Mad Paddle Brewery celebrated it’s Grand Opening this evening, complete with a ribbon cutting, welcoming words from the City of Madison, and a host of well-wishers both local and visiting. And the reason we are super excited about this? Mad Paddle Brewery is only two blocks east of our fixer upper!
I dare say, their fixer upper was WAY more challenging than ours will be. Turning a 3-story former feed mill into a trendy brewery space was no small feat. They’ve created an awesome gathering space, and from the comments heard around me, they were happy with everything – the beer, the hospitality, and the decor.
Let’s start with the beer. The 12 Beers Featured at Grand Opening included 3 from Mad Paddle plus 9 Guest Taps. We opted for Mad Paddle brews to celebrate the evening – Mad Paddle Wicked Blonde Ale (me) and Mad Paddle Irwin Irish Red Ale (Ken.) To be clear, I know from nothing in the beer world. Wine is my middle name. That said, I really enjoyed my selection. They had Ken at “Irish Red”, and he was most happy with his choice as well.
Hospitality was in the air! Everyone was happy to be there, and the host, Jerry Wade, was happy to have us all there. ‘Twas a holiday spirit all ’round!
As for decor… Home.Run. Ambiance with at capital “A.” The space was super clean, but rustic and a little rough at the same time. Patchy plaster, exposed brick, old photos & postcards turned art, and very cool industrial lighting. Barrels, high tops, plenty of table seating. It’s a terrific restoration to be enjoyed.
I really enjoyed the memorabilia, in part because it was so well executed & displayed, but also because we have a bit of Madison’s brewing history on display here at home. The old original metal sign from Madison’s Weber’s Brewery is a treasure, and we always chuckle at our kids saying, “Oh, that’s so mine!” or “NOT!” And a small bottle from Madison Brewing Company collects dust among the books.
There are many reasons why Ken and I are excited to move back to downtown Madison, Indiana, and tonight we discovered one more. Congratulations on your Grand Opening, Mad Paddle Brewery, and we look forward to having you in our hood. 
