The Sought-After Midwest Beer You'll Never Find Outside Of Wisconsin

If you live in the Midwest there are plenty of reasons to take a day trip to Wisconsin, and a great one is to grab one of the country's best beers. While there are many microbreweries in the U.S., a craft beer that is both massively popular and still local is a hard thing to find. The most successful craft brewers (your Sierra Nevadas and Founders) almost always try to expand to sell regionally and eventually, nationally — even if they don't match the sales of the largest macrobrews. Conversely, the ones that stay small are rarely known outside of their city or state. But most breweries are not New Glarus Brewing Co., and most beers are not Spotted Cow.

Spotted Cow is a farmhouse ale that is considered the flagship beer of New Glarus, a brewery located in the town of the same name in Wisconsin. In fact, it's even become a symbol of the entire state. Spotted Cow is one of the top selling beers in the Badger State, rivaling major national brands like Busch Light and Miller. New Glarus itself is such a Wisconsin institution that it's the 12th largest craft brewer in the country by sales, despite only selling beer in its home state. That love has expanded beyond Wisconsin's borders, as it's become common practice for people in neighboring states, or those just passing by, to drive up to Wisconsin just so they can smuggle out a few six packs.

So, why is Spotted Cow (or any New Glarus beer) only sold in Wisconsin? Well, there is no one reason, but it mostly seems to be about maintaining quality control, and the brewery's love of all things local. New Glarus Brewing Co. was founded in 1993 by couple Dan and Deb Carey, with Dan being schooled in the art of brewing through his college studies and an apprenticeship in Munich, while Deb was the entrepreneurial one. Spotted Cow wasn't New Glarus' first beer; it had already had Belgian Red that had won a major beer competition in England, but when it came out in 1997, Spotted Cow put the brewery on the map. Although labeled a farmhouse ale, it kind of defies categorization within normal beer styles, and New Glarus likes it that way. Most importantly, it's an easy-drinking beer made for the masses, just with a local twist.

The brewery is committed to sourcing as much of the production for Spotted Cow from suppliers in state, down to the cans themselves; although it's necessary to get some agricultural products like malt from other states. There was a time, from 1998 to 2003, when Spotted Cow was sold in Illinois, but the demand was overwhelming, and New Glarus pulled back to an "Only in Wisconsin" model rather than push things too far. Its commitment to being local extends beyond that, as the truly unique brewery took the rare step of becoming employee-owned, so all the workers in town own a share of the business. Finally, there is a philosophical side to the decision, with founder Deb Carey once telling MinnPost, "I think food should have a regionality to it."

While New Glarus' local ethos helps explain why it's only available in Wisconsin, that doesn't explain why Spotted Cow has such a devoted following. Dan Carey was inspired to create Spotted Cow while working in Germany, where he learned about the history of farmers brewing refreshing, small-batch beers that would eventually gain the label "farmhouse ale" when imitated by larger breweries. Spotted Cow was meant to be that kind of beer, something special and locally unique, but also light and drinkable.

Spotted Cow is made using the German Reinheitsgebot purity laws, meaning only four natural ingredients (yeast, hops, water, and malted barley) are used. The rustic-style beer is unfiltered, and leaving the yeast in the ale helps increase the complexity. But what makes Spotted Cow really special is just how balanced it is. Lightly sweet and not overly hoppy, but not too thin either, and with a slightly sour taste, it's like a classic American cream ale with subtle notes of a Hazy IPA. It's approachable for anyone, but has the kind of depth that impresses real beer lovers.

People all over the country agree. On Reddit, a fan of Spotted Cow says it's "definitely the best easy drinking beer." Another enthusiast replies, "Definitely a patio crusher. Wish I could get it in CO ... My colleague was fascinated [by] my infatuation for it. He tried it once and understood lol." In another discussion, a Redditor shared, "I don't know what it is that makes me love it so much but it's just my favorite thing on the planet," to which another replied that "sometimes a really simple beer can be just plain delicious." That's pretty much Spotted Cow in a nutshell: simple and special all at once.