#894-#899: Bara-what?

Groupon is cool.   If you don't get it, get it.  Basically, you sign up for free. Everyday you get  emails that detail coupons to various places around town.  Buy it if you want or pass if you don't. There is no money spent until you want to spend it.  Coupons vary.  With my shaved dome, I don't need a coupon to a hair salon, but if you give me  $30.00 in food and drinks that costs only $15.00 at a local brewery, I'm in.  

Courtesy of BeerAdvocate.com, I have known about the Great Baraboo Brewing Company for a few years now....

Oh, wait. 

I should tell you right from the start that I asked them what a "Baraboo" is (or was).  They did not know.  I later checked and found out that Baraboo is a town in Wisconsin.  I have NO idea if that has anything to do with the brewery...

Where were we.....

Okay, so I never really got motivated to head there as the drive was an hour. But armed with a super Groupon deal that could NOT be passed up, a car load of friends and I made it there  last night for dinner and drinks.

Beers #894 to #899 where all on tap.  Unlike my trip to Massachusetts, where they basically try to drown you in sample sizes or kill you with alcohol, all the drinks were small and low alcohol.  Fine by me!

Boston Blackstone Porter, Hoppy Heartland Pale Ale, Kings Peak Caribou Wheat, some Rye beer (I didn't quite get the name), Shark Tooth Bay Golden Ale, Snake Eye Canyon Red Ale were all fairly good for the most part.  

Three stick out.  Two for the better with the other...well, not.  

The porter and red ale were both quite good.  I can't decide which I like better.  Each was certainly good in its own way.  Honestly, the only thing holding the porter back from a "5" was the aroma.  I got a whiff of something in there that suggested a burn of some sort.  Interestingly, it was not there on the tongue.  Am I being picky? Yeah, maybe.  The red ale was exactly what most people are looking for.  Smooth. Sweet. Malty. Pretty damned good.

Sadly, the Golden Ale was pretty weak.  They describe it as "light" which was dead-on.  Straw or gold in color, there seemed to be something positive happening initially on the tongue, but it fell apart pretty quickly.  The finish was downright icky.  A "2" for sure.  Coors Light, anybody?

As for the dining experience, my buddy hit the nail on the head.  The place was clearly a combo between a brew pub (giant vats and dim lights), a sports bar (tons of tv's and those silly flag things hanging everywhere), and a dance club (awful music).  If I lived closer, I would consider going more often despite the clear attempt of the place to establish an identity.  But, with a one hour drive, I will certainly use that time to check out other Detroit pubs.....