Tornado Brewing Company

Given the so-so reviews on this place (BA, Yelp, etc.) I was a bit hesitant to check it out. But as they say nothing ventured, nothing gained. I can report that the beer is good to very good, the food is pretty good but the place is a fucking dump. If you want to feel like you're in a dive bar in the middle of Forest County, Wisconsin then this place is for you. If that isn't your thing then stay away.

Off the bat, what a wacky place..

While looking for a new spot on a Friday evening after dinner, the girl and I stopped by Tornado after hearing about it from a friend. Located off the main drag in Cudahy (and a location I had previously seen a metal show at) it wasn't hard to find or park at. As we walked in there were 7-9 people at the bar slightly spread out and the owner/bartender welcomed us and told his sitting patrons to make two spots for us (not necessary, but thanks)

The decor was that of a Cudahy bar.., no character other then a divey bar that makes you feel depressed by just walking in the door. Just some plain wood tables,
no wall art, a scary back room and a tall bar with ball jars with different colored liquids inside.

The beer menu had about 30+ options and.. what a variety from the sauerkraut ale to the Lemon Basil blonde and the salted pretzel brown a wide array of not so appealing beers for someone who likes beer flavored beer. We opted for a few taster sized glasses of Finish Lager and salted pretzel ale. The Finish lager was decent a fairly neutral tasting beer with a slight hop flavor in the finish - the sip of pretzel ale I took however reminded me of Sparks, yes the energy drink from the mid 00's. The next beer I tried was a chocolate stout and the girl opted for a an IPA - Both were pretty neutral nothing off putting but nothing stand out either.

Asking for a recommendation by the head brewer / owner / bartender on what he was most proud of lead to a snarky conversation and me requesting a miller light jokingly - he basically didn't recommend anything.

Overall, I would skip this place and head up north into Milwaukee (a mere 2 miles and you can find an okay brew pub) and find something you can drink without being concerned you are infiltrating your future genetic offspring with the pork smelling, demon filled liquids of Cudahy.

This guy is doing some really creative things with beer. You need to stop in and check this place out

 

 

 

Decided to stop here after a chilly Fall Saturday morning football game and we were so glad we did. The bartender, and owner/brewmaster, Dennis was friendly and seemed very willing to talk about his beer. 11 beers on tap, all unique and most of them were real good. Only beer I had that I disliked was the Pumpkin beer, it wasn't bad it just wasn't what I was looking for. My mother liked it, so all good there. The tap room had only been open for 4 weeks so it still needs some improvement, Dennis seemed willing to listen to suggestions. I can definitely see the potential for growth, especially if he keeps brewing beers like the ones he had on tap. Must visit if on Milwaukee's south side, worth the drive if you are anywhere else.

Edit: return trip on 4-25-15. The vibe at this place still hasn't changed, it has the feeling of a typical Cudahy dive bar....but not in a good way. There were a few others sitting at the bar when we arrived but no music playing and the volume on the TV was real low. It almost felt like we were walking in on somebody's small get together. After awhile, music was turned on, albeit on a system that was of questionable quality. The only other thing of note was the beers...they almost tasted fake, like a lot of extracts were used. Some of the brews were good, some were a bit over the top. Still worth a visit but my opinion of this place has been lowered and my ratings have been adjusted.