Onalaska, WI
Booze Rating: B-
Two alcohol creators under one roof! While it doesn’t look like much from the outside, this location was a very fun, tropical themed brewery and winery. It happened to be a sunny, warm day when we visited so we were able to sit outside to enjoy our alcohol; along with many other guests.
There are 3 outdoor bubble domes and a lot of outdoor seating. It looks like in summer they have live music, but not when we were there. There are also 2 rooms of indoor seating. So you will be comfortable anytime of the year.
Flights of 4 wine samples cost $4.00 and flights of 4 beers cost $5.00. We opted for one of each to try and get the best cross section of each of their offerings.
Because it was so busy, we didn’t get a chance to talk to the staff much. From the quick interactions we had with the bartender, he seemed knowledgeable and nice.
We ended up buying a Reel Pub Pass here as the bartender’s friend was the creator of it. The pass gets you buy 1, get 1 free beer all over the state and supports a good cause.
Carry-ins are allowed and welcomed and there is even a private clubhouse available for rent with a large TV. They want you to enjoy yourself and hang out.
Mosquito Moscato- Mango and Pineapple on the nose, standard sweet fruit moscato, Hannah loved it
Mermaid Mango- mango on the nose, overpowering though, described as a perfect summer sipper but we did not like this one, this one is one of those wines that give fruit wines a bad rep, overly sugared, a headache waiting to happen
Red Raspberry Dragon- Sweet and heavy on the raspberry in nose and taste, but was missing any tartness you might be looking for. This one was very reminiscent of a dark red jolly rancher in look and flavor
Wildberry Jungle (Shiraz)- Red fruit on the nose, dark, sweet, but the different berries from blue to raspberry definitely dance around your palette
Walk the Plank Sampler (Beer Flight):
Fathom Fruitzer- Passion Fruit Orange Guava (5.5% ABV)- tastes, looks, and smells just like Orange Crush soda! Slightly sickly sweet but an all around “Crushable” orange beer
Stern Chaser Sour- Boysenberry (5.0% ABV)- Looks like a tall glass of cloudy grapefruit juice, orange peel and red berry on the nose, medium-heavy body with a slightly jammy sweetness unique to its namesake. Definitely a favorite and earned a crowler buy.
Swab The Deck Saison (6.3% ABV)- scent is coriander forward with orange peel behind, slight star anise, solid body with herbs on the palette. In all this one was a more herbal Orange Shandy by Leine’s without the sweetness
Peg Leg Peach Wheat (5.2% ABV)- color of Tang soda, slightly carbonated body, hints of peach on the nose, thick body, taste is reminiscent of a melted dreamsiclle, Hannah dislikes this as there were hints of coconut too which is her least favorite flavor. In all, this one isn’t too far off from a hefeweizen hurricane
Cat o’ Nine Tales Cream Ale (5.2% ABV)- As Hannah would say, “standard, tastes like beer”. This one had malt on the nose, medium-light body, tasted like a silky smooth Irish red ale.
Gangway IPA (6.7% ABV)- This one is single hopped with notes of citrus on the nose, medium body, with the mango and passionfruit
Overall, the wine was okay, the beer was fun. The atmosphere was what would bring us back. We love a good tiki theme, especially in the middle of a cold winter.
Until next time, keep on crusin’, don’t stop boozin’.
To learn more about the winery visit: www.lostislandwine.com or on Instagram @lostislandwine
To learn more about the brewery visit: www.skeletoncrewbrew.com or on Instagram: @skeletoncrewbrew