Vintage Brewing Company

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

3.71/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

wandered into this place looking for a decent beer, as it seems most of the many bars in downtown madison cater to college students, obviously, serving only bmc and spotted cow. the alaskan amber neon sign is what gave me the impetus to check this place out. pretty big place and mostly non-descript with a well-worn feel, i had no idea this was a brewpub until told by the bartender that all the "v" taps were house beers brewed nearby. the bartender was great, gave me free tastes of all of the house brews. the oaked ipa, dubbel, and hoppy red were all decent. they also had some guest taps and various bottles including several bmc and craft offerings. nothing special other than breakfast stout bottles were available. all in all, glad i found this place as i needed decent beer.

10-31-2011 16:03:36 | More by MrMcGibblets

emerge077

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped in here for dinner recently, unfortunately the house beers left alot to be desired, though the food was great.

Didn't have a bunch of time, so I sat at the bar and got a few samples and $1.50 pours along with a tasty bbq brisket dinner. The house beers were overwhelmingly average... ESB, Oatmeal Stout were good, and the Jinja Ninja was interesting though the rest of the lineup could be from any other random brewpub. The guest taps stole the show in fact, O'so Qu Rosa and House of Brews Cellar Dark were both great. Beer list was draft focused and well varied by style, though there were a handful of solid bottles like CW Illumination and La Folie.

Atmosphere was ok at the bar, it felt like an upscale revamp of an old place (JT Whitney's), but the dining room looked nice. Seemed to be a good dinner crowd of locals on a Monday night. Rectangular island bar with a giant aquarium in the center casting an eerie glow. Flatscreen tv's and brown tile floors were kind of meh, but there was some cool original art and stone work accents elsewhere, and knick knacks above a fireplace in the dining room. Service was ok at the bar, though one guy didn't get why I wasn't ordering the $2.50 house pint special and opting for $1.50 small pours. I'd already explained I wanted to try the whole lineup, as i'd never been in before, and was short on time. Shrug... the other bartender was good though.

Food wise, the brisket was smoky and really tasty, though expensive at nearly $14 for 2 thick slices, mashed potatoes, and a mushy corn cob. Doubt i'd return here unless to eat and grab a beer on the west side... it's near Woodman's on Gammon and Steve's Mineral Point, though not much else in the immediate area beer-wise.

05-09-2012 01:37:53 | More by emerge077

sweemzander

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

Our "home base" and starting point/visit for my good friend Andy's bachelor party. We ended up renting their "Prison Bus" so we could tour around Madison not having to worry about cabs or staying sober all day.
Much more a restaurant feel than a brewpub overall, but seeing the brewing room and fermentation tanks off to the side reminds you where you are at.
Off to the other side was a decent gaming room, darts and pool and TVs are always a plus.
Right from the start, the service was excellent. I was impressed with their wide selection of beer styles as well as their quality; I had trouble deciding what to get pints of, though they did give us a sample of every beer they had on tap and really was impressed with their quality honestly.
The food was ok, I enjoyed the soft pretzels, though alot of their other offerings looked very good if you were to come in for dinner and have a few beers too. Overall, a great place that I thoroughly enjoyed.

08-26-2011 14:58:44 | More by sweemzander

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

First stop on the tour of Madison.

Upscale brewpub feel. Plenty of seating and bar space. Game room is a nice touch.

The beers on tap were very good. We got the sampler and I was impressed with many of the offerings. The standouts for me were Velouria (wheat/peach ale) and Sister Golden (kolsch). Both were outstanding for their respective styles.

The service was excellent. We were using their party bus for a fellow BA's bachelor party and they were extra accomodating. We were well taken care to say the least.

I only tried the (soft) pretzels and they were a bit dry and thick for my taste. Can't all be winners.

Overall I would have no problem heading back here when in Mad town.

08-25-2011 17:28:07 | More by beerwolf77

cptnspeed1

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I like what they have done with the old JT Whitney's. The beer is better. They have started to get experimental in aging and blending beers (although they have a ways to go to make an elite beer in this category). The dark beers (especially the coffee porter and the imperial stout( are good, the hoppy beers are ok, and some of the seasonals (the Wit comes to mind) are worth checking out.

The food is pretty good. Not too many places will serve you a 1/2 lb burger between two grilled cheeses and leave you happy with your decision (health concerns aside).

The building is nice and has an inviting exterior, but the layout leads to some bottlenecking when it is busy in the bar area. The waitstaff seems to be fairly knowledgeable about their product, but the overall beer knowledge is so so.

08-09-2011 02:02:46 | More by cptnspeed1

Yetiman420

Ohio

4.6/5  rDev +10.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stop #221 on my world brewery tour.

Solo visit around 7:30 on a Wednesday night in early August. Sat at the spacious bar.

