad grades behind and pedaled on the state highways, clawing up and cruising down Wisconsin's roller coaster-like hills. We arrived at House on the Rock in the early afternoon and booked a three hour, self guided tour. The collection of calliopes was mind blowing. We all walked out glassy eyed and overwhelmed, if not inspired.

After House on the Rock, we pedaled on to Governor Dodge State Park and camped temperately amidst scattered showers.

DAY 4: Madison

After crossing the Brewpub Desert, during Day 4 we entered the promised land.

We rode the Military Ridge Trail and arrived at the Grumpy Troll Brewery just in time for lunch and a draught. We had a sampler of their more than a dozen offerings and each honed in on our favorite. Mine was the Grumpy Creek, a light bodied, assertively hopped pale ale-- hop-licious!

Next up was Madison. We met up with Don Vasa, brewer for the Great Dane Pub, at their west Madison location. Great Dane is one of the best brewpubs in the country and every beer I tasted was excellent. Kevin had a spectacular stout, Josh drank the Peck's Pilsener and I had a weisbier.

Josh is good friends with Don, who officiated Josh and Krista's wedding. Don and his wife Cathy generously offered up their home as crash space for four smelly cyclists. As an added bonus, Don's band buddies hung out and we had a impromptu jam session into the wee hours.

DAY 5: Lake Mills

We met up with my old co-op friend Brian Dalhk for breakfast and then said farewell to John Greenfield, who cut off to get back to Chicago for work.

This would be an easy cycling day, clocking in at less than 40 miles, giving us ample time to frolic at the beach and pay our respects to Tyranenea Brewing Company. Tyranenea is cracking into the Chicago market with assertive brews, the flagship being their Bitter Woman IPA. We enjoyed a lovely sunset from their veranda and a few great pints. Stand outs included the Scurvy IPA, Black Hawk Porter, and some intense fruit beer whose name escapes me.

Our campsite was a couple of miles from town, in a mosquito refuge. It was a hot night full of hungry bugs. Josh decided to hit the road at about 3am. Kevin and I followed him at about 6am, breaking camp in a napalm fog of voracious bloodsuckers.

DAY 6: Homeward Bound

We were blessed with mostly downhill riding and clear blue skies. Somehow, we had stayed south of the torrential thunderstorms forecasted for much of our trip.

The bug induced exodus had a negative effect on our itinerary. We had hoped to stop at Randy's Fun Hunter Brewery in Whitewater, but with our early morning departure, we cruised through town 2 hours before they opened.

Kevin and I pedaled the 60+ miles to the Harvard Metra stop by 12:30pm. There, we met up with Josh, who had biked through the night and napped away the morning on park benches. We had enough time for lunch and a quick Budweiser before catching the train back to Chicago.

Final trip stats: 4 cyclists; 300 saddle miles; 6 brewpubs; 91 pints.

And finally, Ecuadorian lagers are a distant memory.