MCBW: Potato Maibock and The Mickey Brat

Posted on May 7, 2013 by TheEastSider

Event pairs Mickey’s secret brats and new O’so brew on the cusp of national fame

Source: Osobrewing.com

Madison Craft Beer Week is in full swing and while there are dozens of events around the city, the O’so Tasting and Brat cook out with Catfish Stephenson event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m at Mickey’s Tavern Wednesday night (May 8) is a worthy mid-week stop.

I wrote last year about the event after encountering Underground Meat’s sample table featuring Goat Salami; an animal I had never tried before but ended up buying a package of the charcuterie that is made right here in the neighborhood.

While the beer was quite good, what truly left an impression last year was the most savory brats I have ever tasted. They were so good I spent the next year trying to find out who made them. Each subsequent visit to Mickey’s included an interrogation of a server or bartender about the mysterious cook and the magical recipe that produced brats that I’m sure Walter White would describe as “pharmaceutical grade”. Continue reading →

Fresh Meat

Posted on October 4, 2012 by TheEastSider

Underground Food Collective to open butcher shop on Willy

Courtesy: Underground Food Collective

A traditional butcher shop will be opening at 811 Williamson street by the end of the month. The Underground Food Collective which offers catering, cured meats, and also operates the recently opened restaurant Forequarter on Johnson street; looks to offer meats supplied by farmers who take a caring approach to their animals and crops.

The location, which according to UFC was originally the Williamson Blacksmith building for which Williamson Street got its name, will also serve as a retail outlet for UFC’s other items such as jams, pickels, mustards, and krauts.

You can find out more information at UFC’s blog

The Best Goat Salami in America

Posted on June 28, 2012 by TheEastSider

Underground Meats goes whole-hog with local hand-crafted charcuterie

Inside The Cure Box at Underground Meats.

I discovered Underground Meats much in the same way the name suggests: not screaming from a sign or on a loud TV commercial but by word of mouth and a chance encounter on the patio at Mickey’s. There was beer, really tasty brats, and then there, in the corner; some kind gentlemen offering salami samples, including something I had never seen or tried: Goat Salami.

It’s really not that mysterious. Underground Meats is part of the Underground Food Collective (UFC), which is a group that focuses on all kinds of different artisan food projects. UM focuses on dry-curing sausages and whole muscles as well as producing some fresh sausage. The operation is a nod to the days when local production of foods was more prevalent. Continue reading →

Madison Craft Beer Week

Posted on May 11, 2012 by TheEastSider

O’so, salami, and brats at Mickey’s

O’so Brewing Company pours samples at Mickey’s Tavern May 10, 2012 during Madison Craft Beer Week.

I’ve been traveling so much that I almost missed Madison Craft Beer Week, but rectified that Thursday (May 10) at Mickey’s Tavern. A tasting event was held in the glorious late afternoon sun featuring beer from O’so Brewing Company of Steven’s Point, Pork and Goat salami samples from Underground Meats, and probably the most incredible tasting brats I have ever had. Continue reading →

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