Building is in an area of 80's era chains and strip malls. Lowered expectations on the way in from the parking lot and was pleasantly surprised by the interior. A bit swank with low lighting, some vintage beer signs, and a modest vintage decor that hints at the interior of my great aunt's furnishings. A bit like an old-school steak house. I like it.

I went with the $1.50 samplers of all the beers...
Kolsch
Weiss
Wit
English Summer Ale - cross between a pilsner and English pale
Hibiscus Saison - remarkable
Sahti - wonderful
IPA
Alt
Schwarzbier like beer
Double Black IPA
Imperial Stout aged in Rye Barrel

All beers were excellent and I would recommend any of them. The Sahti stole the show for me. I think it may be the first time I've had the style (probably sitting on some DFH in my cellar that I should crack open).

I had the Wisconsin whitefish sandwich with fries drizzled with truffle oil. The fish had a slice of cheese on it which I'm still trying to figure out. Very good meal and I can't figure out why this place gets a 71% on reliable Urbanspoon.

Six local guest taps included can-bic from New Glarus, Ale Asylum, Potosi, Furthermore, and Spreeher. Also had a handful of pretty good bottles and cans.

The only drawback is not having an outside patio to enjoy the short Wisconsin summer.

08-04-2011 17:29:55 | More by Yetiman420

richkrull

Wisconsin

4.8/5  rDev +15.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I went here for dinner last week with my wife and 1-year old daughter. We went on a Wednesday night around 6:30pm. We were surprised that the parking lot was almost full and walked in to find the place nearly packed. The hostess said we would need to wait about 15 minutes for a table which was not a problem.

We took seats at the bar and looked over their beer menu. They had about 15 of their own beers on tap with most styles covered. About half-way through our first beer, the hostess led us to our table with a high-chair for the little one.

For starters, we had the chips with beer cheese dip which was very good with homemade chips. I had the bratwurst burger and my wife had the meatloaf sandwich. We both really enjoyed our sandwiches and couldn't finish them. We agreed the chips from the appetizer were much better than the fries we got with the sandwiches which were big steak fries.

The beers we tried were the Palidrome APA, Woodshed IPA, Dedication abbey-style dubbel, Scaredy Cat Oatmeal Stout, and Weiss-Blau weissbier. All of them were very good. I'm looking forward to trying the rest of their menu.

Our waitress was very good. Attentive and very quick with bringing our beers and checking on us. The place was very nice inside. We really enjoyed our night out here. The food and beers were great. We will definitely be returning in the near future.

04-05-2011 20:46:47 | More by richkrull

flyboy599

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Our server was knowledgeable and had free beer samples on the way at the slightest sensed interest. She was able able to make helpful suggestions as well.

Atmosphere was dark but modern, a nice cosy pub feel around the bar. Some medium sized TV's but not a place I would go to watch the big game.

Beer selection was up to par and I was excited about their naturally carbonated cask conditioned ales or as they call them "real ales." Two of the current beers were available as "real ales" including their scotch all "Wee Heavy." These were hand pumped from the cask, smooth and delicious. Paid samples were a nice way to gain more experience with the beer.

My friends ate a meal and were all impressed with the food. I stuck to cheese curds which, to my surprised, were offered non-fried and squeeky.

Having lived in Madison for some time I hold "The Great Dane" as the standard for Madison brew pubs. Any new pub must at least perform at the Dane's level of quality and selection. Vintage did a great job of meeting that.

03-27-2011 16:34:02 | More by flyboy599

adman08

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I live about 5 minutes away from the vintage, it's been open for about a year and has quickly become my favorite place to get dinner and some beers. The food is much better than you'd expect from a brew pub and in my opinion reasonably priced. The beer is good and the house brewed taps change very regularly along with frequent changes of the cask beers which are variations of the other beers they offer on tap. If you want a good place to grab a growler or two before a party, or even to fill your 5 gallon corny keg if your a homebrewer, I'm not aware of a place that is less expensive. The staff has always been great to me and any friends I bring in.

02-24-2011 03:32:53 | More by adman08

cullenvens

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 1.5 | $$

Visited in June with my wife and daughter. The atmosphere was dark and heavy, like an old English bar, but better lit and modernized. The service was charming and helpful, but the beer knowledge was questionable. The beer quality, on the other hand, was acceptable and the selection was surprising, as we had learned that they had just brewed their first beer only a month or two before.

The food, if you were to ask my wife, was perfectly fine. To me, a former trained Chef, it was abominable. And that was the reason we decided to go there. I wanted to try a specialty, which was a smoked duck and sausage dish, whose name i forgot. It was outrageously salty, and I LOVE salt. I told the server and they fixed the situation immediately. Which is why the service got an extra nod from me.

09-30-2010 22:12:53 | More by cullenvens