Second Supper
The Beer Review Stone IPA Stone Brewing Company Escondido, California The Wisconsin microbrew market can be a tough beer nut to crack. Consider, oh, the New Glarus Brewing Company, which was once distributed around the country but pulled back to focus exclusively on Wisconsin. They still sold approximately 100,000 barrels of beer last year, a 17 percent increase from 2009, which earned them the No. 21 ranking on a trade group’s recent list of America’s largest craft breweries. That’s pretty good business for just one state, so you might understand if distributors looked at Sconnie livers like little ATMs. But in a state crowded with quality breweries and lo-
cal pride, selling beer here isn’t as easy as it looks. Now consider the Stone Brewery, a West Coast powerhouse that distributes in 35 states and was ranked the nation’s 14th largest microbrewery by the same Brewer’s Association list. Superbly reviewed and beloved around the country, Stone spent years trying to crack the Wisconsin market, but last November they finally pulled up stakes to try their luck in Minnesota. The brewery crouched the move in euphemisms — “We are exiting the state due to challenges in keeping a volume flow that would ensure frequent shipments of fresh beer” — but Sconnies just didn’t buy much Stone. Were their offerings too hoppy and bitter for our Midwestern palette? Who knows, but I had to sneak this flagship IPA back from Minneapolis to find out for myself.
Purchase: Six-pack of Stone IPA from Ken and Norm’s Liquor in Minneapolis, $10.49 Style: American IPA Strength: 6.9 percent ABV Packaging: The handsome two-tone painted label features a white gargoyle atop a green block logo. The tiny side text is famously arrogant and lauds this “gem” at length. Appearance: The beer pours a rusty gold color with a fantastically foamy white head that sticks wonderfully to the glass. Aroma: This is one pungent brew. It’s like uncapping a California stash jar with huge notes of pine and citrus, good spice character and esters of apple skins. If this isn’t the most aromatic single IPA in America, it’s the stinkiest one I’ve found. Taste: The first notes are powerfully spicy and make the tongue recoil at the raw power of hops. The complexity deepens as it slides
The Best Food & Drink Specials in Town LOCATION
SUNDAY
BODEGA BREW PUB
BROTHERS
CLOSED
306 Pearl St. 784-0522
CARLIE'S ON THIRD
$5 domestic pitchers
1914 Campbell Road 782-7764
FEATURES
W3923 State Highway 16 786-9000
FISH'S BAR & GRILL
Bar Menu
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
2-Fers, Buy any regularly priced food item and get one of equal or lesser value for free
$4 Rueben Sliders
$1 Wells, $5 Domestic pitchers All specials 9 p.m. to close
Wristband Night: AUC2D domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands. All specials 9 p.m. to close
15-cent wings, $1.50 Keystone Lights, $1.50 rail mixers; $2.50 call drinks. 2 For 1 Captains All specials 9 p.m. to close.
Wristband Night: AUC2D, Domestic $1 Bazooka Joes, $2 Cherry Bombs, $1 Bazooka Joes, $2 Cherry Bombs, taps, rail mixers and Long Islands. $3 Long Islands, $3 3 Olives Mixers $3 Long Islands, $3 Bacardi Mixers $2.50 SoCo & Jack. All specials 9 to close. All specials 9 to close. All specials 9 to close.
5 domestic taps for $1; $2 domestic pitchers
$2 domestic pints and $2 rail mixers; $1 shots of Doctor (3 flavors);
CLOSED
1125 La Crosse St. 784-7400
IMPULSE
214 Main St. 782-6010 www.impulseoflacrosse.com
JB’S SPEAKEASY 717 Rose St. 796-1161
SCHMIDTY’S 3119 State Road 788-5110
SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER 163 Copeland Ave. 785-0245
THE LIBRARY 123 3rd St. 784-8020
TOP SHOTS
$3 Bacardi mixers; $3 Three Olives vocka mixers (8 flavors); $2 domestic pints and $2 rail mixers
Taco buffet 11-2; $1 Pabst bottles and $1 bowling after 9
All you care to eat pizza buffet, 11-2 (Holmen)
All you care to eat fish fry 4-10; un- Prime rib dinner 4-10; limited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99 unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99
Bar Menu
La Crosse's Best Tacos: Beef $2, Chicken $2.50
La Crosse's Best Tacos: Beef $2, Chicken $2.50 Dog in a Diaper, $5
Fish’s Fish Taco $3.50
La Crosse's Best Tacos: Beef $2, Chicken $2.50 Chimis and Burritos, $5
9 p.m. to close: $1.25 rails, $1.75 bottles/cans
9 p.m. to close: $2 Captain mixers, $2 bottles/cans, $3 Jager bombs
9 p.m. to close: $2 Bacardi mixers, $2 domestic pints, $1.50 shots blackberry brandy
Free Wing Night (while supplies last); $5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close ($7 after 11p.m.):; live DJ
$5 AUC2D Wristbands 9 p.m. to close ($10 after 11p.m.): Domestic Taps, Rail Mixers, Long Islands; Live DJ, Dancing 9 p.m. to close
$5 AUC2D Wristbands 9 p.m. to close ($10 after 11p.m.): Domestic Taps, Rail Mixers, Long Islands; Live DJ, Dancing 9 p.m. to close
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.
CLOSED
$1.75 domestic bottles, $1.75 Dom Monday Madness: $1.75 domestics bottles and rails, $2.50 Bombs and rails, $2.50 Bombs, $1 off all top shelf and specialty beers $1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.) Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All specials 9 to close.
Free Beer: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free Wings: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free Bowling: After 9 p.m.
