22 Northmen Brewing Company – Alexandria, MN

We took the scenic route home when we were up north a few weekends ago and there “just happened to be a brewery” on the route we took. This brewery is part of the Carlos Creek event compound that includes a wedding venue, a vineyard and winery, a pizza restaurant, an outdoor entertainment space, food trucks, and the brewery. 

The brewery is very much a Viking theme, but a very expensive and polished Viking theme. Alexandria is a fancy boating community, and 22 Northmen made sure they could meet the needs of the original boat people (the Vikings) and the modern day boat people. 

There are axes that function as door handles on the main Viking-lodge-doors, and there are all kinds of shields on the wall above the bar. 

It’s a very tall Viking lodge with lots of seating. Many of the drinks are a little tongue-in-cheek or double entendres, so if you’re a prude, be forewarned.  

All of the beers I had were really quite good, so I’d recommend them all. 

·      Norwegian Haze – Hazy IPA (really good)

·      Barrel Aged Night Axe – Stout (sooooo good)

·      Joe Dort – Lager (really good)

·      Black Lager (really good)

·      Punch Face – Sour (pretty good)

We got a wood-fired pizza from Stoke, and it was awesome. We got the Spicy Hawaiian – jalapeno bacon jam, pepperoni, pineapple, bacon, onions, red pepper flakes, mozzarella, hot honey, and fresh parsley. Thin crust, but not doughy in any spots. We couldn’t finish the whole thing, so we brought our leftovers in the car… and then ate those leftovers before we got home.

 

We will be back to this place in the future, and hopefully, we will be able to enjoy the outside space, and perhaps some tasty wine. If you’re up in this area anytime, then you really should check this place out. There’s stuff for wine people, beer people, food people, and outdoor people. Or heck, have your wedding here!

There's a lovely carved dejected viking out in front of the building, as well!!

 

http://www.carloscreek.com

 

Round Man Brewing Company - Spooner, WI

We were up in the Shell Lake area of Wisconsin and we’re always on the lookout for breweries we haven’t tried – totally kidding, since it’s always ME that’s looking for new breweries. This place has a really nice looking interior with lots of space and both a great-looking food menu and tap list. 

Ordering beers is always easy for me, since I usually go for a flight, since I don’t want to have to make decisions. Here’s what I got and how I ranked them:

• Log Chain Lager - B+
• Mud Duck (Milkshake Stout) - B+
• Red Headed Stepchild (Red Hazy IPA) - A-
• Omaha X (Imperial IPA) - B
• Ha-Spoonah Colada (Tropical Hazy IPA) - A

I was sampling these beers while I was perusing the menu, which is exactly how I prefer to do things. I had my eyes on a few things, but kept coming back to the Friday Fish Fry (which is basically fish and chips in Wisconsin). I decided to go for that, but I also had a hankering for a weird appetizer. I’m a sucker for Medjool Dates, and they had a dish with them in it on the appetizer menu – I’m not sure who talked who into getting this one, but it happened. D.Rough went with a strong choice of the Prime Dip – which is basically a fancy French Dip.

 

The appetizer was four dates sliced like a taco and stuffed with cheese and walnuts, and then drizzled with a sweet chili sauce and ancho aioli. These were good, but not mind-blowing, which definitely means we’ll need to go back and try one or two f the other appetizers. They had good flavor, but they were just fine.

D.Rough’s Prime Dip was sliced prime rib served with au jus and a side of pickled hot pepper relish (we skipped the horseradish). It was actually really flavorful and even with the dip it never really got soggy. It just added even more flavor. It was quite delicious, actually. 

I’ll apologize in advance for not having a photo of this impressive dish – I dug into this thing as soon as I saw it and completely spaced it out. The walleye (although it was Canadian walleye, not from Shell Lake) was fried to golden perfection and you actually tasted the fish and not just the batter. A generous portion, as well. The fries were really crispy and large and weren’t just filler like at some places. And the best part is that it’s all you can eat. When you get near the end of your dish, the server comes back and asks if you need a couple more pieces, which I did. And again, forgot to take any photos of the evidence. I suppose you’ll just have to trust me that the thing looks really delicious so I don’t have to steal someone else’s photo from the internet anywhere. Just get this thing. 

