One Barrel Brewing Co

I’m a wine person. I’m not a beer fan. In fact, I’m not sure it possible to be a connoisseur of both (if these people exist, I have not met them). I came here for the flights so that I could try different styles of beer, in hope that I might be «turned». There were a couple that weren’t too bad – a true compliment from a wine snob. I’m not sure why the review mention how great specific beers were; they rotate them so those may not be there next time. They do have some wines (by the bottle or glass), and a snacking menu.

Great local brewery that produces some interesting beers that are outstanding. Not much food, just some bar snacks and pizza all from local producers and everything they have is high quality. Great place to meet with a crowd or a few people for a drink or two.

Tasted Penguin Pale Ale on tap awhile back at a local bar and this brewery has been on my list of places to try ever since! Kind of a small place but such a cool atmosphere– brick walls and a big wooden bar. All the beers are written on a chalkboard and they have all the merch displayed on shelves. I tried the Bunny Hop Session IPA and it was really good. Several others on the list I wanted to try but I was DD for the night :) It is not a restaurant– they have pizzas and snacky stuff, otherwise you can carry in food from places like Green Owl, Alchemy or Tex Tubb’s nearby. Saw a stack of board games along the back wall too. This place is just plain cool, I will be back with more friends in tow.

Tasty beer! Cute atmosphere. Will be back to try more beers! Had live music which is a plus.

3.5 stars
First off, I LOVE 4 of there 7 – 15 rotating beers. Commuter (Kolsh) and Penguin (Pale Ale) are now getting bottled/​canned so bonus to us Mad-​town! Just waiting on Care Bear and Oatmeal Breakfast to make it now. Most beers are heavy on the IBU side, but usually have, at least, one non-​IPA (brown, porter, stout or kolsch) and one cider. Beer is craftsmanship. Truly nice.
Beer taste aside (to each your own), I will be dealing with space, staff, tour, food and price.
Space — small, local bar scene. Not great for a large group of 7 on a Saturday, but hell, we fit.
Staff — one person = bartender. To say the least, it was slow service. But we got one-​on-​one time with a ‘crafter and ‘tender.
Tour — none. You see the mini barrels and you can ask some questions, but overall, if you’re here, you know the basics of beer making.
Food — pop-​it-​in pizza and chips. This is a brewery!
Growler — to REFILL the Breakfast Stout, something like $ 17! Crazy high, not really worth it on this day. I might be back to fill up on Penguin though. We sampled six beers for $ 12 – 14.
Bonus: their merch is AWESOME! The hats and shirts are kewl.

The most perfect cozy brewery for a strong brew and long conversations. From strong Belgiums, barleywines, IPAs, stouts and everything in between they create something for you. Not a beer fan they serve wine amd cider too. I especially this place in the cold weather months. Lacking on the food selections, but feel free to order something from the neighborhood.

Wow, I did not expect to be so impressed by this brewery, but One Barrel kicked absolute butt!
Yes, they make great beer. The one I had at this visit was Paul Bunyan American Barleywine. Despite the name, the barleywine drinks more like a double IPA bursting with fresh, botanical hop flavor over a sweet, sticky malt. Instead of being citrusy, this hop profile was more floral and a little spicy. They also served it at the perfect temperature, not too cold where it is difficult to detect the flavors, but still cool enough to be refreshing and get a little warmer towards the end of drinking where more of the flavors begin to reveal themselves.
Service was very friendly and was willing to talk to me about their brewing process. The bar also serves traditional Wisconsin bar snacks such as pickled eggs. I will bring my growler next time so I can bring some fresh beer home.

Nice small warm feeling brewpub. I sampled 2 of their brewski’s: Old#2 Strong and the Russian Imperial stout. I thought both were very good, especially the #2. The owner was very friendly and showed us his brewing area, which is compact and just to the left of the bar. Very cool! I see another reviewer called this a restaurant, I would not agree, I mean they have some food items, but this is a brewery! Come here to try the beers… Their «food» is just some snackies…
Great place, wish I lived closer!

Beer: excellent. Started out with 2 pints of bilbo baggins. Awesome. The bartender was great and explained the brewing process and the seasonal selections.
The restaurant was empty when we got there. I think there was a home game at the U. Seemed big enough, though. Lots of seating. Definitely a pub atmosphere.
We did look at a menu, and at first glance, it looked substantial until we saw another couple order a pizza. We then saw the bartender take a frozen store bought pizza out of some plastic and stick it in an easy bake oven. No shade, if it works, it works.
Will be back here for the beer, most definitely!

Highlights/​lowlights
1) gluten free beer/​cider options available
2) nice atmosphere
3) snacks available
I’ve been to One Barrel twice for drinks. Both times the service was a little slow but the atmosphere is great! The space is new-​ish and has a local brewery/​pub feel. We took a guest from out of town here and he loved it! There are dollar bills tacked to the ceiling and tee shirts available for sale giving it a very neighborhood vibe. One Barrel is centrally located in the Atwood neighborhood.
There are several One Barrel brews on tap as well as a cider and some beer bottles (including g free beer bottles) available as well. This is definitely somewhere that you would come for drinks/​snacks as opposed to dinner. Mixed nuts, bags of chips, chips and salsa, frozen pizza etc. are available for purchase.
Great place to add to your WI brewery bucket list!

I really like this place. Cozy and they have a nice sense of humor. Good place to meet friends for a brew :)

1BBC is one of my favorite spots. They have a fun atmosphere with board games in the back, serve awesome soft pretzels, and always have a great selection of their own beers and other locals. 1BBC also collaborated with a local CSA, and we do our pick up there. Don’t go to this bar if you are looking for lots of TVs and commotion. This is a great spot for good beer and conversation!

