Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company

The Great Dane is a solid choice for good artisanal beer, a fun atmosphere and a wide food selection. There’s something for everyone on the menu, including starters like crisp calamari ($9.50) and beer bread with honey butter ($4.50),  soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pastas, chicken, steak, potpie and pizzas ($7.50 to $18). The Wisconsin-Style Cheddar Mac is a crowd-pleaser—a creamy blend of Wisconsin cheddar and Great Dane Pilsner tossed with rigatoni and topped with toasted sourdough breadcrumbs ($10.50).

Opened in 2009, the Wausau pub offers much of the same menu and beer that Great Dane provides in its original Madison-area locations. The Wausau pub is also enormous and appears primed to capitalize on its outdoor seating options: In spring 2011, Wausau opened a 100-seat patio Beer Garden with a view of Granite Peak ski hill. Inside, the main bar room holds circular booths and allows views of the brewing vats; there are also several other rooms, including a pool hall with its own bar, two lounge areas and a main dining area.

The main draw, though, is the beer. Wausau’s Great Dane offers all of the company's standard brews, such as Crop Circle Wheat, Emerald Isle Stout, George Ruder's German Pils, Landmark Lite Lager, Old Glory American Pale Ale and Speedway India Pale Ale, plus a few of the brewmaster's special creations.