The Badger Beer Report

06/06/2026

There’s beer outside of Dane County

This jaunt through Milton, Janesville, Beloit, Elkhorn and Whitewater includes a nanobrewery, a state-of-the-art brewpub, and a farmstead brewery.

06/05/2026

⏳ **THE COUNTDOWN IS AT 24 HOURS: TOMORROW IS THE MASH-UP!** ⏳

This is it, Wisconsin! Months of brewing, recipe tweaking, and bottle cellaring all come down to tomorrow. The **2026 Wisconsin Summer Mash-Up** officially takes over **Delta Beer Lab** tomorrow morning, Saturday, June 6th!

The final field is locked in at **101 official entries**, and with fewer than 20% coming from our home turf in Madison, tomorrow is going to be an absolute slugfest between homebrew clubs across the entire state. Our certified BJCP judges and stewards are ready to put their palates to work to find the best summer beer in the Badger State.

The stakes? Unbelievable glory. The Best of Show champion will walk away with the ultimate Pro-Am grand prize: scaling up their recipe on the commercial system at **Sunshine Brewing Company** to pour at the Great Taste of the Midwest (SM)! Plus, our podium finishers will be hauling home massive prizes like a 50lb malt sack from **Inventors Brewpub** and a major hop bounty from **The Hop Garden**.

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# # # 🎪 THE POST-JUDGING AFTER-PARTY (OPEN TO ALL!)

You don't have to be an entrant or a judge to celebrate with us. Once the morning judging tables clear out tomorrow afternoon, the Delta Beer Lab taproom transforms into the ultimate craft beer playground:

* 🎲 **Pints & Games:** Pull up a chair, grab a fresh pour from Delta, and play some games with the Badger Beer Report crew and the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild.
* 🤓 **Hang with Nerdy Beer Guy:** Come talk shop, talk recipes, and clink glasses with **Nerdy Beer Guys**, who will be hanging out in the taproom with us all afternoon!
* 🎥 **Live Awards Stream:** We will be streaming the official Summer Mash-Up Awards Show **LIVE** straight from the taproom to hand out the medals and crown our grand champion! *(Keep an eye on our stories tomorrow afternoon for the exact broadcast start time as judging wraps up).*

Rest up, stay hydrated, and get ready. We will see you all tomorrow in Fitchburg! 🍻

06/05/2026

6 Popular Wisconsin Beer Festivals You Can't Miss This Summer

Wisconsin knows how to celebrate beer, and these 6 popular beer festivals running from June through August prove it. From Eagle River to Madison, here's your guide to the best craft beer events in the state this summer.

06/05/2026

Happy Friday afternoon!

The New Kids on the Maibock Taplist.

ON TAP NOW / OPEN NOW:
🍺 MobCraft Beer (Milwaukee): Open now! (11:00 AM – 11:00 PM) ***🚨LOW - KICK WARNING***
🍺 Vault 202 Brewery and Taproom (Appleton): Open now! (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM).
🍺 Last Ditch Brewpub (Kenosha): Open now! (12:00 PM – 10:00 PM).

OPENING LATER TODAY:
🍺 Brewed Omen (Hartford): Opening at 2:00 PM! (2:00 PM – 11:00 PM).
🍺 Tailwinds Brewing Company (Union Grove): Opening at 3:00 PM! (3:00 PM – 10:00 PM) ***⚠️ DOWN TO A 1/4 KEG***

KICKED:
❌ St. Francis Brewery (Ran out!)
❌ Lombardi Brewing Company (Milwaukee) (Ran out!)
❌ Boulder Junction Brewing Co. (Ran out!)
❌ Fond du Lac Beer Company (Ran out!)

06/05/2026

Spent the afternoon at and had a fun time inside and out. The beers here are really good. Their Wheatwine is amazing and scary because it's so drinkable!

06/04/2026

This is the first stop on Greg's . The Maibock kicked off a few days ago, but this coffee and coffee stout is top-notch!

06/04/2026

The New Kids on the Maibock Taplist. Happy Thursday! The field is narrowing, the remaining kegs are under absolute siege, and we have a very special road-tripping guest hitting the highway today.

If you are hunting down a pint of our 100% Wisconsin-grown Class of '25 collaboration lager, here is your real-time status guide for today, June 4th.

🚙 **GREG’S ON THE ROAD TOUR:** Keep your eyes peeled on the taproom floors today! Greg is personally tracking down the remaining inventory and will be dropping into **every single active location right around when their doors swing open** today. The only exception is Appleton—sorry Vault, all love but y'all are just a bit too far for a single Thursday sprint! If you see Greg at the bar, make sure to say hello and toast to the newest breweries in the Badger State!

