Central Waters Brewing

Andy is the best tour guide! He is incredibly knowledgeable about every aspect of the brewery and beer and also adds great humor to the tour! Andy’s wife is also a stellar bartender and made our whole experience at Central Waters over the top! And best of all they have the BEST beer and are conscious of their impact on the environment! Looking forward to going back again!

Central Waters is one of the fastest growing breweries in the state of Wisconsin, and it shows with the expanding facilities and increased distribution of their beer. There is a good reason for this growth; when you have a good product the rest falls into place. BUT this is a review of CWB’s brewery, not the beer.
Four of us drove up to Amherst from Madison because we all love CWB’s beer and wanted to go straight to the source. 1.5 hours isn’t a bad drive for this experience!
The brewery itself has a very small tasting room that the facility has since outgrown. It was very crammed and crowded, but we also learned that the tasting room will be expanding this summer. If you want a table to yourself on a weekend, show up before 3pm. If you’re any later you will be watching to snipe a table when it opens up.
The taplist is extensive and contains mostly what you would see in local Wisconsin stores for purchase, BUT four of the taps tend to have beers not readily distributed, which we all know is the reason for a visit.
Food is not available in the tasting room beyond pretzels and chips. I think CWB could make a killing off cheese and meat boards. I definitely need more food with my copious beer consumption.
We went on the tour offered on Saturdays at 3pm. Our tour guide was hilarious and informative. We got to see the tank room, bottling line, storage warehouse, and the FANTASTIC barrel room. If you’re a barrel aged fan, CWB is for you! The tour really showed the booming business CWB is experiencing. Parts of the facility appeared «cobbled together,» including a random hole cut in the wall to make room for an expanded bottling line. Sanitation looked questionable around the bottling, but I have never had a bad beer from CWB so I guess that means it is «good enough.»
Overall, great experience and great beer. We are going to try to make it back for the limited release barrel aged stout with Door County cherries!

Really cool place — great beer. They have tables and a bar inside, but definitely not family-​friendly, so we just picked up some beer to bring home. They have a patio outside that might work for a quick family stop in the warm weather. No food available.

Fine facility. Great staff. I just don’t think the beers were that good. I guess the barrel aged stuff is supposed to be their specialty, and I tried a couple, but they didn’t do anything for me (to the point of not finishing tasters)… perhaps if bottled and aged further they would hit the mark. Their stout was way too sweet. The IPA totally forgettable, as were pretty much all the beers I had. Maybe I just wasn’t feeling it that day, but despite the great BA scores, I can’t recommend them as their are just way too many upper midwest brewers that are far superior IMO. Nice people though.

Love stopping in here on the way home. Good people, Great Beer!
Typically you’ll find about 10 beers on tap, and the new tap room has a handful of tables both inside and out in addition to the bar seating. if you catch a nice friday in the summer you can enjoy some great beer outside and a taco from a local food truck that seems to always be by on friday nights.
If you don’t know Central Waters beer, I’d say try everything if you can as they do beer very well, but are known for their Bourbon Barrel beers my favorite of which is the Cherry Stout or BB Barley Wine.
When the tap room first opened they were cash only (I learned this the hard way once) but since then they’ve added both an onsite ATM as well as Credit Card processing.

The Central Waters taproom is only open on Fridays (at 3pm), Saturdays (12pm), and Sundays (12pm). You get a great view of the brewery operations sitting at the bar. The bartenders are happy to offer tastes and you may order a flight of small beers to help you decide before you commit to a pint or half pint. Our favorite beer was the bourbon stout. The mudpuppy porter was solid too. I didn’t care for their lighter colored beers as much. No food offered so if you’re hungry get a bite to eat before you arrive. If you’re sensitive and it’s a hot day, you may want to know they don’t have AC. But then we were there on a 90 degree day, and they have an enormous fan and after a bourbon stout, we were feeling fine.

Great selection of their beers on tap but no guest taps, which is fine. Some breweries offer it while some don’t. Knowledgeable staff on hand serving the beers and the tour was good. The atmosphere is awesome; they recently added on a new front of the building to make it more welcoming and pleasant. The staff didn’t make fun of me for watching the Badgers — Arizona Elite 8 game on my iPad either! I was waiting for some digs, but the bartender asked me the score.
They also had live music when i was there on a Saturday with a little 3 piece acoustic cover band playing some CCR. All in all, I love this place.

Incredible beer.
A commitment to sustainability.
Incredible beer.
Really nice folks.
Incredible beer.
Did I mention incredible beer?
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They have sessions and they have one and done’ers. Barrel aging is their game, so expect some big time, full-​flavor, high ABV monster types seasonally, but don’t forget about their Hop Rise, Shine On, and other year-​round offerings.
Their commitment to using renewable energy and leveraging sustainably-​minded practices far surpasses any other brewery in the state. All of the folks I’ve worked with and met that have been affiliated with Central Waters are super nice, too.
Did I mention that the beer is incredible? Buy local/​regional, and if you find yourself near Amherst, you should definitely take a tour. Definitely.

Limited hours in the taproom caused us to turn our trip to Wisconsin into a four day adventure, but it was worth the wait. The tap room is small, but you’re right in the middle of the brewery, so that’s cool. Pretty laid back, it felt like everyone else there knew each other. All the beers we sampled were great, and I like the pick your own flight. My favorite out of what we tried was the Exodus, which was a sour, and so good.
Prices are also very reasonable, just make sure to take cash, or you’ll have to hit up the ATM, as they don’t accept cards.

