Fantasy Factory on tap. Not sure any more needs to be said about this place. Oh yeah, their other beers are pretty darn good as well. read more

Karben4 Brewing - Threat level midnight. A smores flavored stout. To. Die. For. - Breweries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Karben4 is my favorite Madison brewery. They make thoughtful beers with super strange branding and I'm totally into it. While some of the funky ones may not be for everyone, they have a solid bench of core brews that will please any palate. Anything you buy from them is going to be high quality, whether that's a sandwich in their taproom, a t-shirt with a fire breathing unicorn on it, or a Fantasy Factory IPA. They're small, they're local, and they're awesome. Definitely check it out! read more

The beer at this place is outstanding! Also the bartender was really great, we had our 2.5 year old son with us (because we are classy like that). And she gave him popcorn and chatted with him which kind of made his day. read more

Karben4 Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great beer, great food, great fun...what more could you want? I'm a big fan of their fantasy factory, and I also love mimosas, which made me fall in love with their version of a mimosa. Get it on Sunday mornings. I'm also a huge fan of their homemade pretzels - try them as sticks or just a single pretzel; either way, you should get the horseradish cheddar, it's delicious. In terms of fun, they have plenty of games for you to play there, including darts. They also allow you to bring your own games. read more

Great beer and friendly service. Just needs a little more atmosphere. A little dark and needs some decoration. Old Ale Asylum location!

It's another brewery. I will note that has a great area for kids--that's a plus. Honestly, it was just a bit expensive for what you get. If you're a local Madisonian, be sure to go to check this off your list. However, it's another brewery and that about all there is too it. read more

What a great place to have a few beers and a sandwich . I have to say the Reuben was one of the better ones in town.They do a nice job with the sauerkraut and the corned beef was very tender and tasty. My wife had the winter salad and a cup of soup. The salad was really well put together and she loved it. The soup was great also. Now the beer was AWESOME AWESOME . I had the Downton Appley ,Blue Falcon, and finished with the Poco Loco. My wife had the Belly Bongos and finished with Treat Level Midnight Smores Stout. All of these beers were so so tasty and not to over powering in flavor. Perfect balance of favors on all beers.Our server was excellent and very knowledgeable about the flavors. I'm really looking forward to coming back. Please keep in mind this more of a beer type bar. Karben4 your one of the best beer pub in Madison. read more

Wow does this newish brewery have some major potential! I tried their oak-aged Oktoberfest, which is an oak lover's dream. I also had a few sips of their red ale on nitro and was blown away - sweet, malty, traditional Irish red goodness. They also have great (though limited) food. The summer sausage reuben on pretzel bun was fantastic, especially with the kraut made with their red ale (and I don't even like kraut). Add friendly service and a chill atmosphere, and you have a winner. I can't wait to come back and explore their offerings further. read more

Great atmosphere and place to just hang out. It feels less like a brewery and more like a bar, possibly a pub. Foodwise, the salami board is pretty good. There's a small selection of sausages from Underground, a good amount of cheddar, a couple spreads, a drizzle of mustard, and almost enough crostini. They could do with providing a little more crostini because it's just not enough for the board. While the board is one of the more expensive items of the menu (many entrees could be had for about $7). Beerwise, they've got your typical lineup pretty much. Nothing exciting or cool or special, really. Sort of a lowest common denominator approach. Your run of the mill offerings. What they do with those offerings is a little better than most though. So if you're into that, you won't be disappointed. read more

Not sure how the food is, but the beer is not too bad! We sat out on the patio on a Sunday night... and were the only people out there. The service was pretty good. The guy was talkative and helpful when we were deciding on which beers to try. One of the biggest problems, though, were the mosquitos. I don't generally get bitten too much in Madison, but they were out in full force in that particular location! Perhaps having a bottle of Off! or some citronella candles would help. read more

Completely loved this place. My waitress was very helpful and attentive to my needs. The food menu was a lot more extensive than I'm used to for a brewery (not to mention that they had a LOT of vegetarian options). There's inside and outdoor seating. Their bathroom was very clean and stocked with some toiletries which I as a female GREATLY appreciate. There was a seemingly large parking area and over all I had a phenomenal experience. Thank you so much! read more

Karben4 Brewing - Deviled eggs. 4 flavors that change constantly. My favorite on this specific board is the maple walnut one - Breweries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

