Actually, to be honest today’s meals are split between Madison and Mt. Horeb so you’ll have to forgive the title being just regarding the Trollway.

While I was strolling the Trollway, Main Street, Mt. Horeb I stumbled upon quite a lovely find, the Grumpy Troll. Seriously, with a name like that, how could you possibly go wrong? You can’t, especially when you visit a pub that offers hand pulled casks along with normal taps. There’s just something to be said for traditional English hand pulls. I began with a Maggie IPA which had a great old imperial flavor, well hopped but a strong rounded body. It actually was one of the better IPAs I had. Next I had an Erik the Red. Bright, complex and clean finishing, just a hint of fruit on the underside. The most pleasant surprise however was the bartender recommendation, the Imperial Stout, served in a huge fishbowl of a brandy snifter. Heavenly rich and creamy brew wasn’t heavy at all and went down smooth as a baby’s bottom should feel. The meal was deep fried white cheddar curds, which were adorably rich and creamy on the inside while having a great texture to the breading and the honey mustard was a nice touch for the side. Would have had the pan-fried Walleye sandwich but it was off the menu for the day (booo) but informed the pulled pork was a good choice. It was pretty good, nothing to write home about, but I’m a bit of a pulled pork connoisseur so I could be a little over picky. The rest of the meal made up for it though.

That evening, back in Madison, I hit up the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Co. First off, this place does not mess around, the staff was great from moment one. Found a seat at the bar and hooked myself up with one of two IPAs they had on tap, which included something in the neighborhood of 15 brews including three hand pulls. The beer lived up to the billing, a complex and robust IPA with a huge hoppy overtone. Devils Lake Red was up next and it was a fantastic dry-hopped lager with a hint of sweet maltiness. Closed it out with my all-time favorite beer, the Scotch Ale, this one aptly titled Stone of Scone. Its lived up to it’s kingly title to say the least with a big, bold flavor that was every bit of a sipping inspiration. The menu was more typical pub grub and I was a little disappointed there wasn’t a bit more of a Wisconsin flare to it, but it did draw well on their beer brewing… started with the Brown Beer Onion Soup, a tasty take on the traditional French Onion. It more than got the job done with a subtle hint of the beer in the background. Brats and Mash were the meal. Brats were braised in beer adding a nice depth of flavor, the homemade sauerkraut has a great tangy flavor that really stuck with the meal and the baked apple sauce was a nice touch. All in all, a hearty meal perfect for after a long day.