I’ve been on vacation for the past several weeks, and I haven’t had a Wisconsin beer to speak of, so no beer commentary. What I did find (and what I knew all along) is I am fortunate to live in Wisconsin. We have many fine microbreweries crafting excellent ales and lagers. I also reacquainted myself with one of the other great things about traveling – finding and trying new beers and new breweries. Some were excellent, some were quite good, and some were not even suitable for brat boiling.

Autumnal Fire, a limited release beer from Capital Brewery, has the deep rich colors of autumn in a glass. Before you take a sip, hold your glass to the light and savor the its copper red hues. Fire is a dopplebock style beer, but unlike many American dopplebocks Fire is a brew with layers of flavor, an intense aroma and a delightful texture. It has a slightly sweet finish that lingers on your tongue. This is a beer I look forward to drinking each fall.

If you like coffee stout, the Brewhouse Coffee Stout from Central Waters Brewing Company should be available in your fridge, or better yet - in your glass. This brew has a deep cherry coke red color and a long lasting aroma, rich in coffee and malts. It has the full-bodied character you’d expect from a great stout and is very smooth and creamy. The coffee tones are pronounced without overwhelming the flavor; the finish is sweet and slightly bitter. The Brewhouse brew is definitely a very pleasant beer.

Brewpubs have sprouted all over the United States, and Wisconsin is no exception. They offer the freshest beer you can find, often with a good menu to accompany their brews. I usually expect to find them in larger communities such as Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha and the Fox Valley. But now they can be found in many smaller burgs, too, and Mount Horeb with its famed Trollway lays claim to the Grumpy Troll.

The Grumpy Troll offers a wide selection of styles from light bodied lagers and IPAs to the darkest of stouts. I enjoyed two of their darker selections, their Amnesia Porter and Spetsnaz Stout.

The Hollander Café at 2608 N Downer on Milwaukee’s East side is not a brewery. It is, however, home to the largest selection of Belgian style ales, Lambics, Trappist Ales and Witbiers that I’ve ever seen. It also features a European style outside dining area to match the selection of European brews.

I chose their sampler of drafts - Trocadero White from Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery, and Tripel Karmeliet, Delirium Tremens and Hennepin Farmhouse Ale, all from Belgium.

South Shore Brewery in Ashland, Wisconsin claims the title of "Northern Wisconsin's First Microbrewery," established in 1995. I've seen their brews at stores for a number of years, but I've never sampled their offerings. While visiting their website , the piece on the Honey Pils caught my attention. They described it as "a golden beer ... boldly crisp, full bodied yet not overwhelmingly bitter." I tried the beer, and I was disappointed.

Capital Brewery's Island Wheat Beer is Wisconsin in the summer time. Island Wheat builds on Wisconsin's German heritage and the German weissbiers with the mellow "We're on vacation" feeling you get when you're in Wisconsin. Pour a glass and hold it to the light; you can see the sun coming up over a Northwoods' lake with an August morning haze. I lean towards dark beers and beers with bite. Island Wheat is neither, but it's a beer I buy and enjoy time and again.

Coffee and beer have long been companions of the night (and early morning). Sometimes the coffee follows the beer in a vain attempt to sober up a bit - forget it and take a cab - and sometimes it is a wonderful accent to a stout. With its Oscura brew, Furthermore Brewing takes a different tack on this tradition and ramps up the flavor of a smooth brown lager with the distinction and sharp edges of fair traded, female co-op grown, Nicaraguan coffee. Not only do the two guys who run the show have a social conscience, they have a great beer.

Ale Asylum, located on the east side of Madison, brews a number of beers. Perhaps you will be happy to know that their beers are all unflltered, contain all sorts of wonderful ingredients and according to their website have "no added preservatives, fruits, horse hooves or fish guts." I don't know about you, but I'm sure relieved to hear about the lack of horse hooves and fish guts.

I just picked up a 6 of their Contorter Porter.

I grew up in Chicago (don't yell too much) as a Packer fan and like everyone else in Wisconsin, "I was at the Ice Bowl." Hey, at least I did see it on TV! But, I'm not writing about football today, although I am writing about Dallas. Not the imitation Big D down where DubYa lives. I'm talking about Dallas, Wisconsin.