Earlier this year, I headed to Madison, Wisconsin for a weekend getaway. After having a great time on my first visit to Wisconsin last year, I wanted to plan more trips to Wisconsin. Madison, the capitol of Wisconsin, seemed like the perfect perfect place to for a weekend getaway.

Whenever I travel, I am always looking for the best craft breweries to visit. Wisconsin has no shortages of breweries, and Madison has a great craft beer scene. I tried to fit in as many breweries as I could on my short visit.

This Madison, Wisconsin Craft Beer Guide will show you all the great places for craft beer on your next visit!

Ale Asylum

The first brewery I stopped at was Ale Asylum, located in a large warehouse on the North side, not too far from the airport.

I heard great things about Ale Asylum before my visit. They have producing some really great beer and have become a staple in the Wisconsin craft beer scene.

Even though the brewery and restaurant is on the larger side, it can get very crowded during peak times. I grabbed a seat at the bar and sampled two of their craft beers. I was definitely impressed. I found Ale Asylum to have a great vibe and atmosphere. I highly recommend trying on of their draft-only “Asylum Limited” sections on your visit.

I ordered the Hopalicious with Mosaic hops. Usually Hopalicious is brewed with Cascad hops. I love mosaic hops, so I had to try this variation on their classic Hopalicious. The mosaic hops add brightness and a nice level of fruit. I love trying beer that you can only find at a specific brewery.

Karben 4

I visited Karben 4 on Friday night, and  the place was hopping! You definitely know that you are at a good place when it is packed. Always a great sign when traveling. I grabbed a seat and ordered a beer flight. Whenever I am traveling, I love ordering beer flights. A beer flight is the best way to sample a large variety of a brewery’s beers. I filled out my flight sheet, and as usually I ordered too many samples. They all couldn’t fit on the flight board!

The beers were really fun to sample. The beer tasted unique and definitely not your average commercial beer.

While I was enjoyed my flight a large thunderstorm rolled in, and I decided to stay a little longer with the locals. Their brewery was a fun space to visit. I even enjoyed playing a few games while waiting for the storm to let up. I definitely can see why Karben 4 was packed!

The Great Dane

The Great Dane has five locations in and around Madison, but I highly recommend visiting the downtown location. I just loved the facade of the building and space inside.

If you read my Vegan guide to Madison post, you read that I went to The Great Dance for lunch and had a great experience. The food was so good!

I picked out which beers to try on my flight. It is always a hard decision when you want to try all of them! I narrowed it down, picking out the ones that sounded the best.

I was very happy with my flight selection. I enjoyed every single tasting of beer, something that doesn’t alway happen.

If you are looking for a great spot for food and beer, I highly recommend The Great Dane!

The Old Fashioned

While The Old Fashioned might not be a brewery, they offer a great selection of Wisconsin craft beer. The Old Fashioned is an iconic bar that is must-visit on your trip to Madison.

If you are looking to try some Wisconsin beer, be sure to stop at The Old Fashioned. I ordered an award winning double IPA and it was fantastic!

You will find so many great places for craft beer in Madison. I wish that I had a few extra days to try more places. Just another reason to plan a trip back to Madison!

Some of the places that I wanted to try, but just ran out of time include:
The Vintage Brewing Company
Funk Factory Geuzeria
One Barrel Brewing Company

If you are looking for a place to stay in Madison, I highly recommend staying at HotelRed. You can read all about my stay in my hotel guide post.

Have you ever visited Madison, Wisconsin before? If you have a favorite brewery in Madison, let me know in the comments!

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Xo Jeni