Wisco Happy Hour

10/11/2026

Fun fact: District 1 Brewing Company has Central Wisconsin's largest collection of pinball machines. I played the Elvira's and the Aerosmith machines tonight. D1 also had live music tonight, on a homecoming weekend for both the public high school and the university in Stevens Point.

10/09/2026

Had a chance yesterday to play the golf course at Northern Bay Resort in Arkdale with two co-worker friends. I had played there 20 years ago when it first opened, and this was my first time back. Northern Bay is known for its 7 replica holes, which are copies of famous golf holes around the country. Some examples are #17 at TPC Sawgrass, #13 and #16 at Augusta National, #3 at Oakmont C.C. (the church pew bunkers), etc. The golf course is in great shape and we had unbelievable October weather. If you're a golfer, I highly recommend this golf course, and they have very reasonable fall weekday rates right now.

10/06/2026

One last spot from Oshkosh a couple of weeks ago... I stumbled upon Greene's Pour House at the Granary on my way to Fifth Ward a couple blocks away, and once I was inside I knew immediately that I had been there before. They have a full bar, a robust food menu, and 30 craft b**rs on tap. I only had time for one pint, but we'll be back to Oshkosh in November, so a lunch visit might be in order then.

10/04/2026

From my Oshkosh visit a couple weeks ago... The doors to Ruby Owl Tap Room on Main Street in downtown Oshkosh open up to a long bar. At the far end, there are 30 b**rs on tap, which the staff say get rotated regularly, other than the house b**r - Ruby Red Amber L***r (pictured) - and a few other local staples. Ruby Owl also has a full bar and a great variety of food on the menu, which draws steady lunch and dinner crowds.

10/01/2026

Montello Brewing Company has been brewing b**r since 2018 and I didn't know it existed until a couple of weeks ago. You could drive thru downtown Montello and still not know it exists, because there's not a sign for it. It's inside Rendezvous Paddle & Sports at 201 Main Street on the Fox River. The inside feels like a diner, but there's 10 b**rs on tap that are brewed there and the food menu is extensive. I had boneless BBQ wings and a flight of b**rs, with my favorite being Kyle's Kranbiery (cranberry) Wheat.

09/28/2026

We visited The Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire on Friday. The taproom inside is really cool and spacious. Some of the inner "walls" were created by thousands of palleted and stacked cans - some empty and some full and ready to ship. The Brewing Projekt produced its first b**r in 2015 and now has 20 of them on tap in the taproom and they also make hard seltzers and THC beverages in cans.

09/27/2026

When you're in Chippewa Falls, its almost mandatory to make a stop at the Leinie Lodge. They had a good lineup of fall pilot b**rs on tap, including Apple Spice, which was my favorite. As an added bonus Saturday, the Potato Potahto Food Truck was there, too.

09/26/2026

Ever since The Phoenix Taproom & Kitchen opened in Eau Claire in 2024, I've wanted to visit. I've been to other pay by the ounce taprooms in Phoenix, Lake Tahoe, and Lake Geneva. Today was the day to check this one off the list. They have 59 drinks, mostly b**rs, on tap and you can have a splash from the tap or a full pint or any amount in between, whatever you want. What set this one apart from the other pay by the ounce taprooms is the food menu. It's extensive, with wings, flatbreads, salads, wraps, sandwiches, etc. While we didn't take full advantage of the taps, we crushed the food - a chicken ceasar wrap, loaded nachos, and hot honey & pepperoni flatbread, all really good. The Phoenix Taproom also has a gigantic outdoor patio (not pictured) overlooking the river that hosts live music. We'll be back to experience that next time we're in Eau Claire!

09/25/2026