Wisconsin is known for cheese, and better yet, cheese curds. If you know me, you know I love a good deep fried cheese curd. Perfectly battered, melty cheese, served with a side of house made ranch dressing. Give me all of them.
I visited Madison recently to try out more of their deep fried cheese curds AND get some deals using their Craft Beverage Trail Pass. Every order of curds I ate were delicious, and each craft beer I tried paired perfectly. Let’s take a little adventure, shall we?
Lone Girl Brewing
Lone Girl Brewing located in the town of Waunakee and they have been brewing their own beer since 2016. Their cheese curds are made with muenster cheese and battered with their own lite beer. I paired the curds with their new Orange Pop Cream Ale which was super tasty. Their Craft Beverage Trail pass gets you BOGO on beer – make sure to use it!
Starkweather Brewing Company
Starkweather has only been open for about a year, but they know what they are doing when it comes to beer and cheese curds. These are also made with muenster cheese and served with homemade ranch. They have jalapeno ranch, too, which I LOVED. I paired my cheese with their HOP-MYHZ Hazy IPA beer. The Craft Beverage Trail Pass gets you BOGO on beer here, too!
Vintage Brewing Company
Vintage Brewing has 3 locations in the Madison area. I visited the one near Capitol Square and it was a vibe. We were there during brunch time and the menu looked absolutely fantastic. Their curds are breaded, not battered, and the cheese is from Ellsworth Creamery. The breading was nice and thick – just like the ranch. The Craft Beverage Trail gets you $1 off of one of their beers!
Coopers Tavern
Now we head down to Capitol Square to check out the curds at Coopers Tavern. Coopers uses PBR in their batter which makes the curds nice & crispy. They are made with Ellsworth Creamery cheese and served with their homemade ranch.
Merchant
A few blocks away from Coopers Tavern is a pretty hip spot called Merchant. It is a very chic spot and their curds are made to match. They are battered in buttermilk, perfectly melty, and served with ranch & hot honey. I’m a ranch gal, but the hot honey was a nice touch.
Lucille
Lucille was decorated so wonderfully for the holiday season. I had not been here previously, but I was extremely impressed. Their cheese curds did not disappoint, either. The cheese for these curds comes from Cedar Grove and they are served with marinara and ranch. The marinara came out piping hot and was a great addition to the cheese curds.
Fromagination
Ending the day at Fromagination, an artisan cheese shop on the square. Even though they do not have deep fried curds, they have numerous other cheese options to choose from. In addition to cheeses, there are locally made items such as jam, wine, and crackers. It is a great spot to purchase gifts or to stock up on your favorite cheese.
