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Starkweather Beer Company

 When I moved back to Madison to attend law school in 1987, we moved to a crappy little apartment near the banks of Starkweather Creek on the unfashionable east side.  Today, the east side is booming, and one of the newer brewpubs is called Starkweather Beer Company. It was Saint Pat's Day.  While Guinness is a decent light-bodied stout, I opted for Starkweather's dry Irish Stout, named "Jamestown Jackdaw." Coming in at 5.9 ABV, it had a malty chewable backbone.  It's a new favorite stout for me.  Julia had Late Winter Haze, a New England IPA that didn't have as much fruitiness as she likes in a hazy.  It was still well-executed. We walked down the street to the Harmony Bar, where Julia enjoyed a complete corn beef and cabbage dinner.  I opted for the Reuben sandwich.  Mine was washed down with an Edmund Fitzgerald porter from Great Lakes Brewing.  Julia enjoyed her Chaos Pattern IPA from 3 Sheeps Brewing.  Both are great beers. Justin update:   After a long h

Black River State Forest, Part 2


Saturday: While the Brew Hut mattress will need an upgrade before camping season next year, I slept well on Friday night and until after 7 a.m on Saturday.  I previously hiked all of the trails available at the Castle Mound campground, so I jumped into the Frontier and drove south on I-94 for about 11 miles, exiting at Millston and ending up at the Pigeon Creek Campground.


Pigeon Creek had no electric hookups or showers, but it did have less road noise.  I would consider staying there in the future.  The sites were a bit smaller, but well-spaced.  There were vault toilets and water pumps.  The sites were $18, compared to $28 with electric at Castle Mound.

The Nature Trail at Pigeon Creek was only 1.5 miles on flat terrain, mostly along the Pigeon Creek Flowage.


When I started the hike, I planned to combine the hike with a longer mountain biking/hiking trail.  The weather was warm, and the sun was shining.  I talked briefly to the lone fisherman on the flowage.  We agreed it was a perfect morning for late October.





On my way to the intersection of the longer mountain bike trail, the rain started to fall.  I decided to turn back.  As I passed the fisherman, we agreed that it had been a perfect morning for October.  He caught 3 nice bluegills, so he was still feeling pretty good about the day, despite the rain.

I’ve hiked in the rain many times, and I will hike in the rain again.  But I decided that a local microbrewery would be a better option.
Sand Creek Brewery, Black River Falls:





The taproom was busy when I arrived mid-afternoon.  I asked about a tour, and was told that one would be given in 30 minutes or so. My favorite Sand Creek beer, Fatty Boomblatty, brewed under the Furthermore label, wasn’t available on tap, so I went with the Turtle Stack SMaSH Golden Ale.  SMaSH beers are bewed with single malt, single hops.  It was a worthy choice–heavier than my Octoberfest lager at the campsite but lighter and less hoppy than the IPA’s that I tend to favor.

Shortly before finishing my beer,  a man in casual attire announced that the tour would be starting in a few minutes outside the doors of the tap room.  I downed my last couple of swallows and waited outside.  To my surprise, no one else was going on the tour, and I was getting a personalized solo tour from the general manager at Sand Creek Brewery.

I told him that I was a homebrewer, and he immediately put me at ease by stating that everyone in the microbrewery business starts off as a homebrewer.  He gave a a great tour and answered all of my questions, including some good gossip about the industry. I bought a t-shirt to remember the visit.


That Saturday evening, back at the Brew Hut, a violent storm storm came through with rain, wind, thunder and lightning.  I didn’t sleep particularly well as I wondered if one of the large trees or branches above the Brew Hut might fall on top of me.  It was cold and wet on Sunday morning.  I watched part of the Packers game against the Saints and left the campground at halftime.

On Monday, I winterized the Brew Hut, emptying the tanks and filling the lines and traps with RV antifreeze.  Unless I can work in another weekend of dry camping  during the late fall, the Brew Hut will awake in the spring.

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