We at G@H have a friend from the North Woods of Wisconsin. His name is Arnie. He refuses to leave. For a time, his stalwartness confused us. Then, we visited. We tasted the beer. We have returned many times.

We live in a golden age of drinking. When a good beer comes along, it’s discovered and distributed. We can buy a Boulevard in Boston or a Shipyard in St. Louis or an Alaskan in Austin. But, if you crave a New Glarus beer, you better be in the Badger State.

The New Glarus Brewing Company operates out of New Glarus, WI. It makes delicious beer. It makes popular beer. It could export its beer across the United States. It’s not interested. The New Glarus Brewing Company ranks as America’s 21st largest craft brewer. And, it only sells in Wisconsin.

It’s most popular brew is Spotted Cow, a cask-conditioned farmhouse ale sweetened with corn because, you know, Wisconsin. Our favorites include Fat Squirel, a nutty brown ale, and Cabin Fever, a Wisconsin-style honey bock.

Most interesting, Daniel and Deb Carey, the proprietors, like having fun with beer. They enjoy experimentation. If you go to the brewery, you’ll find assortment of small-batch concoctions available nowhere else. We visited and left with a full trunk. We drank gloriously for a month. Now, it’s time to chart a return voyage.