The brewpub is very nice, considering that you’re IN the room with the tanks! Lots on draft, and its hands down the most informative brewery tour I have ever had! It would be a full 5 stars if there was only a food menu.

Just got up her for the first time for the Black Gold release and the brew fest! This place does barrel aged beers like no other. I happy I made the trip! I can’t wait to get back for the sixteen release party.

I have visited over 120 breweries to date, and although I used to be hesitant to name my favorite brewery, I no longer am — it’s Central Waters, unanimously.
Central Waters is the best barrel-​aging brewery out there, hands down. Their Bourbon Barrel Stout is what all other bourbon barrel stouts grow up hoping to be. It’s the perfect blend of stout and bourbon — smooth, silky, with the right amount of booze. It’s lowly carbonated, allowing for the careful craftsmanship to be thoroughly enjoyed without too much of any part of this beer coming through. It’s one of the most finely balanced beers I’ve ever had — absolutely perfect. Just when I think I might be overhyping this beer after tasting other fine bourbon barrel stouts, I’m quickly reminded this is the best every time I have it.
The stout has some tasty barrel aged company. Their Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale will quickly make you ooo and ahh too, as will the Bourbon Barrel Barleywine. Seriously, if they have a bourbon barrel aged beer, get it. Collect them all.
But they don’t stop there. Even their basic brews are top notch representations. Their red and pale ale are rock solid, nailing their respective styles on the mark. Their Mudpuppy Porter might be one of the best porters out there, and when it’s on nitro, it’s winner winner chicken dinner. Oh, and they also have a regular imperial stout that will knock your socks off and an imperial IPA (Illumination) that is in my Top 5 of imperial IPAs, one of my favorite styles.
Bottom line: every beer I have from Central Waters is phenomenal, best in class. So they must cost a fortune, right? Wrong. Even at half their quality they’d be a steal, but at the level they create, the price they usually sell for (in bottles or at the brewery) is an absurd deal. If I lived in WI, I’d buy them all… the…time.
If you’re on a quest for America’s best beers, it requires you to enjoy as much Central Waters you can acquire. This is American beer at its finest.

This is a great place, well worth the trip for the beer alone. They make a number of amazing beers which are even better straight from the source.
Additionally, the tour was very interesting. The brewery was clean and attractive and the tour guide had many interesting stories about the brewery and it’s history.
The tap room is fantastic with really nice bartenders and a great selection.

FINALLY got to go on a tour on saturday, and we loved it! here’s why:
1. bourbon barrel barleywine. need i say more?
2. their tanks are named after characters from the big lebowski. really.
3. these people are serious about sustainability, which is super cool.
4. chaz was a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and entertaining at the same time.
go here if you’re ever in the area. if not, buy their beer whenever you can. you won’t be disappointed!

If you’re ever in the area, I would highly recommend checking out Central Waters. First of all, you are going to get an experience you cannot get anywhere else. The locals are very friendly and the service is great. If you go on a Friday afternoon, you are likely to see a variety of people. When I was there, there were some people grilling out in the parking lot and listening to the Brewers game.
Full disclosure: I wrote an article about the brewery when I was in college. The owners of this place are awesome and they care about sustainability. It’s amazing how much they have done to conserve from using solar power to giving their spent grain to a local farm down the road. Take the tour and they will tell you more about their efforts.

This is the second year i had beer from central waters brewing co. The bear is great. the porter and all the reds are awesome. This great company is a green powered and provide beer at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. The fair is 3 days long and for 3 days straight you can drink great beer. Next time i am in Amherst i will see about checking out the their location. The staff is friendly and cheerful. I highly recommend their beer over any beer i have tasted from Wi so far.

Fri. And Sat. Night open tap. Cant beat the friendly tenders and fantastic brew! They continue to suprise everyone
With new products, congrats brewers!

My company has a building 250 ft away from this amazing brewery. It’s a fairly large facility considering the size of Amherst and has very friendly people working there. A bar area with tables and chairs precedes the brewing area in the back.
At least 10 or so beers are on tap constantly — I love the Shine On, a malty red ale, commemorates their solar hot water system and all proceeds go to fund renewable energy. The honey blonde and Belgian blond are nice light options yet still retain a lot of flavor. The bourbon barrel cherry stout is another favorite.
I’m very happy that they now distribute in Pennsylvania so I don’t need to wait until the one time a year I’m in Amherst to enjoy some of their fine brews.

BUY IT. Not only do they have a great product but it is sustainably made and the company is ran by a bunch of great people. Available many places in Milwaukee (Whole Foods has a good variety), I would suggest the Shine On, it is a Red but is much lighter and less bitter than many I have tried. Delicious.

My dad, who lives in WI, gave us this beer. Shine On from Central Waters Brewery in Amherst, WI (population 1,052).
Central Waters is Wisconsin’s first green-​powered brewery. They use solar panels and radiant floor heating systems, and efficient lighting and electricity systems. All of the materials in their tap room are from recycled resources and they have reduced the amount of packaging materials that comes into the facility by having a grain silo outside the brewery. Also, they work with local farmers to recycle the grain used in the brewing process. Pretty cool! They’re «making the world a better place, one beer at a time.»
The Shine On beer is a red ale that was made to commemorate Central Water’s solar hot water system and their partnership with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). It’s made with Wisconsin-​grown, organic barley and a proceed of all sales go to the MREA to help fund renewable energy and sustainability.
Ok, so this is all fine and good and commendable… but how did the beer taste? That’s what it comes down to ultimately, right? We really liked it.. organic and sustainable or not, it was a great tasting beer. We’ll have to pick some more up next time we’re in Wisconsin and maybe try some others from Central Waters Brewing.