Great Taste of the Midwest

It has become a tradition for some visiting breweries to partner with local establishments to showcase their excellent beers. Even if you missed out on Great Taste tickets, you'll still be able to find many opportunities to sample some special beers all around Madison. Some of these events even feature breweries that are not able to join us at the Great Taste.

Schedule of Events

9:00 am - 12:00 am: Darkness and Donuts at Tipsy Cow - Tipsy Cow - Madison, WI

Darkness and Free Greenbush Donuts in the Morning! (While Supplies Last).
Timed Tappings:

9am

2023 Darkness with Friends : Other Half (only keg ever outside of 2023 Darkness Days @ Surly Brewing Co.)
Darkness aged in Old Fitzgerald Bourbon barrels with Cloud Cover Hayissa Olocho Keramo Coffee and vanilla beans added - 12% ABV

2023 Darkness with Friends : Pinthouse (only keg ever outside of 2023 Darkness Days @ Surly Brewing Co.)

Darkness aged in Henry McKenna 10-Year Bourbon barrels and Tattersall Aquavit barrels with vanilla added. - 12% ABV 2023 Nitro Coco Darkness

Aged in bourbon barrels, coconut, vanilla, and cacao, then is brewed on nitro for a rich, creamy finish - 12% ABV

2016 Darkness
Our Massive Imperial Stout - 12% ABV
2023 Darkness
Our Massive Imperial Stout - 12% ABV

11am
PIzza Party

THAT's a Knife
Australian-style Pale Ale - 6% ABV

4pm
BA Darkness - 2017
Darkness Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels from Woodford Reserve - 12% ABV

BA Darkness - 2024
Darkness Aged in Elijah Craig 10 and 12 year Bourbon Barrels - 12% ABV

Nitro Coffee Ale
Robust porter with Peace Coffee - 5.5% ABV

7pm
Midnight Manhattan Darkness - 2021
Aged on cherries and orange peels in bourbon barrels - 12% ABV

Parkers Heritage Darkness - 2023
Aged in Parker's Heritage 15 Year Heavy Char bourbon barrels - 12% ABV

Pentagram
100% Brettanomyces dark beer, fermented in stainless and aged in used red wine barrel - 7% ABV

9:00 am - 9:00 am: Eagle Park Pre Great Taste AM - Dexter's Pub - Madison, Wi

Beer, bacon, booze and it all begins at 9am!
Make us your First stop on the beer lover's favorite weekend
Enjoy specialty pours from:
Badger State
Eagle Park
Lion's Tail
Pig Minds
With our famous pre-Taste breakfast provided by Jones Dairy Farm. (Thanks Kenny!)

12:00 pm - 11:55 pm: Collab-A-FestA-Sava-Thon 2024 - Young Blood Beer Co. - Madison, WI

Why not have a dope party with some of our fave suds buds in the Midwest the day before the Great Taste of the Midwest? ?

We'll have all our collaborations on draft at our King Street location starting at noon on Friday, August 9th.

Need to Know deets RN:

No timed tapping nonsense.
We will give you all the goods simultaneously because it's Great Taste Eve. Let's have fun, Madison!

Four Packs for all.
Collabs will be canned; you can purchase them on-site at this event.

Food All Day.
We know you'll be thirsty, but we bet you'll be hungry too. Our King Street kitchen will also open early at noon because collabs and crunch wraps go well together.

12:00 pm - 9:00 pm: The Catalyst - Karben4 Brewing - Madison WI

(2) Karben4 Beer Releases:
Jackson Sourio - Fruited Sour w/ Passion Fruit, Kiwi, and Guava
Pink Peppercorn Saison (name and style)

Guest Brewery Beers Available at Outdoors Booths:
608 Brewing
Oliphant Brewing
Pipeworks Brewing
Revolution Brewing
Dangerous Man Brewing
Noon Whistle Brewing
Copper State Brewing
These will be ticketed pours, ranging in barrel-aged, sours, hazy's, and Delta-9 THC-Infused drinks.

12:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Working Draft - Great Taste Pre-Party - Working Draft Beer Company - Madison WI

Join us for our Great Taste of the Midwest pre-party!

For this event, we teamed up with our friends at Bavarian Bierhaus to make a Lichte Weisse. This low ABV (3.0%) take on a Hefeweizen features imported Weyermann wheat and a unique step-mash technique that increases esters and aroma while keeping the beer light and refreshing. Ever had this style before??

We will also have limited tappings from Bavarian Bierhaus, as well as our 13P Czech Lager, Eis Weissenbock, Rauchdarren, and even a Barleywine. Be sure to try these limited beers while available!

1:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Raised Grain Pre-Party at DLUX

Join Raised Grain Brewing Co at DLUX for five exclusive beers and a paired burger menu.

2:00 pm - 10:00 pm: GT Eve - Starkweather Brewing Company - Madison, WI

Starkweather Brewing Company will release 3 new beers on 8/9!

Peach and Pancetta, sour ale infused with peaches and smoked malt. A collaboration with our new neighbors Lone Girl on East Washington Chase for the Chupacabra; American Blond brewed with honey, aged on wood chips soaked in tequila and finished with a touch of lemon Joy Meter High Score; Sour Raspberry IPA.

2:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Lone Girl Brewing - Madison Taproom and Pizza Co

Check out Madison's newest taproom at 1817 East Washington Avenue in Madison!
We'll be serving all of our Lone Girl Classics, including our World Beer Cup winner, Towhead. All of our beers are locally brewed nearby at our Main Street Waunakee, WI Brewpub.

Schedule for the day:
2pm - Doors open
2pm - 6pm - Towhead Award Party - It's time to celebrate our award winner. All Lone Girl classics, including Towhead will be available.
6pm - Special Release - Peaches and Pancetta Release (collaboration brew with Starkweather Brewing)

Pair your craft beer with our Roman-style pizza, crafted with a custom flour blend and a 72-hour rise for a thick, light, airy crust. Hand-pressed and topped with fresh ingredients, it delivers an authentic taste of Rome in minutes. Pizza is also available for takeout.

3:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Bierock Tap Takeover - Bierock - Madison

Tap Takeover at Bierock! We'll have 7 Titletown brews on tap all day and the brew and sales team will be around to hang out!

3:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Great Taste Pre-Party with Titletown and Live Music - Bierock - Madison, WI

Great Taste of the Midwest is almost here and so are Great Taste Eve events, including a special one at Bierock on Friday August 9 from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

We've got featured beer tappings from Titletown Brewing Company in Green Bay and live music on the docket.

Performing live music will be Madison's own Jack o' the Dust, starting at 8:00 p.m.

Jack o' the Dust is an acoustic folk duo comprised of Andrew Doiel on guitar and Amy McNally on fiddle.

Look out for indie-rock, punk and Americana influences in their soulful originals and covers. There is no cover charge.

Meanwhile, we'll have a tap takeover with Titletown Brewing Company.

Visitors can expect a couple flagship and seasonal offerings from Titletown along with a couple others that are typically taproom exclusives.

The beers in our lineup-along with beer styles-include

Go for Two, Double IPA
Wild at Tart: Raspberry, Mint and Rosemary, Fruited Sour
Bent Tuba, Oktoberfest
Gridiron Glory, Mexican Lager
Crisp Creek, Watermelon Wheat
Tundra Tropics, Hazy IPA
Honey Ale, Blonde Ale w/ Local Wildflower Honey

Bierock will have its full food and drink menu during the event, as well as full indoor and outdoor dining available.

So stop by for the best Great Taste Eve pre-party in town.

Located at 2911 N. Sherman Ave., Bierock is part of the Northside TownCenter and across the street from Warner Park.

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Boulevard Brewing Tap Takeover - Sardine - Madison, WI

Join us as we celebrate another year of The Great Taste of the Midwest. We'll have several special and rare beers available.

4:00 pm - 10:00 pm: Fireplace Oddyssey: A Pre-Great Taste Party at Garth's Brew Bar - Garth's Brew Bar - Madison WI

Oliphant + Vennture + Garth's Brew Bar are throwing a rager dubbed Fireplace Oddyssey. Special brews. Special swag. Special fires and oddities.

4:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Giant Jones Great Taste Eve Beer Garden - Giant Jones Brewing - Madison

It's the night before everyone's favorite beer fest…so we will be here to celebrate with everyone who's in town.

Join us as we tap the latest batch of our award winning Doppelsticke Altbier for you to enjoy. And as always, we'll have many more big beers for you to try. Ranging from historical styles, Belgian styles, German styles and many more.

We will also have our usual wine offerings from American Wine Project and sodas.

You can bring your own food OR order from our friends at The Deliciouser (or anywhere else you choose).

We're excited to see new faces from out of towners, so stop on by!!!

Weather permitting, our outdoor beer garden will be open!

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Great Taste Eve and Oktoberfest Celebration - Essen Haus - Madison, WI 53703

Celebrate the Great Taste Eve and Revolutionary Oktoberfest at the Madison classic Essen Haus! Featuring Revolution Brewery and Revolution Steins, join us for live outdoor music with Die Knellerknaben from 4-7; music continues inside the Essen Haus from 7-11pm with the Gary Beal Band and inside Come Back In with InFunktious from 9-12.

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Point, Mr. Brews Pre-Taste Party - Mr. Brews - Madison, WI 53717

Ciderboys, Whole Hog, and Point tastings at Mr. Brews Taphouse! Win a pair of tickets to the great taste! Brewery Reps will be in from 4PM-7PM and the drawing for tickets will be held after 7PM.

5:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Badger State Brewing, Moxy Pre-Taste Party - Moxy Madison Downtown - Madison, WI 53703

Win a pair of tickets to the great taste of the Midwest! Drink any Badger State Beer to get an entry! Meet Badger State Brewing from 5PM-8PM and stay after 8PM for the ticket drawing!

5:00 pm - 5:00 pm: MKE Brewing and Eagle Park at Off Broadway Drafthouse - Off Broadway Drafthouse - Madison, WI

MKE and Eagle Park beers and team in the evening at Off Broadway Drafthouse

5:00 pm - 8:00 pmThe Great Taste of Madison - Delta Beer Lab - Madison, WI

Get to know Madison's robust and diverse brewery scene right down the road from the Great Taste of the Midwest festival grounds! Delta Beer Lab will be hosting guest beers from 10 Madison-area breweries, representing a broad range of styles and flavors for the discerning craft beer enthusiast. Meet representatives from the guest breweries, learn more about the guest beers and breweries, and buy a flight for a chance to win brewery swag! Grab a sandwich from our friends at Sandwich Hub, who will be popping up at the Delta taproom for the night.

Every year, Madison plays host to the Great Taste of the Midwest, drawing top breweries from the Midwest and craft beer lovers from around the country. We love our brewery friends from out of town, but we decided it was time to give our visitors a chance to really get to know the host city for this top-tier beer festival. Featuring breweries that won't be at the festival on Saturday, this pre-Great Taste event concentrates on the Great Taste of Madison that we're all so proud of. As the brewery closest to the Great Taste festival grounds, Delta Beer Lab is proud to be the perfect taproom to host our local friends for the night.

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Fireplace Obyssey: I Will Eat You All - Garth's Brew Bar - Madison WI

Swag, special beers and general fun with Oliphant Brewing and Vennture Brewing

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Wild State Cider at I/O Arcade Bar Great Taste Eve Party - I/O Arcade Bar - Madison, WI

Come hang out with Wild State Cider at I/O Arcade Bar for Great Taste Eve! There will be hard ciders on tap, raffle prizes, and gaming!

6:17 pm - 1:17 am: August Schell Brewing Company Tap Takeover at Paradise Lounge Downtown Madison - Paradise Lounge - Madison, WI

Join the Midwest's Oldest Family-Owned Brewery at the Paradise Lounge 119 W Main St, Madison, WI 53703 for awarding winning Lagers, prizes, and special tapping of Notorious P.I.L.S. a West Coast Pilsner!

Click here for Tickets