A+ for service at Karben4. It was a March madness Saturday, and this was our first stop on a short circuit of Madison breweries. At about 11:15am, we were their first customers through the door. The bartender was incredibly friendly and it made a big difference to make us feel welcome in a bar that was just opening for the day. Even though the place was empty for the first 15 minutes or so that we were there, she was in a good mood and happy to give us some information about the operation without being overbearing. Every type of beer they served was solid. The Deep Winter Stout, Fantasy Factory IPA and Nightcall Porter were all standouts on the flight we ordered. The feel of the bar area is minimalist, modern, unpretentious, spacious and could double as a Tom Selleck shrine. We never got around to asking about the artwork. We also didn't order any food, but I was impressed enough with the place to make it a meal destination the next time I'm in town. If you're in Madison and you want to check out the local brewing scene, Karben4 should be near the top of your list. read more

This is an incredibly tough review for me to write. My first twenty minutes of my visit was amazing. We were greeted quickly and our server was on his game. This being my first visit, my server was quick and informative. I wanted to know about the pulled pork. He immediately explained that it was not a barbecue pork, but a slow cooked pulled pork. It had no sauce. He further explained that the pork they served came from pigs which were fed the left over beer mash. I order the pulled pork and egg sandwich. The meal was superb. Can I underline? I will just, capitalize again and again: SUPERB SUPERB SUPERB. The flavor of the pork was savory. The meat was not greasy and it complimented the pretzel roll and white cheddar cheese. This was served with a root hash (I chose to put mine on the side) and a spinach salad. The plate was filling without being too much food. I liked the root hash but I am glad I got it on the side. The softness of the hash would not have worked well with the egg and pork (in my opinion). Now the star loss, the ambiance was quickly ruined. A table of about 12 people was seated near us. Karben4 has a small interior, sound travels, I get it. I am not expecting a quiet brunch. However, I am expecting to enjoy my meal without screeching children near me. Now before I get some terrible comments, please understand I have no issues with eating near children. I do not expect them to be quiet, however I do not expect to be near five of them screaming. I was not the only patron bothered by this and no one did anything to address the problem. If this were five incredibly drunk people on a Sunday at noon bothering other patrons, I would expect something to be done as well. We explained our problem to out server. In fact, most people in our area were staring at these children. We explained to our server we wanted to pay quickly and leave, rather than stay for another drink. If I can not speak to a person across the table, then the problem should have been addressed. read more

Karben4 Brewing - Because brunch... - Breweries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I had their IPA at a burger joint while traveling to Baraboo, so I drove down to Madison the next day to check out the brewery. I got a flight with several beers and everything was awesome. The apple beer was my favorite because it tasted like apple juice. I had the Reuben from the brunch menu and it may have been the best one I've ever had read more

Arrived around 6 pm on a Friday and there was plenty of open tables. We chose to sit outside since it was beautiful out, but be aware that you will have to smell other people's nasty cigarettes if you sit out there. Our server was great. Very nice and attentive. Guy with the brace on his wrist. We got a flight of beer and tried every single beer they had which was, I think, 10 beers. We loved the beer! My husband and I both had our favorites, but all were quite tasty. There is a bunch of games you can play if you want. We started with Password but the instructions were missing and we couldn't remember the rules, so we switched to Mad Gab. Hilarious! Deducting one star for the food. It was far from terrible, but nothing to get excited about. Husband had a flat bread which he said was bland. I got a half sandwich and salad. It was OK. Both of us thought the portions were a little TOO small. Next time we will just try something else. The picture of the deviled eggs looks amazing and this place is definetely worth a second visit. read more

Karben4 Brewing - Mmmmmmm.....beer. - Breweries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Pleasantly surprised by the tasty food at Karben4. We are quite familiar with the beer (Fantasy Factory IPA is a favorite), but didn't expect too much from the food. Surprisingly delicious!! We entertained the kids with the many board games available during our lunch. Loved the artwork on the walls...each one done for a beer release. Great atmosphere! read more

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Nice beer selection. Especially enjoyed the Fantasy Factory IPA (came recommended by a know. Beer Fiend) Like the casual atmosphere and we were able to find a quiet corner !! again, why do restaurants think they need so much noise in the background?? That being said, nothing screams "I gotta go back". Good for meeting fellow Beer Fiends. Recommend it for those guys. read more

Swung by while passing thru. The beers we sampled were well executed and tasty. Food options were also pretty outstanding. I dug the art on the walls. read more

After watching our friends play some volleyball down the street talk of some brews began. Unanimously they chose to go to this gem of a spot. They gave me the run down on the history of the location and highly recommended all the beers. They even spoke fondly of the food items that were available. Their pint prices are very affordable. I went with a couple of pints of Undercover Ale which was very smooth and refreshing. I also had a pint of their Samurale which was also very flavorful and smooth. My wife ordered their pretzel bites, which she loved. I ordered their chicken salad sandwich with side salad. Beyond delicious. The bartenders were very friendly and knowledgable about the company itself. They have growlers available for purchase at an affordable price so you bring some brew home. Love the ambiance of the place. They have a dart board and board games available to enjoy with friends. Look forward to going back to this microbrewery again for a growler with some brew and some more of their fresh flavorful food. read more

You would not think to look at the exterior of this space and think Karben4. Stepping inside is something totally different. Nice open space and plenty of bar seating. It was nice to try some of their small batch concepts. the only downside was the service was not that great. If it was busy thats one thing, It was a Sunday afternoon and no more than 6 people in the place. If they step up the service game this would be a solid 5 rating. Just not quite there. read more

Comfortable, friendly and good dark beers mainly. Love their Kwik trip beer. Genius!

