Beer tidbits from the girl who doesn't drink it.

I drink like a pretty little girl. The fruitier, the better. Wine? Sounds good. Cocktails? Really good. Blended? Sure. Umbrella? Epic.

Yup, I'll say it: I live in Wisconsin and I don't like beer. I've sampled many, and the only beer I really care for is Yuengling, which unfortunately isn't sold west of Ohio. Sigh. I'll have a hard cider, please.

But as I've mentioned before, Wisconsinites take beer very seriously. Here's what I learned while walking down Atwood Ave. today:

Words of wisdom outside One Barrel Brewing Company.

According to a seemingly legit article that was written last year, Wisconsin ranks 5th in the USA for beer consumption, and Wisconsin has the highest percentage of binge drinkers in the country. I'm not surprised.

There. That might the the most I've ever talked about beer.

To read about one of my visits to One Barrel Brewing Company, click here.
To read about that time I drank beer out of a boot, click here.

Let's throw some cash at the ceiling.

My college pal Allie stopped in Madison for 12 hours, so I did my best to show her some of the city's best options for local food & drink:

Dinner at The Coopers Tavern.
Drinks at One Barrel Brewing Company.
Dessert at Chocolaterian.
Brunch at Lazy Jane's.

A pretty awesome 12-hour visit, eh?

When we walked into One Barrel, we immediately noticed money all over the ceiling:

After chatting with the bartender, we learned that all ceiling money for the months of May and June will be donated to the Dane County Humane Society. It's an old bar trick: fold a stack of quarters and a thumb tack into a dollar bill, and voila! We had our dollar folded by a pro:

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Then, Allie did the honors:

Awesome throw! Nice way to help out the cause. Good times with one of my favorite gals.

In Wisconsin, we drink beer from Das Boot!

I'm not much of a beer drinker. The same cannot be said for most Wisconsinites. At most social gatherings in Madison, I tend to be the only guest who chooses wine over beer. What can I say? I prefer something fruity.

When my coworker Tonya (a Wisconsin native and avid beer fan) returned from traveling internationally, she decided to celebrate her return at one of her favorite downtown Madison bars, the Essen Haus, on May 5th. Tonya guaranteed that the evening would contain blog-worthy material, and as usual, she spoke the truth.

My friend Elysha and I began the evening at her house in true Cinco de Mayo fashion: she made enchiladas and I brought skinny margaritas. Once we were full (and in my case, tipsy), we headed over to the Essen Haus for a true Wisconsin-style celebration.

A sample of Essen Haus decor.

A live polka band provided the mood music while I ordered some bar munchies and we settled down at a table with Tonya and our three new friends. And then, it happened: Das Boot arrived. Das Boot is a large glass boot filled with beer that is shared around a table while adhering to six traditions set by the bar:

1. Das Boot must not touch or be set down on the table.
2. Das Boot must be consumed with the toe pointed out or up.
3. Das Boot must be passed around the table and shared with all.
4. Das Boot must be flicked once one decides to pass it to the next person.
5. The last person to drink from Das Boot before the person who finishes it has to buy the next one.
6. Once Das Boot is down to a level where someone will injest the remaining beer during one's turn, other people at the table must initiate ceremonial table pounding for encouragement. Other patrons at the Essen Haus will also pound on their tables in solidarity.

Elysha proudly models the full Das Boot with our new friend, Rob.

Drinking Das Boot!

Regardless of my fondness of beer, I was required to participate according to tradition #3.

Tonya made sure that I understood all the rules before I was entrusted with Das Boot.

Holding the boot for the first time, and very excited about it!

While others opted to chug Das Boot, I was more of a sipper. I played by the rules and was an avid boot flicker and table pounder.

I've lived in Wisconsin for a tad under a year. I never could have predicted in May 2011 that in a year I'd be spending Cinco de Mayo at a bar in Wisconsin listening to polka music while drinking beer out of a glass boot. But that's the thing about Madison (and my life in general): there's never a dull moment.

March poll results are in!

The neck-and-neck March poll results are in:

Wisconsinites love their beer, but I'm more of a wine girl myself. What's your preference? White or red?

White - 5 votes
Red - 6 votes

This cow likes her red wine, too!

Check out the April poll on the right and pay homage to your favorite pop culture cow.

December poll results are in...

The poll:

Wisconsinites love their beer. How do you like your beer?


On tap & in a glass. 7 votes
Yuck. I'll have a cocktail instead. 5 votes
Any way I can get it. 3 votes
In a bottle. 2 votes
In a can. 0 votes


Looks like we have some classy beer drinkers! Check out the January poll on the right.

Team trivia: Madison style.

Anxious to test our random knowledge of seemingly useless information, my knitting friends and I went to The Brass Ring for team trivia today. Our team name: Purls of Wisdom (get it?).

My friend Kat ordered an Ale Asylum Contorter Porter (a beer made right here in Madison):

Would you care for a side of yarn with that beer?

I have noticed that people in Madison place a high value on the local production of food and beverages. It's unusual for me to live in a city with so many locally made products, and I must say that I applaud this effort.

As luck would have it, a Madonna question came up at team trivia. To say the least, I am a diehard Madonna fan. I have seen her three times in concert, I have every song she's ever released in my iTunes library, my brain is filled with useless Madonna facts, and in 20 years of competitive figure skating, I have performed to her songs more than any other artist. The question was: What number one song by Madonna was written by Babyface? The correct answer: "Take A Bow".

Needless to say, I was thrilled that my Madonna knowledge got us 6 points!
PS: Look at me successfully knitting cables for the first time!

When everyone in the bar correctly answered a question, free "flapjack" shots were distributed (orange juice, whiskey, and butterscotch schnapps):

Because I had to drive to the rink after trivia, I opted out on drinking.
Kat and Bronwen look oh so happy about their shots!

Kat's response to the shot: "That really does taste like Sunday breakfast."

Purls of Wisdom placed in the middle of the pack out of 15 teams. Not bad for a trio playing against large groups! 

Good friends, knitting, trivia, & locally made products: a lovely weekend in Madison, indeed!