Things to do in Mineral Point, Wisconsin: Drink New Glarus beer at the Midway Bar & Grill

When he was younger, my dad spent a lot of time with his grandpa, especially during the summer. One of his fondest memories is how his grandpa and his friend used to take him to the Midway Bar. He recalls them sitting in four stools at the bar: his grandpa, his grandpa's friend, him, and his grandpa's friend's 40-pound pet raccoon! The two adults would get an adult beverage, my dad would get a soda, and the raccoon would get a bag of peanuts. Once the right group of gentlemen joined them, they would head down to another establishment to play cards, and my grandpa would hand my dad $5 and tell him to go shopping for whatever he needed (which was usually fishing bait and ammunition for his BB gun).

So, after spending a mind-boggling morning at House on the Rock, we needed to soothe our senses and headed straight for the Midway Bar.

That's my dad there, on the left. Isn't he cute? He gets mad when I tell him he looks like (a younger version of) Wilford Brimley. And that's the Midway Bar, up on the left side of the street with the Pabst Blue Ribbon sign.



We sat at the most beautiful old oak bar, which was almost exactly as my dad remembered it, and ate cheeseburgers and drank some nice cold beers. My dad and aunt both got plain old domestic bottled beers. But I, acting on a hot tip from the husband, ordered a very special beer that was on tap.



In fact, the maker of this beer is so special, it's won numerous awards at the Great American Beer Festival. I'm talking about the Spotted Cow made by New Glarus Brewing Company. Holy spotted cow! It was hands down the best beer I've ever had. My dad and aunt each tried it and quickly ordered their own glass of it. Or, glasses of it. But that's another story.



The beer was so good that I had to buy a new suitcase and a bunch of bubble wrap so that I could bring home two six packs of it (and, believe it or not, they all arrived home intact). I gave a few to the husband, but I'm thinking of keeping the rest of them for meself.