*This is the one-hundred and thirty-third post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
Brewery Creek Brewpub & Inn
23 Commerce St
Mineral Point, WI 53565
(608) 987-3298
Visit date: 11/10/2017
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
5 on tap.
2) How long operational?
Brewing here since June 1998.
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
Restaurateur looking for a space in La Crosse, but stumbled across historic Mineral Point building.
4) Distribution?
On-site only.
5) What sets you apart?
Also a bed and breakfast / inn.
6) How did you get your name?
Brewery Creek runs behind the building.
Brewery Creek Brewpub & Inn in Mineral Point, WI. All photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd.
The babbling Brewery Creek still runs through the center of picturesque Mineral Point, one of the oldest cities in Wisconsin, nearly two centuries after its founding. Though the creek is no longer used by the long-gone lead and zinc miners, today it quenches the thirst of travelers stopping at the eponymous Brewery Creek Brewpub & Inn along its banks.
A bright red front door pops on the beautiful, cream-colored limestone of this 1840 building; inside, heavy dark wood ceiling beams and warm forest-green walls invite you to grab a seat by the bar or next to the roaring wood-burning fireplace.
Naturally we bellied-up to the bar, fancying a few pours of beer from behind the massive, imposing backbar.
Golden Ale
Light & fluffy, friendly to the palate, with a slight honey tinge.
India Gold
Heavier than it lets on, but hiding a nutty quality in an otherwise buttery and hoppy beer.
Dark Amber Ice
Malty and roasted chocolate, coffee, and crisp late-season apple notes.
Pale Ale
Frothy mouthfeel. Simple, balanced taste of light hops and light malt, married in a long-term sipper.
Shandy
A lemon-beer bomb: extremely juicy, lemony, and tasty. Puts other shandies to shame.
Mineral Point once was home to a huge Cornish population, and the subtle old-European decor rounds out the obvious English influences on both the house-brewed ales and menu. Pasties, anyone?
In addition, Brewery Creek is a bed-and-breakfast, home to a few suites upstairs and a couple cottages just a block down the road – which means you can enjoy as many fresh brews as you want before safely retiring on-foot.
Mineral Creek would not have been our first guess to be home to a Cornish countryside brewery and wayside. But when you walk into Brewery Creek Brewpub & Inn, whether for the night or a nightcap, you’ll be taking a small, delicious step back in both time and place.