Three Cellars

Three CellarsThree Cellars
Three CellarsThree Cellars
Bar, Beer-to-go

7228 S 27th St
Oak Creek, Wisconsin, 53154
United States

// CLOSED //

Hours:
Monday - Thursday: 12:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday - Saturday: 12:00pm - 11:00pm
Sunday: CLOSED
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.57
Reviews:
57
Ratings:
75
pDev:
7.66%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DersOne:
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Rated by DersOne from Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev -1.5%

Feb 19, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of teemoney
Reviewed by teemoney from Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Interesting place; they recently moved into an old supper club, which is pretty awesome. Bottles to go, and a bar. Quality, decent but not huge selection, almost always able to get any limited stuff. Sometimes they do a raffle or something instead of making people stand out in the cold all day for bottles, which I think is fair and fun. Pretty good selection of stuff on tap usually, as well, and a nice place to hang out. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. One my favorite stores in the area, and certainly the most unique.
Jan 18, 2018
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

4.85/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75
In the two and a half years I lived in Wisconsin (2013-2016) I had the pleasure of living less than two miles from this wonderful establishment. I was a frequent visitor.

The lounge ambience is great. It has an outdoor area as well.

There is a "liquid therapy" in which beers are discounted.

There is a wide variety of beers. On-tap there are eight with two more from rotating "featured breweries". There is a very wide variety of packaged brews (cans and bottles). Some breweries that they carry are hard to find in the Milwaukee area, such as Schell's and Vintage. The selection turns over quickly.

Shawn and his crew are great. Pleasant, knowledgeable and attentive.

While there is not a refrigerated section, the place is kept on the cool side, and they have a machine to chill the beer (for a small fee). They carry a wide variety of carry-out brews that are well-priced.

They carry a wide variety of wine and gourmet sodas so you can hang out there with your friends who are not beer drinkers.

It is first place on my list to visit when I visit Wisconsin. I sure do miss it! Very much worth dropping by (and even going out of your way for)!
Jan 28, 2017
Photo of blackhawkj
Reviewed by blackhawkj from Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Cool setting like a coffee bar that sells craft beer and wine. Excellent customer service from a very knowledgeable staff, and very good selection of craft beer. Check out the new Top beer selection that rotates monthly always something rare is on two dedicated tap lines.
Oct 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Sep 30, 2015
Photo of treznor
Reviewed by treznor from North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Three Cellars doesn't have the widest selection out there, but what they do have is good. Really nice to be able to kick back with a pint, or open something up (though they do charge corkage). Solid tap list as well. Spoke with the employees for a while (one might have been the owner?) and you could tell they really know their stuff. Was really happy to stop in to Three Cellars and will definitely be returning.
Sep 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.89 by tommy5 from Michigan

Aug 04, 2015
Photo of musicsoul
Reviewed by musicsoul from New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Fresh off the plane from Boston, I stopped into Three Cellars to get some local craft. NAILED IT. this place not only had what i was looking for, they also have it on tap! I owe thanks to these gentlemen for not only answering all my questions and offering wonderful suggestions, but also keeping up with my (typically boring to most) beer nonsense. Thank you Three Cellars!
Jul 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by ShawnL from Wisconsin

May 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.46 by Eman17 from Illinois

Apr 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by Lucular from Maryland

Dec 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by LegitCraftBeer from Illinois

Dec 13, 2014
Photo of durlta
Rated by durlta from Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -17.9%
Decent selection with prices that were a little high: ~$14 for a 4-pack of Ten FIDY. Place was nice and definitely clean.
Oct 22, 2014
Photo of Jbeerman
Reviewed by Jbeerman from Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +9.4%
I used to be a regular at Three Cellars when I lived in Wisconsin and can't say enough wonderful things about Shawn and the rest of the crew at Three Cellars with a huge selection or craft beer and wines, to choose from,happy hour prices, and special events that go all out and warm and fun relaxed atmosphere they make you feel right at home from the moment you walk in the door! Be sure drive that extra minute or two out to franklin to have a great pint with some great people
Oct 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by bowzer4birdie from Illinois

Oct 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Skunkyluvmuffin from Wisconsin

Aug 28, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by IBUQT from Oregon

Aug 23, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by jewellrunner from Missouri

Aug 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by MilwaukeeBeerMaker from Wisconsin

Jul 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by hansenm72 from Texas

Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by mhind52 from Illinois

Jun 12, 2014
Photo of Tuckersmth
Reviewed by Tuckersmth from California

4.79/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75
Dropped in on a Tuesday afternoon after flying all day. 10 beers on tap. Solid variety with 4 of the beers coming from WI. The owner and Tim were very helpful guiding me on the WI brew scene. They even poured me a few free tasters from their personal stash. The best elements of this place were the knowledgeable friendly staff and the WI bottle selection. The bottles were well organized and fairly priced. They had many WI bottles that are rated some of the top in the Great Lakes region , including many New Glarus tarts . They also have a solid out of state bottle offering.
Jun 04, 2014
Photo of IMFletcher
Reviewed by IMFletcher from Kentucky

4.57/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25
Visited this place based on BA reviews as the first stop on this year's beer trip to Wisconsin. It's not set up like a bar/restaurant, but it has some tables and a small bar in the back.