Bar Menu
Ladies Night, $1 off all drinks, 4 to All you can eat boneless wings, inclose; Pint-Aritas $3 (lime or straw- cludes a choice of potatoe, slaw and berry) a frosted pint, 4-9:30 p.m., $8.99
Happy hour 4 to 9 p.m.; 9 p.m. to 9 p.m. to close: $3.50 domestic 9 p.m. to close: $1 rails, $2.50 pitch- $5 all you can drink close: Night Before Class - $3 pitch- pitchers ers, beer pong ers of the beast CLOSED
SATURDAY
Fish Tacos: 1 / $2.50, 2 / $5.00, 3 / $6.50.
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 domestic bottles Karaoke 9 p.m. to close and rail drinks, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
All you can eat wings, includes a Wisconsin cheese steak sandwich choice of potatoe, slaw and a frosted with a pint of beer, $8.99 pint, 4-9:30 p.m., $8.99
400 Lang Drive 784-2242
HOWIE’S
CLOSED
FRIDAY
$1.50 domestic taps and rail drinks, Bird Brain Trivia 8 p.m.; $1.50 do- Wing Night - 25-cent wings (dine- $1.50 domestic bottles and rail 4 p.m. to close mestic bottles and rails 4 p.m. to in only); $1 Miller High Life silos and drinks, $2 craft bottles, 4 p.m. to close PBR silos; $1.50 taps and rail drinks; close $2 craft taps. All specials 4 to close.
1452 Caledonia St. 782-6446
FLIPSIDE PUB & GRILL
— Adam Bissen
$2 BBQ Pork Sliders
CLOSED
115 3rd St. S 782-7550
THURSDAY
along the tongue, unveiling an exceptional herbal character along with biting lemon and pineapple notes, subtle sweetness, and a faintly effervescent ester like unripe raspberries. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied but resiny and chewy. Drinkability: This is a high-gravity, imposing IPA, but with each sip it warms to the palette and reveals its complexity. For that, I’d say it’s especially drinkable, but you’ve got to be a hop fiend. Ratings: BeerAdvocate readers grade this an A (it’s their third-highest ranked IPA), while RateBeer scores it a rare 100. Stone IPA isn’t a perfect beer, but it certainly is damn good and I wish I drank more of it when it was around. I guess you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
MONDAY
122 4th St. 782-0677
EAGLES NEST
May 19, 2011 // 9
YOUR GUIDE TO CONSUMPTION
$5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; ($7 after 11p.m.): karaoke 10 p.m. to close
$5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; ($7 after 11p.m.): karaoke 10 p.m. to close
Tuesday Boozeday $1 off all liquor Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. drinks and 50 cents off all shots, $2 Bombs
Hat Night: Buy 1 drink, get 1 free w/ Rail drinks $2 (4:30 to close); Buckets of beer $10, Boston Bobby's Margaritas $4 (Straw, rasp, mango, hat (4:30 to close); $1.50 chili dogs After 8 p.m. specials: $5 skewer of drummies 10 for $2 (4:30 to close), peach and reg); After 8 p.m. specials: (after 8 p.m.) shrimp,l $1.79 burger, $1.50 chili dogs $1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.) $5 skewer of shrimp, $1.79 burger
$1.50 Tacos, $4.99 nachos;: $11 Tacos: $11 buckets during pro and 12-inch pizza $8.99 buckets during pro and college foot- college football games. Happy Hour Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m. ball games. 2 to 6 p.m.; $2 pints all day $1 Taps & Rails during the game ; $6 wristbands starting at 7pm.
14-inch pizza, $2 off; Wings Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.
Half price tequilla, $1 domestic taps K$2 Double rails and all bottles; $3 and rails Double call drinks
Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $6.99
$1.89 hamburger + toppings Ladies Fish Dinner Special-$7.89 night, 2 for 1 drinks (6-close), Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m. Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.
$1.50 Tacos, $4.99 nachos; $11 buckets during pro and college football games.
Wristband night, $2 cherry bombs, $2 U-Call-its for domestic taps, $2 U-Call-its for domestic taps, 50¢ shots (3 flavors); $2.50 Tuaca, domestic bottles, rail mixers & select domestic bottles, rail mixers & select Jack Daniel's & SoCo Mixers call mixers. call mixers
$5 Pitchers/$2 bottles of Miller prod- $1.75 Miller/Bud Light Taps, $2.25 $1.75 Rails, $1.50 Domestic Taps, $2 domestic bottles, $2.50 Skyy/ ucts (11-4pm) $2 Corona Bottles, $2 MIcro/Craft Taps, $2.50 Cherry $3.50 Jager Bombs Absolut mixers, $2 Dr. shots (7-1 Kilo Kai Mixers , $3 Bloodys (7-1 a.m.) Bombs (7-1 a.m.) (7-1 a.m.) a.m.)
5 Domestic Bottles for $10, $5 $2 Captain Mixers, $2. Long Island Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Mixers, $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (7-1 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1 a.m.) a.m.)
$5 Miller/Bud Light Pitchers, $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1 a.m.)
POPCORN TAVERN
$2.50 Captain mixers $2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans
$1.75 PBR Bottles $2.50 Captain mixers $2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans
$2.50 Captain mixers $2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans
$2.50 Captain mixers $2 Grain Belt
$2 Coors & Coors Light Bottles, $2.50 $2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans Skyy mixers, $2.50 Captain mixers $2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans
$2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans
WHO'S ON THIRD
Happy Hour until 10 p.m. $1.50 domestic taps, $2 rails from 10 to close
$1.50 taps PBR, $1.50 rails
$2 domestic bottles, $3 call doubles
$2 taps, $3 Jack and Captain doubles
$2 Miller products, $8.50 fish bowls
137 4th St. 782-6622 308 4th St. S. 782-9069
126 3rd St. N. 782-9467
$2 domestic taps, $3 Three Olives products