Angelic Brewing Co

We wanted to go there this last weekend, but every door is is plastered with the sign, «ANGELIC BREWING IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.» So I have to assume this place is CLOSED.
2008.07.09 update: Steve D. (see his Compliment on my profile) sent me this note: «This thread [
notes that there was a fractious falling-​out between the brewmasters and the general manager. The brewmasters went on to _​Ale Asylum_​. It seems that Angelic allowed its liquor license to elapse.

I met my husband here so it gets 5 stars for that.
If you like beer then this is your place
Standard bar food and I love the outdoor patio.

It’s standard bar fare.
There’s, you know, drinks available.
So why bother to review?
Well, I give Angelic 5 stars because they picked my sorry ass up off the floor when I drank myself into oblivion while visiting some friends in the Madison area and seeing our favorite band play down the block. They were kind enough to give me a little corner to sit in and brought me water and I believe told my friends to go easy on me… which was nice. I never, ever in my life got that obliterated, and I was hundreds of miles from home. Oh, Angelic. thank you for not kicking me out. I appreciate it.

I used to work there when I was in college and back when they actually were a brewing company. I am really glad that Dean started Ale Asylum, but it was a huge hit to the Angelic’s appeal. Another blow while was working there was the MPD and ALRC’s crusade against hip hop nights (or really any type of event that might attract anyone of color). I witnessed the Angelic get targeted on this front and it wasn’t necessarily always handled in the best of ways (lying to patrons about what kind of music was going to be played that night).
I agree that most of the food is nothing special and is overpriced for what it is. But I also concur that they have some of the best nachos (everything was made fresh that morning) and artichoke spinach dip (I think I still recall the recipe and would sell it to the highest bidder) and some of the pizzas were pretty good depending on how much care was given to constructing them. All told, however, I think it is time the Angelic had an overhaul and reinvented itself outside of the brewpub it no longer is. The space and location are amazing and the building has a storied history.

I’m still not sure if this should get 3 or 4 stars (I’d give it 3.5 if I could), but there really are many awesome things about Angelic. Normally I don’t care for décor, but this place is really a great place to eat and drink. Speaking of which, yes, this place no longer brews beer on the premises. However, the brewer ended up starting another brewery in town (Ale Asylum), and Angelic has all of these beers, along with many other beers. That’s very good.
The thing that I wish Angelic would improve on is to broaden their appetizer menu; almost every appetizer they serve is made with cheese (which I don’t eat), and of the items without cheese, almost all of them are rather expensive. So for me, I prefer to come here to drink rather than to eat. However, there are others who will, without a doubt, like the appetizers more than I do, so that’s cool. If you think you will enjoy it, super.

Ugh — I was horribly dissatisfied w/​this place.
I’d heard it hyped, and I was expecting good things, but when I finally got a chance go to, I was definitely disappointed.
I felt bad for the server, he said he had a party of 23 in the next room over, and most of them didn’t speak English. I didn’t see another party, or even another room — but was he really the only waiter working? In that huge place? At dinner time?!! It appeared so. The only other employees we had contact with were two hostesses who barely spoke to us.
The bar was practically empty, as was the rest of the place, but our service still took forever, I received the wrong drink, and my food was awful. My burger was underdone, the bun was soggy, and even though I’d added lots of toppings — avocado, lettuce, etc — it was bland to the point of inedibility.
I ate about half of it and left hungry. My date thought maybe I was being a little picky — until he tasted my burger. Case closed.
Adding to the chaos — some dj was setting up, playing obscenely loud music as he got his equipment in order, even though there was NOBODY there, and it was extremely difficult to even have a conversation. We ended up staring at each other mutely over the table most of the meal… and not in that lovey-​dovey way …
Just overall an unpleasant experience.

When my boyfriend and I went, we sat outside on the patio and had their deeelicious breaded, fried cheese curds. I drank their smooth, consistently icy piña colada and it was all very heavenly. Thoughtful service. We’d revisit. There was an element of silliness because a Shriner band was playing on the inside.

The Angelic Brewery is great for quite a few things. There is LOTS OF SPACE, therefore you and 10 of your closest friends probably can get a table on a Friday night without waiting more than 30 minutes if at all. Additionally on most off nights the Angelic can be a nice quiet spot to have a conversation with your drink before you head out to a more populous and interesting locale. There is lots of space because this bar is usually not very busy nor is it booked up too much in the future. This is a great thing. My sister reserved a table for her graduation lunch a day or two beforehand and things went very smoothly.
On to things mediocre, the food at the Angelic is hit or miss. I have had good pizza, and I’ve had less than good pizza here. The same experiences can be said for the pastas and salads… sometimes they’re WOW and other times they’re eh. I must admit the spinach artichoke dip and nachos are ALWAYS good.
As for beer, the brewmaster left sometime in 2004, and the Angelic hasn’t been the same since. They have a decent selection of tap beers, but I am quite sad that I may never taste their trippel or doubel ever again. There are fair priced drink specials to draw you there on the weekdays. Occasionally they have live bands that play traditional pub music. (you know flutes violins etc) Like their food they have been known to book both good and mediocre DJ’s for dancing and fun having. Usually there’s a cover for those evenings.
I’m giving the Angelic 3 stars; for what you can eat, drink, and do in Madison, you can usually do better than the Angelic.

Loses points since they stopped serving their own beer on tap. Still has a decent beer menu but so does every other place in Madison.
Some of the best nachos money can buy though.

This microbrewery is definitely a centerpiece of Madison’s dining and drinking scene. I’m surprised nobody else has reviewed it yet. Pretty cool place with frequent live music, a back room with pool and darts and an expansive menu showcasing the best artichoke cheese dip ever.