I’ve only been to Madison twice and both times have stopped in One Barrel. The space is cozy and inviting (I can only imagine it on a cold winter night!) and the people I’ve encountered have always been so friendly.
The first time I went in they had a wide selection of their brews available. I tried them all and was impressed! This time I noticed they had a smaller selection, but everything was on rotation. I especially enjoyed the coffee stout, so smooth!
I have yet to try the food, but maybe next time. I love the neighborhood bar vibe, because that’s exactly what it is.
If One Barrel is a good representation of Madison, then I’m so down with Madison! Can’t wait to visit again!

Descriptive phrase: small, unique nano-​brewery.
One Barrel Brewing Company is kind of hipster, kind of corner bar. It’s small but comfortable inside, and they’re proud of their nano-​brewery concept. The beers they serve are very unique, almost too out-​there for me, but that’s a benefit they can provide by only making such small batches. $ 10 for 4 samplers seemed a bit much, but not terrible. I didn’t find a beer that was really my style, but I could still appreciate the quality. We also split a cheese board ($ 10), which came with some fixings and spicy cheeses; all unique just like the beer. A-​OK for a quick stop.

If there is nothing else redeeming about this bar (which there is), you get to throw money at the ceiling and have it stick. No, this is not how you pay. Basically, they support various charities and for a few months the money you throw up there goes to a good cause. Wrap your $ 5 bill (or 10, 20, etc.) around a quarter and a pushpin and away it goes.
This brewery is small batch. Note the name. That means that the beers are going to rotate often. I thought the beer was pretty good, though the beet beer was not. In addition to the four or five beers of their own they have on tap, they support local breweries with other rotating taps, which I like. Many of their beers are fairly hoppy, but that’s the current trend in beer and I’m okay with that. They have some food but no kitchen, so you’re limited to pretzels (pretty tasty) and pizza (didn’t try it).
Definitely give this place a try if you’re looking for a new place to check out – it’s down the street from Next Door (haha, next door to Next Door) and would make for a delightful second stop on a beer tour.

I tried the sample flights.
My favorite was the coffee stout, and then the very sweet peach cider.
They have a variety of options to choose from. And the staff is very friendly to help you with any orders.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first, One Barrel is small. Unfortunately, the scale of the establishment is the main thing holding it back.
My wife and I stopped by on a night that we want some quick bar food and a brew. The space was almost completely empty, and we were greeted immediately at the bar. As a result, our entire service experience was attentive and felt well taken care of. I would be interested to see if service suffers at all when they are busier.
The space was clean and well organized, but it was oddly dark. It felt kind of depressing. I wish there were Italian lights up or something to cheer the space up a bit.
The beer is great but fairly limited for those with less hoppy taste. If you’re a malt lover, you are pretty much limited to the Brown ale, which is maltier than it is nutty. Three of the taps are on rotation with three other local beers, which is great. I appreciate the mutual support that Madison brewers seem to have.
In terms of food, I have to agree with Steve L. on this one. One Barrel does not have a kitchen, and to me this fact is its biggest flaw. All of the food on the menu is severely limited to items that do not need a kitchen to prepare. Everything is either made in a very small convection oven or served cold. Choices are hot pretzels, pre-​made pizzas that will be heated up for you, and cheese/​meat boards.
We ordered a pretzel and a cheese/​meat board. The pretzel was very good, but the board was extremely strange. We were essentially given three uncut sausages, a hunk of cheese, some small crackers, and a dull knife. Cutting the large hunks of sausage with the knife was interesting indeed.
Overall, the beer was pretty good but the selection lacked variety. The absence of a kitchen severely cripples the menu of One Barrel. I do not think One Barrel is for me, but I still would like to see some improvements made to this local business.

A very nice bar area with plenty of seating, I can see why people like coming here. There was only one bartender working the area and the place was pretty busy. I was sent here because I was told they had good food, which really isn’t the case. The beers though are pretty tasty and I want to try more then what I had. If I am in the area I would come here for beers again, but definitely not the food. With so much going on in Madison, and starting a business a hard as it is… you really need to stand out. And if people stop coming here because of the food I am afraid they will miss out on some good beers.

A solid little pub with delicious craft brews in a great location, count me in! I didn’t try the Falbo brothers pizza but wish I would have, because the Batch Bakehouse pretzel I had was not good. Dry, overbrowned, greasy and tasteless. The food menu could improve a lot. No cheese curds? Whaaaat??? I guess they must not have a fryer, because I don’t recall seeing anything else deep fried on the menu.
So, go for the beer and the camaraderie of good people. You can always eat first. (*cough*Tex Tubbs*cough*) Love the exposed brick walls and the all window front wall which makes the place cozy and intimate, yet bright. The building’s corner location offers a panoramic view of Schenk’s corners, a familiar, comforting sight for this lifelong east side Madisonian.
Ten dollar minimum to use a card, so bring cash if you’re a lightweight drinker like me ;-)

Love this bar. They brew awesome beers and you can try multiple at one time with a very reasonably priced flight! One Barrel also serves pretty good paninis and a great meat and cheese board. Wouldn’t go for a big planned dinner, but if someone hasn’t eaten yet, they definitely have enjoyable options.
The atmosphere is a lot of fun. Great to go with a small group of friends and take up a table. It’s definitely «chill» but there’s no pressure to be quiet. We love to go on a Saturday afternoon or weeknight to play Cards Against Humanity — just ask the bartenders and if it’s not taken by other customers, you can play.
Highly recommend checking out One Barrel whether it’s for one drink with a friend or a place to spend a few hours with many friends.