The Great Taste Of The Midwest 2012

6000 craft beer lovers, 140+breweries at the soldout Great Taste Of The Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin

This is the story of the 2nd longest running craft beer event in the country. Every party I go to, people inevitably tell me there are two parties I should not miss. One is the Great American Beer Festival, the other is Great Taste Of The Midwest. The Annual GTMW is like nothing l have ever experienced before. 140+ breweries, 6000 people and level of showmanship you never see on the festival circuit.

The end booth under each tent is where the creative presentations can be found. I ended up spending about an hour in the corner near Solemn Oath and Haymarket. Their ‘Beer Olympics’ theme was spot on. On the other end of the party was the New Holland booth. The ‘Zombie Prom’ concept came complete with a punch bowl of rotating beers and a paparazzi booth backdrop! The carnival theme at Central Waters was pretty awesome too. Had way too much fun with my man Sconnie from the CW crew. We went on a pretty intense beer run together. ’09 Dark Lord, Tea Bagged Surly Furious (cask) and a Blueberry Flanders by Perennial Ales (cask) that was out of this world. The rolling hills of Madison are present everywhere in town. Olin-Turville Park is no exception. It made for some exceptional views of Lake Monona. It’s as picturesque a setting as you will find at any festival.

The Wild Onion Brewing Company. Barrington, Illinois

I spent time catching up with our pals over at Wild Onion Brewing. This crew is probably the best kept secret in Chicagoland. I’ve always enjoyed the understated awesomeness of their Pumpkin Ale. With 5 different hops their DIPA Hop Slayer is the real deal. Assertively hoppy, with a nice malt backbone. It’s a local IPA we love seeing whenever we go out.

This is the Grandaddy of all craft beer festivals in our region. The 26th Annual event sets the bar for outdoor festivals. Only breweries with 500 miles if Madison are allowed to participate. It is a craft beer celebration of the highest order. There are literally beer events every weekend, this is one of the few where everyone brings their ‘A’ game. It wasn’t until we were on Pier 7 back at the Edgewater Hotel that I even looked at the program guide. Needless to say my Untappd Wish List had tripled since flipping through the 110 page booklet. I missed out on treats like Double Rice IPA(the 2012 World Beer Cup Winner by Kuhnhenn), Guajillo Pepper Sticke Alt (Destihl) and Blackberry Dominique (Goose). What I did leave with was a confirmation that I could drink only beers made in the Midwest for the rest of my life.

–Nkosi