 

I actually liked the Ha-Spoonah Colada so much, I bought four crowlers of it to take home with me. I don’t do that very often, if that tells you how good these beers were. Top notch, especially for drinking at the lake.

http://www.roundmanbrewing.com

Latte Stone Brewing Co. - Wisconsin Dells, WI

On a recent road trip, we felt like a brewery pit stop in Wisconsin and fortunately, Latte Stone Brewing opened during the pandemic in Wisconsin Dells and looked like a good place for brews and bites. It looks like a small taproom from the road, but once you get inside, there’s a back room, a small gift shop, and a sort of front porch, as well. One of the owners is from Guam and wanted to show Guam culture to the US. What better place than the hodge podge melting pot of cultures that is the Wisconsin Dells. 

 

We found a table in the main tap room and scanned the printed-out beer list and food list. The menu today was small (the owner apologized), but it sounds like it changes from day to day, so sometimes, there’s a lot and sometimes there’s only a few items. It worked out perfect for us and we ended up ordering both food items. We ordered the Fried Rice Bowl and the Lumpia. The beer list is really nice – lots of Wisconsin brews, some other smaller microbrews, and six or seven of their own brews. I got a flight so I could try a few different things. The owner Ryan is able to answer any questions about the beer or food that you have, so don’t be afraid to ask. Supremely nice guy!

 

I got the Taotao mo’na douple IPA, the Coco’s Island Kolsch, the Sinahi Black Coffee Stout, and Westallion Brewing’s Generale Scottish Ale. All of these were solid beers, but the Sinahi Black Coffee Stout was the stand-out performer. Smelled deeply of coffee, but the flavor wasn’t overpowering. Really delicious beer here.

 

The food arrived pretty quickly and for those who are environmentally conscious, it comes on palm leaf eco plates with bamboo cutlery. The fried rice was simple, but surprisingly flavorful. It's fried rice with ham, bacon, and smoked sausage, onions, and scrambled egg. It also comes with this Guam version of soy sauce called fina’denne’ – it’s sooooo good. One of those dishes that’s more filling than you want it to be since you just want to keep eating it. Really good work on this and no wonder it’s on the menu – easy to make, a little salty, and fills you up!

 

The Lumpia is a sort of Filipino deep fried eggroll. It has ground beef, ground pork, carrots, and cabbage. It comes with an apple mustard which is great, but it also comes with that fina’denne’ sauce, so we basically fought over that. It’s the perfect accompaniment to these crispy little eggrolls.

 

The vibe here is good. The beer is good. The food is good. The story and history is good. Do yourself a favor and when you’re driving anywhere near the Dells, just go here. You won’t regret it. If it helps, there’s a Carr Valley Cheese shop across the street, and a Root Beer Museum across the street in another direction. I’m glad we stopped, and we’ll be back there again soon!

 

http://www.lattestonebrewingco.com

Latte Stone Brewing Co.

514 Broadway

Wisconsin Dells, WI 

Tumbled Rock Brewery and Kitchen – Baraboo, WI

D and I did a little road trip to get out of town and on our way back, we popped by Tumbled Rock Brewery & Kitchen. It’s a relatively new place near Wisconsin Dells that’s really pretty impressive. The place is very unique – one building houses the restaurant and brewery, and the other is a separate taproom/taphouse that can be opened independently from the full restaurant. Both buildings are separated by a really nice outdoor patio with multiple seating options, firepits, a stage for bands, landscaping, and even outdoor carpet. This place is likely to do some killer outdoor business.

The beer menu is pretty diverse, so I went with a flight, just to get a good sampling. A brown ale, a kolsch, a Scotch ale, a black IPA, and a white stout. All of them were solid performers, but my favorite was Scotty’s Scotch Ale (if you’re asking). The flight comes in a muffin tin with some snack mix, which is a fantastic and inexpensive idea.

 

We were starving, so we got a couple things to share. The Sheet Pan Birria Nachos and the Bison Sliders. 

The Bison Sliders were good, which I’ve had some mixed experience with. Sometimes people cook their bison too long and since it doesn’t have a ton of fat in it, it dries out quickly. Tumbled Rock didn’t have this problem. They were nice and juicy, had great toppings on them, and are served on pretzel buns.

The Sheet Pan Birria Nachos were really awesome though. Good coverage of toppings – black beans, pico, jalapenos, cheese, olives, sour cream, and avocado – though I always want more cheese no matter what. The birria beef was really well seasoned and flavorful. I’d get these again – keep in mind it’s really difficult for me to turn down nachos of any sort.

 

This place is a really fun pit stop if you’re passing near the Wisconsin Dells or playing disc golf at the nearby course. I have a feeling we’ll be there again soon!

www.tumbledrock.com