Tyranena Brewing Company

drseamus

New York

4.3/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | $

A bit hard to find, but well worth the trip. The inside of the tasting room is very nice with several TV's, a nice bar, and nice pint glasses all around. There were two bartenders there, both of which were pretty attractive which is always a good thing. They were both extremely friendly. Their tap list was decent, but nothing special. They had all of their ordinary beers plus Dirty Old Man. They also had a Draft Root Beer which was pretty tasty. I had the Rocky Revenge, the Bitter Woman IPA, and a pint of the Root Beer. They were all pretty damn good. There isn't any food there per se, although they have pretzles and you can order food and have it delivered there. Not a bad setup at all. My only complaint would be that I wish they had more of their Brewers Gone Wild beers or more brewery only beers.

02-24-2008 03:42:42 | More by drseamus

Atron67

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Yea i just went there this weekend and it was by far the best tour ever. Benji walked us around while we drank some of the new Dirty old man they had just finished making, talking through stuff and operations. Brought us into the cooler to show us all the aging beers. Even got a special sample from a new beer they had just brewed that isnt even named yet. A delcious stout that was a huge beer, prolly their next brewers gone wild. Rob and benji were sitting at the bar next to us, and we talked while petting their two dogs Barley and Kal? the atmosphere was awesome and was relaxing instrumental music that went great with my buzz. there was live music coming to play later that night, but we couldnt stay. People are allowed to bring in their dogs (as long as they arent really busy or already have a bunch of dogs).

Overall it was just an awesome time, got to talk to benji about homebrewing, everyone was very friendly and relaxed

02-12-2008 01:54:24 | More by Atron67

svraines

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

Didn't have anything to do on a Saturday night, so the wife and I drove out to Lake Mills to catch some music in the tap room. I had heard via BA that they had tapped a bourbon barrel version of the Blackhawk porter so that was an added bonus. Not much seating, but everyone was super friendly. Service was great, but with only 30ish people in the place and probably half a dozen employed by the brewery drinking with you it would be hard not to get good service. There were a couple things on tap that you can't find in bottles (wit, bourbon porter, 2007 scotch ale). Lots of people drinking the Rocky's Revenge bourbon brown ale and the wit. Those in the know, employee's, and locals with there handmade half-liter mugs were ordering the porter. Pints were $3.50 for standard stuff, $4 for the bourbon barrel special tap. Liters were $6, pitchers were $11 I think. Growler fills were only $8. About 3 pizza delivery guys came while we were there, patrons and staff were ordering dinner. If you need directions here just look at the bottom of a sixer, we stopped at the grocery in town to ask directions, but I thought I remembered directions on their beer, so that was awesome. Music was foot tapping two-piece (love me some good bass) and the stale pretzels helped make the drive home safer...

11-18-2007 22:18:45 | More by svraines

botham

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

stopped here on the way home from a brewery round trip. great last stop. very relaxing place, there were a couple dogs running around, owned by fellow drinkers at the bar. live music was playing outside, though not very good, still created a great atmosphere. the bartenders were happy to answer questions, and discuss their brews. the only thing lacking here was styles on tap, which was a bit limited, at only 7 or 8, but the brews themselves were great.

the space itself is rather small, with breakout space outside next to the make-shift stage for performances. as the band got going, more and more people showed up with lawn chars and just sat, drank and chilled while listening to the music. it was a great place to enjoy a couple drinks.

07-29-2007 16:00:32 | More by botham

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -14%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I visited the brewery on a Sunday in the dead of winter, but I was still impressed by the casual warmth of the place and had a nice time there.

The tasting room is located in the brewery, which is a pre-fab warehouse-looking building in an industrial park. But, the tasting room is cozy, with dim lighting, a nice bar, and the board games on the window sill indicated you were welcome to stay awhile. The brewer's retriever circulated through the bar also, which made me feel at home.

The brewer (whose name I don't know, but whose face I recognize from being on the brewery's e-mail list) was on-hand tending bar, which was great, although I didn't ask him any of my beer geek questions because of the company I was keeping on this particular visit.

I had the honey ale, porter, and 2006 scotch ale. Of these, the scotch was head and shoulders above the others. The Spank Me Baby barley wine was still listed on the board, but I didn't ask for it so I'm not sure it is still in stock (it is very good also).

All-in-all, I was happy with my visit to Tyranena, and would recommend stopping by for a beer when between Madison and Milwaukee, or when a significant other drags you toward the Johnson Creek outlet mall.

01-29-2007 12:34:32 | More by BeerBelcher

4thoseabout2bock

Illinois

4.14/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $

Off the highway, turn left at the first light (Road V), pass Road A, and turn right into onto Owen St. (Its an industrial park kind of area). The brewery is a large boxy warehouse building. You pass the "tin beersman" on the way from the lot. The tasting room is inside the front door on the right.

The room doesn't have much ambiance per se, but what it does have are super friendly people and an impressive tap selection for such a small operation. I think there were 6 or so regular beers on plus 2 specials -- Hop Whore and Oktoberfest. The Rocky's Revenge was a decent brown with a nice bourbon layer. The Oktoberfest was also nice, maybe a little more hop than I like (and definitely not as malty as Spaten which is my favorite, but not many are...).

Unfortunately we *just* missed the Spank Me which blew an hour before we arrived. Too bad. Sounded impressive.

This a great little place to hit on the way into Madison or Milwaukee. And a GREAT VALUE.

