Earlier this year I went to Madison, Wisconsin for work. I've been to Madison before, once for a friend's wedding and another time for work. It's a great college town, with a bit of a "big city" feel in the center since it's also the state capital. Madison has an enviable location, on an isthmus between two lakes. Since I was working, I didn't have time to do anything touristy, but I did have free early mornings and evenings - perfect for tasting the city's coffee and beer! This post is a short tour of the city, the iced coffee, and the beer.
The City
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| Downtown Madison |
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| You can tell it's a college town. Lots of houses converted to apartments. |
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| The Capitol building. |
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| View of the lake from the conference center, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. |
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| Downtown Madison. |
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| The Capitol from the conference center. |
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| View of the lake. |
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| Inside the Capitol. |
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| It's a really ornate capitol building. |
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| Looking through an arch on the second floor. |
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| It wouldn't be Wisconsin without squeaky cheese curds! |
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| A view toward downtown from across the lake. |
The Coffee
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| First day - iced coffee at Cafe Social! |
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| Barriques was a neat combo cafe, restaurant, and wine shop. Great breakfast. My top choice! |
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| Colectivo is a local chain, with good coffee and a great downtown location. |
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| Lakeside Coffee House was a bit off the beaten path, just outside downtown. Nice place with a water view. |
The Beer
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| Delta Beer Lab, a new spot in an industrial area Southwest of downtown, was my favorite. It's a chemistry themed gay brewery! Great beer, friendly staff, and a simple but fun atmosphere. |
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| Working Draft was lively (even on a weeknight) and had a good selection of brews. |
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| Surprisingly good tacos at Working Draft. |
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| The beer list at Lucille. Great pizza here too. |
My trip to Madison was quick, but as you can see, it was full of great drinks. :)
