Need Wisconsin Recs (2025)

When you're in Milwaukee be sure to carve out some time for Supermoon if you dig the farmhouse style beers. They do other styles as well but that is their main focus. Taplist on their website but it does lapse from time to time. They are on IG but not FB.

 

You are in luck!

Sir James Pub (Port Washington) is a half hour north of Milwaukee and has a fantastic vintage bottle selection https://www.beermenus.com/places/11200-sir-james-pub

Cafe Benelux (Milwaukee) has a unique tap menu of private branded Belgian-styled beers as well as authentic Duvel from tap (not merely Duvel Draft).

Old Germantown (Germantown) is located on a farm makes its own pizzas and sausages. Brews beer as well, and often has several German styles among them.

1840 Brewing (Milwaukee) is my favorite taproom in the city. Usually some uncommon styles will be on-tap, its taplist frequently changes, and the brewery almost always hits above the target.

Bilda's Lake Friess Pub (Hubertus) is a little country tavern with good homemade BBQ, At least two dozen taps of beer with some German and Belgian beers mixed in with American craft beers.

Lots of German-themed places around. Von Trier (Milwaukee), Bavarian Bierhaus (Glendale), Kegel's Inn (West Allis), Mader's (Milwaukee), Von Rothenburg Bierstube (Germantown), Old German Beer Hall (Milwaukee).

 

OP may want to check their website for their sister locations which look to be the same concept just branded with different names in the event one is more conveniently located for his itinerary.

 

Worth a visit. Great draft list & food
https://www.baumgartnercheese.com/

 

https://www.amorphicbeer.com/

Unique beers, cool space and location.

 

I love the Cafe Hollander chain, especially when I crave a Belgian-styled beer.

Cafe Centraal may be the most distinguishable of the bunch because its food and beer selection are a little different from the rest. Last time I was there I had a Brazilian imperial stout on-tap from Lohn Bier.

 

Going to Giant Jones taproom in Madison and ordering a sampler flight might be a good option.
Now you have to be opened minded and not make any assumptions on what the beers are going to be like. They brew beer the way they want to and don't seem to care about style guide lines. Don't judge there brewing until you have tried a bunch of different beers.

 

I can see it now :
“Do you have any German style lagers?”
“Ugh….Sure….I’ll go get you one.”
“This tastes like a bourbon barrel aged chocolate banana stout and I can see coconut flakes floating in the glass?”
“What are you a GABF judge? I mean, we don’t do things exactly to style, but I assure you this us OUR version of a German style lager.”

 

Last year (2024) I drank 2 bottles of Koźlak polish bock. I thought it was a very good and interesting beer. I want to try the 2025 batch. What is a polish bock style wise?

 

Probably just shinier than other bocks, but don’t ask me how they buff it.

 

ISO.

 

Your Milwaukee list needs some updating.
Amorphic is a must hit, certainly my favorite Milwaukee brewery. Though the menu is a little haze heavy, they make awesome lagers as well. Might as well combine them with Gathering Place, which is a block away. Foxtown is an easy drive into the north suburbs, which I would fully recommend. The taplist on their website is up to date.
1840 and Supermoon are mandatory stops you could combine in the Bayview area.
Indeed and Third Space are quite capable of making an excellent lager, I'd check out their lists online and see if there is anything that interests you.

As for Madison, Working Draft is probably the best brewery in the state, so that is no brainer. Giant Jones is nearby, a little more amateurish and heavy handed. The Old Fashioned is right on the square downtown and has a stellar list and great food. It made me move to the state 17 years ago. 60 or so Wisconsin beers on tap.

 

Oh and you should probably make a stop by Tyranena in Lake Mills if you are driving between Milwaukee and Madison. Woodman's grocery store is probably your best beer store still overall in terms of price and selection. Unfortunately, Discount Liquor is more of a museum of expired Belgian beers at this point, but still a great local selection as well.

 

+1 on the Woodman's recommendation. And they have great prices on gas! Be forewarned that the only credit card that Woodman's takes is Discover. Other forms of accepted payment are cash, debit card, and check. They will accept out-of-state checks.

 

Don’t buy anything from there that you can’t see a bottle date on. My wife who doesn’t know better came home with a case of year old beer from the Kenosha Woodman’s earlier this week…

 

I'd scratch Gathering Place and Foxtown off your list. They would just be a waste of your time.

Draft and Vessel beer bar has two locations in the Milwaukee area (Shorewood and Wauwatosa). Check Untappd to see if any of their beers interest you.

The Wauwatosa location of Draft and Vessel is about 2 blocks away from a Cafe Hollander spot. Cafe Hollander is part of the Lowlands group of restaurants. Cafe Benelux would be my number one choice of all of their Belgian themed restaurants/bars. Number two, a Cafe Hollander location. And a distant third, Centraal Grand Cafe.

https://lowlandsgroup.com/our-restaurants

May should also see the opening of most Milwaukee area beer gardens. Estabrook Park beer garden is the most Munich-like, while Hubbard Park beer garden has perhaps the best setting.

https://estabrookbeergarden.com/

https://hubbardparkbeergarden.com/

Prost!

 

They have huge aisles of EVERYTHING. The Woodman's' in Kenosha has lockable doors on the liquor department. I'm guessing that's due to a past and/or present laws on when liquor can be sold.