(note: No food. Although they do offer free pretzels, and some folks got pizza delivered to the brewery which seems like a good option for eating in this town).

10-09-2006 00:43:02 | More by 4thoseabout2bock

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $

Stopped into Tyranena for the first time recently. After passing by the crazy robot statue outside the door, I entered and was greeted by a couple of friendly brewery dogs. Hang a right and you're in the tasting room, which has a really cozy feel to it. Nicely decorated, it's a nice place to come and just relax. Bar runs across one side of the room and then tables with big windows are on the other. A door at the back opens to a little patio/beer garden, too bad it was rainy while we were there!

Sat down and noticed the bourbon barrel Spank Me Baby Barleywine from 2003 on the menu and I just couldn't help myself. At only $4 for an imperial pint, you can't find a much better bargain. Regular pints only ran $3 a pop. Man, this beer was so tasty and I dunno the abv on it, but it definetly put me in my place! There were about 8 or 9 brews on tap, inlcuding Hop Whore, Oktoberfest, and the regular Tyranena lineup. Waitresses here were very attentive and always kept our glasses full, as well as bringing us out some pretzels and tasty spicy mustard.

The brewery tour was a lot of fun, I highly recommend it if you stop here. I was amazed at how much brew they produce with the space they have. Two open top fermenters were really cool to see as well. We were there while Rob was brewing some Pale Ale and it was fun to watch him run around and take care of business!

After the tour we came back and ordered the sampler for $8. If you drank this sampler yourself, you'd be pretty good to go, as it includes the Hop Whore and Barleywine. I really enjoyed some Rocky's Revenge on tap, the Pale Ale, Alt, and Honey Blond were all tasty as well. Overall, Tyranena is definetly a place to check out, good atmosphere, great beer and prices that let you indulge. A designated driver might be good to have on hand as well :-)

09-30-2006 14:57:15 | More by orbitalr0x

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

4.44/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

Stopped in for a tour and a pint and ended up having four simply because the staff was such a pleasure to chat with. Tyranena’s beer hall is small but well done with a nice bar that seats about a dozen, a few tables, and a great big patio. Pints are 3 bucks, growler fills are 7.50. Tap selection includes the entire line of their brews, their current seasonal/s, and three specialty beers that aren’t available outside the brewery. I greatly enjoyed their Poor Richard’s and their Wee Heavy but found the Bourbon Porter to be to sweet, boozy, and just too bourbony. Also enjoyed some Chief Black Hawk (always solid) and the APA, which makes for a great session brew on a warm day. Perhaps the best thing about Tyranena, besides the beer, is the staff. The two bartenders were friendly in the sense that they treated us like we were regulars even though we had never been in before. The owner was there chatting with customers, and Stacy, a.k.a. Hopwhore on BA, sat with us for an hour telling stories about the beers, the town, and the brewery. I really felt welcomed and will return regularly from now on. I got the sense that everyone else in place felt the same way. Tyranena has really established a dedicated local following. There were families hanging out with their kids, locals stopping by to fill a couple growlers for the week, and three cute Labradors/Retrievers playing with a tennis ball. The tour, given by a local home brewer and volunteer was short but very detailed and geared for real beer drinkers. It was better than a lot that I’ve been on, in no small part because everyone had a pint in their hand. I really recommend Tyranena. It’s less than 5 minutes off of 94 smack dab between Milwaukee and Madison. For anybody coming to Madison from Chicago or Milwaukee, there’s really no excuse not to stop in.

04-24-2006 18:14:29 | More by DaPeculierDane

nchrist13

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $

nice place! the bar is really small, maybe 10 seats or so, and they have a couple tables, but you're not really concerned with your surroundings, you came for the beer, right? well, on to the beer.

they had at least 10 beers on tap when i visited. all or almost all of their year round bottled products, and a few beers that don't get bottled, including an oatmeal stout, a barleywine and a wee heavy. growler fills are a very reasonable $7.50, tho from what i hear they do require you to use tyranena growlers that they are more than happy to sell you. pitchers are $10, pints are $3. they carry a ton of merch, including a few tshirts on sale for $10, and a cool cycling jersey.

all in all, good atmosphere, cheap and delicious beerstuffs, and the lady bartender was very friendly and did a wonderful job filling a couple growlers for me. very recommended, especially cuz it's just a hop skip and a jump off i94 between madison and milwaukee. check their website for a fairly up to date listing of what's on tap.

10-23-2005 23:04:51 | More by nchrist13

nghab

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

Just a few words to correct what the other contributors said about Tyranena. It's a microbrewery, not a brewpub. What you visited was the (smokefree!) tasting room for the brewery (which does operate like a pub on Wednesdays through Saturdays--in the evening, except that it does open earlier on weekends). There's no food served (unless you count the pretzels) but they allow customers to get deliveries from outside the brewery. Live music on Saturdays, outside in the beer garden in the summer, inside the rest of the year.

There's not a bad beer on tap in the place! Yes, Bitter Woman IPA is among this hophead's favourites, but I'll drink almost anything there but the honey-wheat thing (well made for what it is, but unexciting). The brown ale was originallly much hoppier, true to the AMERICAN Brown style, but now is closer to the English brown ale style.

Beer Ambassador (i.e., sales rep) Grant hosts a Hop Luck Dinner the second Thursday of the month. Bring in your beer-inspired dishes to share; food is to be prepared using a Tyranena beer in the recipe.

Be sure to say hi to Brewmaster Rob's favourite barmaid, Stacey!

05-13-2004 18:51:34 | More by nghab