The owner was personable, knowledgeable, and helpful. He gave us a detailed description of the Wisconsin bottles on the shelf, poured us some beers from a smaller-than-preferred tap list, and gave us tips on which other breweries we needed to visit.

Half the store is dedicated to wine, but we aren't wine drinkers, so I can't help with that.

We will be back for insight and some local bottled goodness on future vacations to the Milwaukee area.
May 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Hendrick24 from Wisconsin

May 19, 2014
Photo of GrizXTKEX519
Reviewed by GrizXTKEX519 from Michigan

4.87/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75
Stopped by as we were passing through. Showed up before open hours, and the owner opened the store for us. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Will definitely recommend, and stop in again.

The selection was pretty good. Large selection of Wisconsin and Midwest breweries, as well as other top notch breweries from across the country. Looked like an extensive wine selection as well.
Feb 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by eawolff99 from Minnesota

Dec 26, 2013
Photo of sisterthelonious
Reviewed by sisterthelonious from Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.75
Went to Three Cellars for the first time on a rainy, cold day last week.

Atmosphere- incredibly welcoming. I had just gone to Discount Liquor the day before, and the difference is night & day. I felt like I was stepping into a friend's well-appointed basement beer room. Baskets are there for your use, and most of the new beers greet you on a table when you enter.

Quality- The shop itself is well cared for, so you know that the beers/wines are, too. No coolers, but I'm not fanatical about "refrigerating" my bottles. I have the feeling that these bottles move fast enough to stay fresh.

Service- I was greeted right away by the owner. He was behind the bar, and was more than happy to answer any questions. I picked up a few bottles and made my way to the bar. You can either open bottles there or order from the taps. I chose a flight of 4 beers for $8 or 10, all good beers including a rare Toppling Goliath that I've been dying to try. Another beer geek sat next to me and all three of us chatted for about 1/2 an hour as we drank our beers. It was really an enjoyable experience.

Selection- I felt like the shop was well curated, but I didn't find anything that wasn't available at several other shops I go to regularly (besides the TG on tap). I feel like there are a few shops around town that have wider selection, but with less focus on quality (a la Discount & Ray's, where they can afford to buy copious amounts of imported craft beer that never sells). Three Cellars made the choice to focus on American craft beer, and I applaud them for this- plenty of other places have dusty, over-priced bottles of Mikkeller and EvilTwin.

Food- none- but there were some snacks at the bar.

Value- Solid. Nothing was over or under priced. Fair.

I will definitely be going back every time I make the trip to the south side of town.
Nov 06, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by dedbeer from Illinois

Oct 16, 2013
Photo of GrapeHeadrae
Reviewed by GrapeHeadrae

3.9/5  rDev -14.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
I've heard a lot of good things about this place but after meeting, who I think is the owner, I beg to differ. First, I know quite a bit about wine and was hoping for the same intelligence or more for that matter, but he seemed to have other things on his mind other than enlightening me with what he has to offer in his store. He suggested some wines, which was nice but I felt like he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough when purchasing them at the counter. Another thing, the tiny paper descriptions of the wines are hard to understand and everything seemed a bit cluttered. I'm glad I stopped in to see what it was all about but I will most likely continue to purchase my wines elsewhere. They must be doing something right considering how long they have been in business - maybe their regulars are keeping them at bay; Because he sure did not make me feel like one of them.
Jul 25, 2012
Photo of curly31989
Reviewed by curly31989 from Colorado

4.64/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
I came into town for work and decided to stop by to pick up a few beers. There were tons of Wisconsin locals including bottles of Black Husky! The service here was top notch. Everyone knew their stuff and was eager to help out. No b.s. like some shops, up front and honest service which I really appreciated.

The 4 tap handles were a great addition to the shop. I ended up sitting down for several hours and talking to the owners. Super cool guys that are definitely worth stopping by hanging out with.
May 09, 2012
Photo of cagocubs
Reviewed by cagocubs from Illinois

4.86/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped in Franklin for a work related visit. Looked up liquor stores nearby to get my hands on some New Glarus and I lucked out by choosing this one.

