A Keg of Their Best - Brewing in the Beer State Capital—From the Beer Baron Era to Modern Microbrews

Wisconsin has long been known as “The Beer State,” and the history of its capital city brims with stories of brewing innovation—from the city’s earliest beer-makers and long-forgotten farmstead breweries to today’s experimental microbrewers and enterprising taprooms. In A Keg of Their Best, journalist and beer expert Robin Shepard offers an authoritative history of Madison’s brewing legacy and its key figures from the 1830s to the present.

Author BioRobin Shepard

Robin Shepard is a four-time honoree of the North American Guild of Beer Writers. He has been a regular beer columnist and reviewer for the Isthmus newspaper in Madison for more than two decades and also regularly contributes beer reviews, travel articles, and stories to a variety of beer publications and news outlets. His previous books include Wisconsin’s Best Breweries and Brewpubs, The Best Breweries and Brewpubs of Illinois, and Minnesota’s Best Breweries and Brewpubs. Shepard is an Assistant Dean for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Division of Extension and a faculty member of the Department of Life Sciences Communications. He lives in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, with his wife, Kristi, and their two cats named after historical beer figures Roseline Peck and August Fitger.

320 pages, 8 x 10, 120 color and b&w photos and illustrations
Paperback: $32.95 | ISBN: 978-1-9766-0063-0
Ebook: $19.99 | ISBN: 978-1-9766-0064-7
Publication Date: 6/9/2026