Capital Brewery — A History of Tradition and Great Brew

While in Madison, Wisconsin, we had the opportunity to tour Capital Brewery.  They were founded in 1986 and were one of the first craft breweries in Wisconsin.  The image above was one of their original signs.

Capital Brewery still utilizes the original copper kettles that were brought over from Germany.

In addition to a row of new stainless steel fermentation tanks

They also still utilize their original fermentation tanks — which at were one time used on a Wisconsin dairy farm.

These tanks have to be hand-cleaned (unlike the stainless steel ones that self-clean).  Literally, someone has to climb in there to periodically clean them out to keep them from collecting bacteria.  And if you notice up close, you’ll see a name on the tank.  It is a custom for breweries, especially craft breweries, to name their fermentation tanks.  Some breweries simply number them.  But in the case of these old milking tanks that Capital Brewery uses, they are all named after Frank Zappa songs!

It was a good and informative tour.  Plus we got our first t-shirt for our future Brewery T-Shirt Quilt!  After the tour, we spent a nice afternoon tasting beers in their lovely bier garten!