Laundry tumbles with beer

If you'd rather be having a beer with friends than washing your clothes, a U.S. laundromat has come with the solution. With six beers on tap, plus a range of bottled brews in the fridge, wireless Internet connection, couches and video games, Laundry 101 is as much a bar as a laundry.

"The people who use the bar usually just have a beer or two while they do their laundry," said Zach Brandon, 34, part-owner of Laundry 101 and city council member in Madison.

Brandon came to Madison from Ohio in 1998 to open a hybrid mix of Internet cafe and laundromat, but all that's left of that plan is a $7,000 espresso machine under the bar.

"There are eight coffee shops, not counting two Starbucks, within a few blocks of here," he said, kicking the espresso machine.

"So that idea went out the window pretty fast." Instead, Laundry 101 serves an array of beers including local brews such as Capital Brewery's seasonal Maibock ale -- made in Middleton just outside Madison -- catering largely for students from the nearby University of Wisconsin-Madison.

It's a Saturday night, but unlike other downtown bars serving the 41,000 strong student body here, Laundry 101 is relatively empty with just a few students using the washing machines and driers, surfing the web or having a beer.

"Saturday is actually one of our quietest nights, it's far busier during the week," Brandon said.

While the bar only brings in a small portion of Laundry 101's business, bar tender Allie Gilman, 21, said there are many regular customers, plus the occasional tourist. "It's generally a fun, easygoing crowd we get in here, people who want to kick back with friends while they wash their clothes," said Gilman.