A: Great atmosphere, it hardly feels like a store with a well thought out decorating. It has a living room feel to it. There is an area where you can actually sit and drink a chillled beer you pick out up front.

Q/S: The owner is a real nice guy. I talked with him about the good local beers I should try out. He was knowledgeable and friendly.

S: Their selection of single beers is amazing. I'm a big fan of the make your own six pack, which gives you an opportunity to try many beers while sparring your pocketbook. I ended up leaving with some great local beers (New Glarus, Ale Asylum, Lakefront, Capitol, etc) Great selection especially if you are looking into Midwest beers.

V: Very reasonable value.
Feb 26, 2012
Photo of duffcalifornia
Reviewed by duffcalifornia from Wisconsin

4.86/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
A great gem halfway between Milwaukee proper and Kenosha/Racine.

This place has an extremely knowledgeable staff who is willing to help you with any beer- or wine-related question you might have. This place has the best beer selection at any place in Milwaukee not named Discount Liquor, and please take that as a compliment. Prices are average to maybe a bit higher than average ($11.50 for Dreadnaught vs. $9-10 elsewhere for example, with FBS being $10/4pk). There are benefits to Three Cellars though: they are willing to break up almost any pack of beer they have to sell you singles for mix-sixers at fairly competitive prices. They also have a selection of beers on tap (recently they had Golden Carolous Blue and Pumpking for example), or they will chill and serve you any beer they sell for a small corking fee while you wait on their very nice beer garden patio. They also have free beer tastings at 1p every Saturday. You are allowed to order food in (somebody ordered Toppers while I was there and had it delivered). All in all a top notch establishment that I would recommend wholeheartedly. 3C would be my go-to bottle shop if it was a little closer.
Oct 08, 2011
Photo of mobius387
Reviewed by mobius387 from Wisconsin

4.84/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
one of the best places in milwaukee area to shop for beer. the build your own 6 pack is amazing as they offer pretty much every beer they have by the bottles. excellent service and very friendly staff; shawn is a happy dude who loves talking about beer and helping his customers. quit going to discount and start shopping here!

one of the most unique parts of this store is the bar they have that allows you to chill any beer they sell in the store and they serve it to you for a $2 fee. if you think about it, that means this bar/store has like 500 beers available to drink! cant beat that!
Oct 06, 2011
Photo of Bay01
Reviewed by Bay01 from Illinois

4.86/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by here on my way to Milwaukee for a work thing. Comfortable decor, makes me want to hang out and have some pints. The guy left me alone to browse but was knowledgable when I asked questions on some of the local WI stuff I'm not familiar with. Awesome selection of singles, most of their oferings are available by 12oz. This is a great place for FIBS to stop by for stuff we can't get at home (Oskar Blues, NG, Upland Lambics(!), other WI locals) and also have a pint if you're not on your way to a work function as I was. If I lived near Milwaukee this would be my spot.
Sep 01, 2011
Photo of brew3crew
Reviewed by brew3crew from Ohio

4.86/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
A-Very warm and inviting. Leather chairs and tables off to the side. Had a beer and wine tasting going on when we were there

Q-very good beers and well laid out. Both the GF and I were impressed with the quality of wines, beers and glassware

S-Without a doubt one of the best services I have ever had. Not to pushy but you knew that they were right there to answer any questions

S-Top notch. Out of a couple things. Had A really well regarded mead that i am looking forward to trying

V-Got a good value for what I spent. Will stop by again for sure!
Aug 23, 2011
Photo of sonoma01
Reviewed by sonoma01 from Wisconsin

4.86/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
I stopped at Three Cellars for the first time today and will be returning without a doubt. The apperance of the establishment outside was very inviting. Upon entering the store I was greeted and asked if there was anything I needed help with. There were four other patrons currently there and all of them were having a drink at the bar inside which was very neat and orderly and extremely clean. The selection of beer was more than I had expected and very well organized between national, import and Wisconsin brews and the prices were clearly labeled. They even had some Upland lambics in stock including the newest Kiwi and Persimmon releases. I had my two year old son with me and the owner and patrons were very welcoming of him and even played with him for a bit. The owner was very knowledable about his products and helpful which made my bank account $70 lighter. The owner also offered to carry my purchase to my truck as I had filled up an Ale Asylum case with my purchases and I had my hands full with my son. I would highly recommend Three Cellars to anyone looking for an inviting experience and will definately be returning.
Aug 17, 2011
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.59/5  rDev +0.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
There are liquor stores, and then there are beer stores, and then there are beer advocate stores. The final group is rare, and mythical. Any store that caters at least a little bit to craft beer drinkers can fit into the second category. In order to get into the third, the store must work, consciously and proactively, towards enriching the greater beer scene, and they have to be run by beer people, guys and gals who care almost as much about serving good beer as they do turning a profit.