My husband and I stopped here for lunch on Friday, August 4 as we were driving through town on our way to visit family. We've had Karben4's beer before and were excited to try their food. The menu sounds great, but the food was very disappointing. As soon as we sat down our waitress told us that they were out of the Reuben Sandwich and a few of their beers. We really appreciated her being up front with us- it's disappointing when you find out a restaurant is out of something as you're placing your order. We ordered the Creamy Peppadew Sandwich with the daily side which was a Vegan Mediterranean Pasta Salad and the Caprese Sandwich with the chips. It was only when our food was brought to us that we found out that they were also out of the bread that usually gets served with these sandwiches. There are five sandwiches on the menu and four of them are made with the Stalzy's wheat bread that they were out of. The fifth sandwich, that isn't made with the Stalzy's wheat bread, was the Reuben...which they were out of because they ran out of sauerkraut!!!! I think it's poor management for a restaurant to run out of a staple ingredient, such as bread, that is used for multiple items on their menu. Now I will say this the home-made pretzel roll that they ended up serving our sandwiches on was very tasty, but it didn't pair at all with the sandwiches we ordered. There was too much bread and not enough sandwich fillings. The kitchen did a very poor job of trying to recreate their menu items with what little ingredients they did have in stock. The Caprese Sandwich only had a tiny sliver of mozzarella cheese on it. I had to take off the top of the pretzel roll to eat the sandwich open face, but even then I couldn't taste the mozzarella and there were only a few measly slices of tomatoes and pieces of baby spinach. They also forgot to put the basil aioli on the sandwich, which we had to ask for it on the side. We ended up spreading the aioli on the other slice of the pretzel roll, essentially eating a plain roll for lunch. The Peppadew Sandwich was a little more flavorful, but again it was all bread and only a couple slices of turkey. The amount of sandwich ingredients they put on our sandwiches may have been enough if they were using their regular bread, but if a restaurant runs out of ingredients and still tries to sell the menu item, then they should make up for it and serve a better sandwich with more fillings. The Mediterranean Pasta Salad was fine, it was somewhat bland. I wish I would have taken pictures of the food. We probably should have returned both of our sandwiches and left, but we'd been out running errands and were very hungry. Besides, I'm not one to return food and I've never returned an entire meal before. Our waitress never once asked, while we were eating, if everything was okay. She only asked if we needed anything else. Obviously, she could tell that we weren't happy, and maybe we should have said something earlier, but she didn't even apologize for the Caprese Sandwich not having the basil aioli on it. It was only after we paid the bill that she finally asked if everything was okay, but by that time it was too late to improve our dining experience and she didn't make any offers to anyway. All she said was that the food is usually really good- if that's the case then how could she have looked at what came out of the kitchen and think that it was okay to serve us subpar food? Maybe we came on an off day, but we travel through Madison quite frequently and will never stop to eat at Karben4 again. read more

Great beers (if you like hoppy brews) and food. I had the grilled cheese, which was yummy. The wait staff is exceptional. I had a sampler of beers, which included the seasonal brew. read more

Karben4 Brewing - Sampler - Breweries Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

If you're going here for the beer and atmosphere, this place is great! Fantasy Factory is obviously excellent and a very well known beer in Madison, and the others on tap here are great! However, they should not be doing food. We got the jalapeno poppers WHICH ARE COLD. It says it on the menu, which we overlooked clearly, and they were just not something you want to eat. It's a raw jalapeno with cheese spread in it. We tried the pretzel sticks, delicious! The dip is very tasty. Every brewery should have decent pretzels. We were still hungry so we got the flatbread, it was ok, as good as a Tombstone made at home for less the price. My boyfriend was still hungry when we left but were sick of spending money, so we stopped at Wendy's :( read more

Since we've been here last they updated their brunch menu, and got rid of our favorite the Tiny Tim. I had the hash instead which was about 50/50 ground pork and vegetables. Really greasy. Not a big fan. It'll be awhile before we come back. read more

I absolutely love, love, loved this brewery. The atmosphere was super cool big but not too big. It's been a long time since I had a tasting flight and legit liked all the beers. Their food was equally as good. And I had to get some gear while I was there, I mean a cat with a gun riding a unicorn..lol read more

