New Glarus

We arrived in New Glarus, known as, "America's Little Switzerland,"greeted by their annual music festival established to raise money for their youth association. Getting a good spot in the town park we could hear the music from inside the Skamper, starting our Memorial Day weekend! New Glarus Brewery was next. Back in Madison we went to a beer lecture and the guy giving the class said that New Glarus Brewery was one of the nicest, cleaniest facilities he had ever seen, adding that he had been all over the U.S. and Europe visiting breweries. Needless to say this one was a must so we hopped on the trolley in New Glarus and set off to find out for ourselves.  It did not disappoint! On top of the impressive, immaculate brewery, and free self guided tour the crew sends you home with a beautiful glass. This brewery is special. Deborah Carey, owner and founder of New Glarus Brewing Co., raised all the money to begin the brewery as present to her husband, making her the first women in the United States to found and operate a brewery. Her husband, Daniel Carey, co-owner and brew master, has several degrees in brewing, and they both hold numerous awards for best small business owners, best  brewery, the list goes on... Their famous beer is Spotted Cow, fitting for Wisconsin, and can be found anywhere in Wisconsin. Other names include Moon Man (our favorite), Fat Squirrel, Two Women, and Road Slush. All the names have an entertaining story behind them. They only sell their beer in Wisconsin...you can't get it anywhere else, and crazy enough they still sell over one hundred thousand barrels a year. These are good people, that really care about their business and their community. I like their story, I like their beer, and I like the way they brew.

He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, his head and his heart is 

an artist. 

--St. Francis of Assisi