Some of the less mainstream ones you'll find include a handful of select Belgian beers, inspired by the owners' trip to Belgium 12 years ago. But with the exception of Stella Artois, your Belgian choices are all in bottles. That might be my only my gripe with the place, other than a naked female mannequin lamp. However, given the atmosphere of Genna's as a place for conversation and camaraderie, few Madison bars are as amenable to sharing a 750 ml bottle of Chimay with a few friends, even if you must sit in the glow of tacky lighting. Some might see Genna's lack of food as a shortcoming. Happy hours do offer a small buffet table, but there is no menu because there is no kitchen. But it's not really a problem for a beer person like me. (There are more comments from others on There also is entertainment that is anything but commonsensical, including Saturday nights with Lawrence Welk, when patrons sing along with the TV show (that is, when the Badgers aren't on TV, or at least playing well). And at 5 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month -- including a "Head to Head Haiku Slam" this coming Saturday -- Genna's hosts Urban Spoken Word. On busy nights the upstairs is open, where a second bar takes you back to the original Genna's. Hanging in the stairwell is a Genna's sign from the 1980s, and there is a painted mural that was created by a regular of the old place. Even the upstairs bar itself was once a section of the original bar from Frank Genna's place. His daughter, Kristi, represents the second generation of ownership. A couple of her nephews tended bar over the summer, meanwhile, making way for a new generation to be part of Genna's history.
Beer Here: The bottles at Genna's Lounge
A place for suds and conversation
Robin Shepard
A photo of Frank Genna gazes out from shelves of books and beer.