Dropped in for a lunch beer. I had the Undercover. It was a session ale in the usual sense, low alcohol and went down smooth. I could easily have had another, but I chose to follow it up with the Oaktober Ale. It had a nice darker color and nose notes reminded me of fall yard cleanup, getting the potted plants out of the pots and off to the yard waste recycle. The bartender asked what I thought of the Oaktober. I replied, "It tastes like dirt, but in a good way." Karben4 has been making some really good beers lately and I like the variety, they don't seem to be stuck re-making IPA's. -LanceJay read more

Beer selection was not all that happening and the appetizers were blah and over priced. The pretzel rods were over done almost burnt and the cheesy sauce was so watered down it wouldn't god to the pretzel. The overall vibe and brewery was nice. read more

Karben4 beer is something I greatly miss now that I live on the west coast. If you guys ever want someone to distribute Karben4 beer in Santa Cruz, CA... you guys just let me know. ;) read more

This used to be our favorite place to go to just get a beer and some food, however, it seems to have gone downhill. Our favorite dish we used to get was the $17 meat and cheese platter - the last time we got it the platter was very, very sparse. Then we came back and they talked about the menu change - it wasn't much different, but much smaller! It's a bummer because we used to love it there so much! We would sure love for it to be our "go to" place to go again! read more

Always great beer and a pleasant patio, and now the food offerings have expanded and are quite tasty, so "hooray!"

Brunch review: Who knew Karben4 had brunch? Not me until I read Steve L's review! Now that I have a decent sampling of their brunch I can honestly say it is very good. Much more than I ever expected! The menu options are small, but I'm sure you can find something you will enjoy, because everything that has come out on my plate has been very enjoyable. My suggestion on what to order: The Tiny Tim (it's not tiny). This will give you an overlay of all the greatness karben4's kitchen is going to cook up for you. It was enough for me to take a giant breath toward the end and say...I need to stop I'm so full. The Tiny Tim is half the Biggie Breakfast which is Three slices of French toast with fruit compote, three fried eggs*, 4 slices of bacon, 4 slices of ham, open-face pulled pork and egg with root vegetable hash and a baby spinach salad. Yum, Yum, Yum!!!!! The pulled pork & bacon are amazing! Full of flavor and cooked exactly how I would want any pulled pork done. Great job Karben4!!!!!! They also offer bloody Marys' and their beer mimosa. I like the bloody, but my brother was creative enough to try their beer mimosa (and let me sample it as well)....not my liking, but worth trying because it is something new for your taste buds. Plenty of parking! Easy to find off Stoughton Rd. Brunch @ Karben4!!!!!! Do it!!!!!! read more

Best brewery in Madison by a fair margin. Location in a industrial strip mall near the airport is a bit underwhelming, but they do the best they can with the space. Bottom line - great beer. read more

The location is unassuming but the inside is nice. The service was excellent and they make a variety of very good beers. I was impressed with a wine barrel aged beer they were serving when I was there & definitely one the breweries to visit in Madison. read more

Beer sampler was good. Food sucked. Pretzel was dry, bland and unimaginative. Decor was sparse. Bartenders were obviously hired for looks and not experience. Eh. I like Karben4's beer, but their brewery is boring as shit. read more

Stopped for lunch here on the way to MKE and were so glad we did! Pretzel app and our sandwiches were exceptional-I especially liked all the fresh produce (I had the avocado BLT). The amber ale was delicious, but my partner wasn't so fond of the "Oaktober" beer. Ambience was attractive (I loved the artwork) but the vibe was not particularly warm, for a taproom-- but this seemed in keeping with the brand. I'd love to return and try the Fantasy Factory IPA! The quick access from I-94 was clutch, for a Madison stop. read more

We've had the pleasure of being here a few times before their grand opening, and on their grand opening night. The guys that work here are super cool, personable and extremely generous. The beers are all good, and I feel like they aren't capable of making a bad beer. The atmosphere is nice and you just feel welcome. I'm not usually a porter fan but their Nightcall is my new favorite beer. And growlers for $12, is perfection. We love Karben4 and tell anyone and everyone about it. Go, try all the beers, you won't regret it. (If you have an empty growler at home, bring it.) read more

Passed through Madtown and found this place (good reviews and conveniently close to the freeway). Loved the beer choices (although bummed that two that I wanted to try were gone). Good food choices -- even the beets were good. I look forward to returning! read more

Their beer is good and they do a lot of fun inventive stuff. The food was only ok and the service was also average-ish. Good news is that because the beer is solid and original in some of their creations it is defiantly worth a stop in to give it a try. read more

Didn't eat here, but their menu looked exceptional (even had some great veggie options)... However I loved the atmosphere and their beer was the best I had on my trip to Wisconsin... Worth a stop (or a few stops) without a doubt! read more