Three Cellars is a beeradvocate store. Literally nothing that they sell isn't good. The owner is friendly and will tell you something smart (and unpatronizing) about every single goddamn beer on the shelf. He takes pride in only selling good beer, and he makes damn sure that all the beers on his shelves are fresh (which I really can't say about any other beer store I've ever been to, aside from John's Grocery).

The bottle selection is enormous, organized by state and country. Rares and one-off's abound, and nearly everything can be gotten in a single bottle. Even neater, there's 4 (soon to be expanded to 8) taps of excellent beer at reasonable prices, and during a three-hour happyhour every weekday pints are half priced. I got a *pint* of Southern Tier Mok-ah for 4.50.

The vibe isn't exactly 100% me. Lots of suburban Milwaukee businessmen started flooding in around 5, and things got a little too WASPy for me to stomach. The store is lit and arranged like a kitchenware boutique, too. But, hey, it's not like the leftist ethos of any major brewery/pub is reflective of actual, substantive leftism, so I've learned to stop caring so much about culture war bullshit when it comes to assessing the vibe of a joint. I never felt unwelcome, sad, or in danger, so it couldn't have been that bad.
Aug 09, 2011
Photo of phergy
Reviewed by phergy from Colorado

5/5  rDev +9.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
My family and I were vacationing in Wisconsin at the end of July. As usual, I looked at Beer Advocate to find a good store in the area. After reading the great reviews of Three Cellars I decided to stop by to pick up some beer to bring back to Missouri.

I walked in at 8:40pm, not realizing that carry-out beer sales have to stop at 9pm in Wisconsin. Luckily for me, Shawn was very helpful getting me situated. I love the fact that they have a section dedicated to Wisconsin beers. It made it much easier for me to find beers that are not available to me in Missouri.

Also, after I had made several selections, I asked Shawn if there were any beers I had left out that I ought to get. He walked over to the shelf and pointed out several that I might want to try based on my previous selections and on seasonal/limited availability of some of the beers.

Finally, as I was checking out, he gave me nice details and background information on many of the beers/breweries. All in all, it was a wonderful, albeit quick, experience!
Aug 08, 2011
Photo of rbowden
Reviewed by rbowden from Wisconsin

4.86/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Three Cellars is my favorite place to stop to have a pint or pick up a few of my favorite beers. It's kind of like a coffe shop, but with beer (and wine).

Shawn, the owner, is the extermely freiendly and knowledgable about beer. The selection is very diverse. There may be a couple of beers that can be found elsewhere, but the staff more than makes up for any lacking in selection.

Highlights include weekly events with brewmasters from local breweries, regualar Saturday tastings, ability to quick-chill any beer (or wine) selection for comsumption, and customizable six packs as members of their beer club.

The addition of the outdoor patio this June makes Three Cellars a must-stop venue for both lifelong Milwaukeeans and those visiting from out of town.
Jun 09, 2011
Photo of drumminbrewer
Reviewed by drumminbrewer from Illinois

4.43/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5
Some of the most outstanding service I've had in any capacity. The owner (who's name I routinely forget to catch), is incredibly passionate about his work. His employees are very nice people but he in particular projects a wonderful enthusiasm that I love to see in boutique shops.

Their selection is great for how small they are. You can see everything on the shelves has been hand-picked by somebody who knows what they're doing. Do they have the absurd import selection you'll find over at Discount Liquor on Oklahoma? No, but frankly I'd say their local selection is better than discounts (the owner probably didn't have to sleep with one of the Shelton Brothers either...good for him). I've gone in there several times and seen things from Furthermore, O'So, Lake Louie, New Glarus, Central Waters & Ale Asylum that I couldn't find at discount. That being said, you can expect to pay about $.50 more per single then you would elsewhere. But I really don't care...you have to expect to pay a bit more for having a rare selection.

Atmosphere is lovely. The "insta-chill" thing can chill your beer down in like 30 seconds if you find something warm off the shelf you'd like to sit and try. They do tastings frequently and I've seen signs for "Beer Cocktails". The most recent one, which I missed, what a Central Waters Satin Solstice Imperial Stout with port wine and something else...interesting. A nice amount of wines available as well.

Stop in for sure. Especially if you're from out of town and want to grab some great WI local brews. It's definitely worth taking an hour (and spending the extra buck) to sit and have a drink. Like I said, the owner is awesome. I had a 4pack of the New Glarus IIPA that was like two days old and I found myself tossing him 1 before I left just because he's that nice of a guy.
Apr 28, 2011
Three Cellars in Oak Creek, WI
Place rating: 4.57 out of 5 with 75 ratings