Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name… most of us have a place like that, where we’re a regular and it just feels welcoming going in. For me thats actually a dive bar called Eddies, but I want to introduce you to a place that FEELS just like Cheers. Every time I go into Thumb Knuckle, I’m treated like a regular. Hands down this is one of the most welcoming businesses I’ve ever been in, regardless of industry or location. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know how much of a positive feeling I had when I visited Prairie du Chien. Well, Thumb Knuckle is the PdC of the Wisconsin brewing industry. They’re midwest nice to a T, and the next time you find yourself in the middle of nowhere (seriously, Luxemburg is about in the middle of nowhere as you can get), take a couple hours and spend them here.
Since it’s been a while since we’ve done our last brewery review, let’s do a quick recap on the scoring system. Category 1 – the beer. After all, this is a brewery review, so this category is of the utmost importance. The beer has to A) be good, B) have a good variety of styles – anywhere between 8-16 styles on tap, not too many and not too little and C) have some light beer styles for the non-craft drinkers, and maybe some seltzers or other options. From a business standpoint, you’d want all three to attract more people. If you’re a fan of beer, well then Thumb Knuckle is for you. A+ for category 1. They have a decent amount on tap, no weird styles – almost all of them are your classic German and European styles, and they’re good! If you’re sick of the crazy craft beer styles trend, this place is for you. They just make good beer; they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. Now, if you DO like the crazy styles, well guess what. They have what they call a Knano Series (knano being a play-on-words with their Knuckle nomenclature for nano, as in small) where they do get some funky stuff, and if we’re being honest, that’s usually my favorite stuff they have on tap. And while they don’t have a full service bar or anything fancy, they do have a fridge stocked for those that don’t enjoy beer – from seltzers to pop to NA beers, they’ve got something for everyone.
Category 2 – the atmosphere. This includes being family friendly, not too loud, hosting events, and just the general feel of the place. Next to beer, this is the most important category. I’m sure a lot of people will have different definitions of what family friendly means, but if you can’t bring your kids to eat a meal while you enjoy a pint or two, then it’s probably not family friendly. Taverns should also be a place where people can gather and just have fun. Live music and other events are great for this. And a personal pet peeve of mine is bars where I can’t hear the person next to me when they’re talking. As I mentioned in the introduction, this place is hands down the most welcoming brewery you’ll ever set foot in. Cue the Cheers theme song when you open the door. Friendly bartenders, friendly patrons… you’re at home here. They’ve got some games and cards to enjoy while you’re having a pint or two. The kids will have something to do while you can relax over a pint. They host everything from karaoke and open mic’s to weekend festivals and outdoor vendor markets. There’s something to do here on a weekly basis besides just sit and drink (although that’s definitely a worthwhile reason too!). Thumb Knuckle gets another A+ for category 2.
Category 3 – the extras. Anything that is above and beyond a bar goes here. Beer to go, Growlers and Crowlers, food, cleanliness, flights, prices, etc. If the beer is good, I want more of it, I want to take some home. Especially if they don’t sell their beers outside of the facility. Thumb Knuckle sells growlers, which is huge for me. My family cottage is nearby in Dyckesville, and if I’m spending an extended weekend there, I try to make a stop here to fill up a growler for the next few days. While they’re not a brewpub, so no kitchen, they do have plenty of snacks, both hot and not, and frozen pizza’s. And what’s a better combo than a good quality frozen pizza and a few beers?! But the kicker for category 3? The prices. A typical visit for me includes the following: usually 2 flights for me, 2 pints for the person I’m with, a special beer (more on that below), and a growler fill to go. I’m always shocked how low the final bill is. Not being located in Madison or Milwaukee has its perks too, and you too will be surprised how reasonably priced everything here is. Another A+ for category three.
My personal take on Thumb Knuckle: even if you’re not trying to visit every single brewery, this should be near the top of your list. In addition to friendliness and welcoming atmosphere, the prices and fantastic beer, my favorite part of Thumb Knuckle is the stachelbier. As far as I know, no other place does this. Essentially, they take a very hot metal rod (bierstachel) and insert it into the beer for a few seconds. This originated in old-timey Germany to heat up the beer that was too cold to drink. Obviously this isn’t an issue anymore, but the science behind this is quite fascinating, and makes for a delicious byproduct. This is typically done with a porter, stout, or other dark beer, and the heat caramelizes the sugars, leading to a sweet, toasted marshmallow flavor of the foam (yes you’re supposed to drink the foam in this scenario – it’s literally delicious, so don’t knock it until you try it). For those concerned it’ll make your beer hot and disgusting, it doesn’t. The rod is only in the beer for a few seconds, which is just enough to foam it up and caramelize those sugars, but not long enough to affect the overall temperature of the beer. The resulting warm and flavorful foam with the cool beer makes for something so tasty it’s hard to put into words. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen done at a brewery, and if you’re a buff of classic German and European beer and beer history, the trip here for a stachelbier is worth it alone.
So let’s get to the final ranking. A quick reminder, instead of giving a number or letter ranking, I like to do tiers. After all, so much of this is subjective, at the end of the day everyone will need to make up their own mind, so I’m just going to point you in the right direction based on my experience. Tier 3 – Beer is beer. This lowest tier is for those places that have ok to good beer, not memorable though, and no real other defining qualities. If there are other breweries nearby, your time might be better spent somewhere else. Basically, this is a visit-to-cross-off-the-bucket-list type of visit. Tier 2 – Brewery for beer only. GREAT beer, but that’s it. This isn’t a knock though, unlike a tier 3. And lastly, Tier 1 – The Full Experience. Excels in all three categories mentioned above. As close to perfect as you can get.
Thumb Knuckle is a Tier 1 brewery. Great beer, great selection, insanely welcoming atmosphere, and don’t forget, THE STACHELBIER! Luxemburg, Wisconsin is not on the way to or from any major destination. I implore you to take a weekend and spend it in Green Bay, Algoma, or Kewaunee, and make the trip to Thumb Knuckle Brewing Company for a few hours. Or, for those of you that spend any time in Door County, take a quick detour on the way up or down and visit them. The best part of doing that (in addition to the beer that is), is that you get to take the back roads there. Life is too short to take the fast way, after all. Go see the real Wisconsin… you can’t do that by taking highway 43, I can promise you that.
Life is Too Short to Take the Fast Way 