*This is the one-hundred and forty-fourth post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
Hubbleton Brewing Company
W10445 Hubbleton Rd
Waterloo, WI 53594
(920) 253-7141
Visit date: 01/20/2018
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
5 on tap, with 8 planned by spring.
2) How long operational?
Brewing since March 1, 2017. Taproom opened in July 2017.
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
20-year homebrewer built a brewing shed next to his house on his hop farm.
4) Distribution?
12 local places, with hand-bottled bottles and growlers to go.
5) What sets you apart?
All hops grown on site or sourced from WI Hop Exchange.
6) How did you get your name?
Located on Hubbleton Road, near the only town of Hubbleton in the world.
Murphy Brown greeting us at Hubbleton Brewing Company in Waterloo, WI. All photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd.
We were on a mission on a blustery Wisconsin winter Saturday: find new beer in the south-central heartland. Somewhere between Waterloo and Watertown, just north of the only town of Hubbleton in the world, we were driving down Hubbleton Road, looking for a sign for, obviously, Hubbleton Brewing Company.
We pulled up on the side of the road where the directions had led us, farmland in all directions and not a building in sight. As we scratched our heads, we noticed two things: a car ahead of us pulling down a seemingly-endless gravel path, and a large field of hibernating hops. We took the path, too; Wisconsinites are cool with trespassing, right?
At the end of the path we found two of the best things in the world: an excited dog and freshly-brewed beer. Hubbleton Brewing Company may not (yet) have a sign out front, but that’s only because they’re too busy brewing for the in-the-know crowd that seems to find them anyway.
Double IPA
Bold in bitterness, but mellow in taste. For those looking to shock the back of their tongue.
Crooked Judge Session IPA
Meets the sessionable ABV level, but does not skimp on the flowery taste or malty body.
Crawfish River Porter
So smooth, coating your tongue with mild chocolate and heavy cream. Like liquid dessert.
Cattail Pale Ale
Easy-drinking, bright taste, juicy, inviting, classic.
Huntsman’s Breakfast Chocolate Coffee Stout
Pair with eggs & bacon: with coffee and cream notes, this is a “good morning” in a glass.
Hubbleton Brewing is housed in the shed, specially built right next door to owner Dan’s home. Dan and his son Mike run the show, though their 3-acres of on-site hops actually started as a 2-acre vineyard for Mom.
In fact, all of their hops come either from what they grow on-site or are sourced from the Wisconsin Hop Exchange, which Dan helped found. The shed and setup were built by hand: from earth to brewing kettle to glass, the Hubbleton beer you’re drinking may never have touched something not hand-crafted by Mike and Dan.
That salt-of-the-earth authenticity was palpable in the varied selection of beers; but it is also the reason 30-some folks were crammed into a shed in the middle of frigid farmland, down an unmarked dirt road, on a bright Saturday afternoon. This is Wisconsin, and this is Wisconsin beer, courtesy of Hubbleton Brewing Company.
