August 16, 2009
I’ve gone to the biergarten at Capital Brewery each of the last three years to hang out for awhile before catching the bus to the Great Taste of the Midwest. And it is a cool place! Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis have short summers and yet more outdoor seating at bars and restaurants than any other towns I know. And this is a nice patio in a nice part of Madison and when the sun is shining, being here can be a great experience. Now, only if they had some interesting beer. During my last visit, they had two pretty boring ambers, two lagers, and one dark lager. The dark lager was probably the most exotic beer offered. This is OK I guess, but it is hardly the stuff to interest the GTOTMW audience (i.e. me) who gathers here to catch the bus each August to the fest. In short, ambiance is tough to beat, but selection, and the beer savvy-ness of the people behind the bar could use some improvement.

July 29, 2009
Visited the brewery for the 1st time on my 24th birthday. As soon as we opened the door we could smell the malty smell of beer brewing. As we waited for the tour to start we had a beer in the Garten. I tried the supper club lager, which was enjoyable but nothing to write home about. The tour was fun, and our guide was an employee of 10 years so he knew his stuff. We got to try 4 beers throughout the tour, of which the hop bock was my favorite. The gift shop prices were considerably lower than other breweries I’ve been to.

April 30, 2009
Stopped by to pick up their new experimental wheat beer made with Belgian yeast (if interested, I think there’s still a bunch left, just email the brewery and ask about it). Outdoor beer garden was nice, even on a cold day with plenty of heaters around. Beer was served in plastic, but I had to try the Hop Bock. Gift Haus had a lot of nice stuff and the smell of fresh grains was in the air when you walked into the building. Will have to get back for the tour someday.

January 22, 2009
Can’t believe I forgot to enter my review of this place. Tour was pretty fun, though the group we were with was large. After the tour, got free samples while we sat in the beer garden and got cool little beer steins to keep. Nothing spectacular was available tap, but everyone we met from Capital seemed to be having fun. Gift shop is decent sized - I bought a nice bar mirror for a reasonable price. Would visit again.

October 17, 2008
The brewery tour itself is generally amusing and informative. The staff are relaxed and entertaining. I’ve never had the privilege of enjoying the beer garden, but the indoor bar area is comfortable and fully armed with Capital’s reliably delicious brews. Well worth stopping by, and I’d love to check it out in the summertime.

August 27, 2008
If you’re ever around Middleton and you feel like checking out a brewery, I definately recommend Capital Brewery. I’ve been there twice now, once in the fall and once in summer. The beer garden is beautiful and relaxing in the summer, and I think it is one of the best times to take a tour. Toward the end of summer, they have the majority of beers on tap outside, and the tour leaders are very knowledgeable and friendly. A excellent place to get a more intimate and up close experience to fine craft beer.

February 5, 2008
WinTour 2008. Visited on what had to have been their busy Saturday, because our tour was nuts. Too many people and not enough attention. They closed the gift shop before we were even done with the tasting. Our tourguide, however, was awesome. The beers were very good, but only six of them on draught. A mixed experience to say the least.

January 8, 2008
I think I’ve only managed to drop by here once when there were open (a few times when they should have been open). The brewery occupies a cool location in a small suburb of Madison. The gift shop has big fancy growlers and lots of Capital stuff that I would wear, and the Bier Stube bar has a solid selection and is a fun place to chill. They also have the NFL network, which is a selling point in their e-mails ) I have yet to do the tour.

October 10, 2007
The second of a Madison-area brewery tour for my group of friends after New Glarus. I was impressed by the Bier Stube bar area indoors although the tour didn’t pass through it. The tour was relaxed and informative. Our guide really made our tour for us. Rhett did a fantastic job and his personable nature made it a memorable afternoon for us. Inside the brewery, we were able to sample a couple beers straight from the tanks (Autumnal Fire and a new Baltic Porter). After the tour moved outside, the guide was very liberal with sample pitchers and even visited with us while sampling. He gave candid answers when asked various questions about behind the scenes brew information and opinions on the beer industry. I’m always impressed by a knowledgable guide, and Rhett definitely fit that bill. The only marks against this brewery is the beer itself for me. I can recognize it as well-crafted beer, but malty German beers are not my favorite style. When/if they make a nice hoppy IPA or even a good stout, their newfound diversity will rocket them up my favorites list. Still a great tour and a great brewery.

June 29, 2007
Visited the Bier Garten on a Friday night. Weather wasn’t so great, but the crowd was decent. They had five beers on tap at a cost of $3.50 a piece. All beers were very tasty, with the exception of the Brown Ale which had a bad aftertaste. The service was great, and one of the brewers there sat down and talked with my friend and me. He came back and gave us a free glass of their Oktoberfest, which was not yet released at that time. He also brought us a free glass of what he called a "Double Oktoberfest", which only one batch was made for the employees, and it was tremendous. I hope to get back sometime for a tour. Great people.