OPENING LATER TODAY:
🍺 MobCraft Beer (Milwaukee): Opening at 11:00 AM! (11:00 AM – 10:00 PM) ***🚨 CRITICAL LOW KICK WARNING*** *(Greg arrives at 11ish!)*
🍺 Vault 202 Brewery and Taproom (Appleton): Opening at 11:00 AM! (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM).
🍺 Last Ditch Brewpub (Kenosha): Opening at 12:00 PM! (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM). *(Greg arrives at noonish!)*
🍺 Tailwinds Brewing Company (Union Grove): Opening at 4:00 PM! (4:00 PM – 9:00 PM) ***⚠️ DOWN TO A 1/4 KEG*** *(Greg arrives at 4ish!)*
🍺 Brewed Omen (Hartford): Opening at 5:00 PM! (5:00 PM – 10:00 PM). *(Greg arrives at 6ish!)*

KICKED:
❌ St. Francis Brewery (Ran out!)
❌ Lombardi Brewing Company (Milwaukee) (Ran out!)
❌ Boulder Junction Brewing Co. (Ran out!)
❌ Fond du Lac Beer Company (Ran out!)

⚠️ **CRITICAL TAP ALERTS FOR TODAY:**

**MobCraft Beer (Milwaukee):** If you want a pour in Milwaukee, you need to get there soon before it kicks.
**Tailwinds Brewing Company (Union Grove):** Savor every drop. They are starting the day on that final quarter keg, meaning when it's gone, it's gone for good.

The map is down to the final five. Settle up to a bar near you, map out your afternoon, and come raise a glass with Greg if you see him today!

06/03/2026

The updates are flying in fast from the field tonight, and the map is changing by the minute.

We have just confirmed that St. Francis Brewery is officially KICKED! On top of that, if you are down in Union Grove, the clock is ticking: Tailwinds Brewing Company is down to their final quarter keg.

If you are hunting for a midweek pour of our 100% Wisconsin-grown Class of '25 collaboration lager, here is your real-time status guide for tonight, June 3rd.

OPENING LATER TONIGHT:
🍺 Brewed Omen (Hartford): Opening at 5:00 PM! (5:00 PM – 10:00 PM).

ON TAP NOW / OPEN NOW:
🍺 MobCraft Beer (Milwaukee): Open now! (11:00 AM – 10:00 PM) *🚨 LOW KICK WARNING*
🍺 Tailwinds Brewing Company (Union Grove): Open now! (4:00 PM – 9:00 PM) *⚠️ DOWN TO A 1/4 KEG*
🍺 Vault 202 Brewery and Taproom (Appleton): Open now! (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM).
🍺 Last Ditch Brewpub (Kenosha): Open now! (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM).

⚠️ DEVELOPING ALERTS FOR TONIGHT:

MobCraft (Milwaukee): The rumblings from the taproom floor are getting louder—this one is dangerously low and could blow at any moment tonight.

Tailwinds (Union Grove): They are officially on notice. That remaining quarter keg means it's first-come, first-served for the area tonight!

KICKED:
❌ St. Francis Brewery *NEWLY KICKED*
❌ Lombardi Brewing Company (Milwaukee)
❌ Boulder Junction Brewing Co. (Ran out!).
❌ Fond du Lac Beer Company (Ran out!).

We are officially down to just four active locations across the state pouring the freshman Maibock tonight. The footprint is shrinking fast—get out there and grab a pint before your local spot goes dry!

06/03/2026

Happy Wednesday! We have major movement on the boards today—**Lombardi Brewing Company has officially kicked their keg!** Plus, we are tracking some developing news down in Milwaukee.

If you are hunting for a midweek pour of our 100% Wisconsin-grown Class of '25 collaboration lager, here is your real-time status guide for today, June 3rd.

OPENING LATER TONIGHT:
🍺 St. Francis Brewery: Opening at 3:00 PM! (3:00 PM – 9:00 PM) ***STATUS UNVERIFIED***
🍺 Tailwinds Brewing Company (Union Grove): Opening at 4:00 PM! (4:00 PM – 9:00 PM).
🍺 Brewed Omen (Hartford): Opening at 5:00 PM! (5:00 PM – 10:00 PM).

ON TAP NOW / OPEN NOW:
🍺 MobCraft Beer (Milwaukee): Open now! (11:00 AM – 10:00 PM) ***🚨 LOW KICK WARNING***
🍺 Vault 202 Brewery and Taproom (Appleton): Open now! (11:00 AM – 9:00 PM).
🍺 Last Ditch Brewpub (Kenosha): Open now! (12:00 PM – 9:00 PM).

⚠️ **DEVELOPING ALERTS FOR TONIGHT:**

* **MobCraft (Milwaukee):** We are hearing strong rumblings from the taproom floor that the Maibock is dangerously low and could kick soon. If MobCraft is your target, get down there early!
* **St. Francis Brewery:** They open up at 3:00 PM, but the Maibock is not showing on their live online menu. Drop us a comment if you stop in and check the taps!

KICKED:
❌ Lombardi Brewing Company (Milwaukee) ***NEWLY KICKED***
❌ Boulder Junction Brewing Co. (Ran out!).
❌ Fond du Lac Beer Company (Ran out!).

With Lombardi dry and MobCraft on critical alert, the Milwaukee footprint is shrinking by the hour. Grab a stool or a patio spot at one of our active locations tonight and secure your fresh pour of the freshman Maibock before the map gets any smaller!

06/03/2026

Joel just spent some time hanging out with Kyle and Sarah at Layman Brewing! Stay tuned to see more from them! 🍻