Comments on Madison Beer Review: 36 Hours In Madison

...what I meant to say about the beer law myth is ...

2009-06-02T16:44:02.625-05:00

...what I meant to say about the beer law myth is that buying beer is probably the most common circumstance in which most people would be asked to prove membership (or guest pass), so maybe that's why people assume why the membership requirement is because of alcohol laws.

Strictly speaking, membership in UW Memorial Union...

2009-06-02T16:41:07.151-05:00

Strictly speaking, membership in UW Memorial Union is required for all activities in the Union, including simply being present on the property. UW students are automatically members of UW Memorial Union. UW faculty and staff are entitled to some benefits of membership, but need to purchase membership for full access. But you don't need to be affiliated with the university to become a member. Anyone can purchase an annual or lifetime membership (annual memberships accumulate toward lifetime membership, for a slightly higher total cost than buying lifetime membership outright).

In practise, of course, you don't have the membership police checking everyone for Union membership cards, so it's generally open to the public if you behave yourself. (I imagine that if someone was causing problems, lack of membership would be convenient grounds for expulsion from the premises.) The myth that it has something to do with old beer laws probably arises from the fact that a person would be making a transaction that involves showing identification. But membership is also required to register for Mini-Courses, join Hoofers clubs, et cetera.

The one-day guest pass is a convenient way to facilitate beer purchases, but may well also apply to participating in various events, who knows? You probably would be told to buy a membership if your face became too familiar to staff handing out the guest passes. If you don't want to buy a membership, make sure you're there with someone who is a member and have that person buy the beer. (And that would be legitimate anyway, because members are allowed to have guests; the pass is necessary when you are there NOT accompanied by a member.)

I would suggest Natt Spil, but what do say: Head ...

2009-05-23T17:34:34.490-05:00

I would suggest Natt Spil, but what do say: Head to the Capitol from Great Dane and stop at the place on the left without a name on it? And Maduro is pretty cigar-haze heavy. On that same street though is Argus. Had a 22 of Fat Tire for $7 last night without any of those pesky "other people" around.

I don't know what the whole "UW Member" thing was ...

2009-05-22T23:09:12.026-05:00

I don't know what the whole "UW Member" thing was about. I imagine it has something, nominally, to do with serving beer on campus? Didn't know about the guest pass.

As for bar time. I guessed at 1am only because I don't think I've ever been in a bar past 1am here in town that's ever had anyone in it. Interesting about the 2:30 thing. Didn't know that. Weird. Is last call typically 30 minutes before bar time?

Bartime is 2 am: Sunday through Thursday and 2:30 ...

2009-05-22T22:40:57.329-05:00

Bartime is 2 am: Sunday through Thursday and 2:30 on Friday and Saturday.

As said above, you can get a 1-day guest pass for ...

2009-05-22T22:27:34.626-05:00

As said above, you can get a 1-day guest pass for no charge and a signature that will let you buy beer all night. I believe this is a loophole for some obscure wisconsin beer laws.

I also think bar time is 2am in wisconsin, right?

Regarding the Memorial Union Terrace: you can get ...

2009-05-22T14:51:50.752-05:00

Regarding the Memorial Union Terrace: you can get a free guest pass at the front desk which will allow you to buy beer all night. They are checking IDs and enforcing policy much more these days...

I would rephrase the bit about public transportati...

2009-05-22T08:02:57.642-05:00

I would rephrase the bit about public transportation. I would say it's terrible at night, adequate during the day. While not as extensive at the trains in a city like Chicago, I'd say the bus system does a pretty good job during the day; you can get from just about any point in the city to another in an hour or so. What sucks is they stop running mid-evening. Not a lot of help for the beer drinking crowd!
Good itenerary. Did you hear the newest on the New Glarus R&D series? The first one is going to be a "real," spontaneously fermented lambic. It's been aging in oak for a while, and should be out "some time this summer" according to Dan. Road trip!