The Second Time's a Charm

One year later, finally, Oktoberfest in Hyderabad. And while Kingfisher may not be quiiiiiiiiiite up to the standards of some of its German peers, it made a great excuse for a celebration. So nice to be in a place and time and moment where people and groups and stories intermingled. I haven't had many evenings in all of two years like this one, i miss fun muchly.

Bandh-oberfest

For months, i had no opinion on Telangana. Sure i scoffed at random acts of violence on innocent statutes, but as long as the separatist strike didn't affect me, i didn't have much of an opinion.

But then came this weekend. Oktoberbest. The very best of the beer-based culture that I miss. Two days of Kingfisher-fueled revelry, even if that leaves a little to be desired. But then Telangana cancelled Oktoberfest. That's when i developed an opinion...

Why Fond du Lac lacks a brewery

Whitney, Rachel, Martin (invisible) and I celebrated MLK Jr Day with a trip to little Potosi, almost all the way to Iowa. A cute little brewery in a quaint valley abutting the Mississippi River, definitely a fun place for a road trip.

But if little Pososi has a brewery (not to mention the National Brewery Museum), why can't my hometown of 50 times more people have a brewery?

Fond du Lac, it turns out, has a long brewing tradition. It's just that it's disappeared.

A model train brewery kit is even modeled after what one FDL brewery used to look like.



Only one brewer, Bechaud Brewing, made it through the Prohibition. But only barely. Beer was last made in Fond du Lac in 1937. Their most famous brew, says the internet, was Empire Beer.



Cheers to that.

Potosi: New Favorite Madison Day-Trip

The Potosi Brewing Company, in short, is what you hope New Glarus is, until you realize that the New Glarus Brewery isn't quiet as quaint as you'd imagine it to be...

While the town of New Glarus (45 minutes southwest of Madison on 151/69) is cute to visit in its own right, the brewery of the same name lacks the charm you'd imagine from Wisconsin's favorite microbrewery. The beers, it turns out, are more special than where they're made.

Potosi, though, solves the dilemma. The village of Potosi (1 hour, 45 minutes southwest of Madison via 151/35/133) is scenic in its own right, and the brewery is something worth boasting, too. Great restaurant, neat museum exhibits - the perfect place for an out-of-Madison daytrip.

And worth a stop on the drive there? The Dickeyville Grotto. Wow.