Milwaukee visit pending - good bar and brews

Check out this Navigator Miluakee piece we published a few issues ago (I work for Bon Appétit). It isn't necessarily geared toward craft brews, but it's a good starter guide for bars. The print piece was more attractive, but the web story gives you all the facts.

 

Use the search function and the Great lakes forum. You'll have better luck/lots more info there.

 

Bars - Romans pub, sugar maple, and burnhearts. Beer - central waters and new glarus

 

Landmark 1850 is very close to the airport and usually has a great tap list.

 

Finally a post that is right up my alley. As far as bars, Sugar Maple, Palm Tavern, Roman's, Burnheart's, Stubby's. The list goes on and on. If you go to areas of Milwaukee like Bayview, Eastside, Brady Street then you will find lots of beers with good beer selections. If you are looking for a great meal with awesome beers, check out Goodkind.

Lakefront Brewery tour is great. The tasting room is fine and has decent food. If you happen to be in town on a Friday the fish fry is really great. They take tour reservations in advance online, and it gets quite crowded. Some people love the Milwaukee Brewing Company tours, but I think their beers leave a lot to be desired. The Miller tour is free and shows you how a huge brewery operates. It also has lots of history and a chance to see the original Miller caves. Worth doing if you have not done it.

Beers: obvious choice is New Glarus. Literally every bar in Milwaukee will have some form of New Glarus beer. Indulge and enjoy. You literally cannot go wrong with anything from NG. Other WI breweries to look for that you likely won't find in MA: Central Waters, Lakefront, Ale Asylum, Karben 4, Black Husky. Also, there are plenty of great midwest breweries that are easy to find in WI that you won't get in MA.

 

If you're looking to trade beer with MKE locals, check out Milwauke Craft Beer Exchange. Website is solely dedicated to trading beer locally in Milwaukee.

 

If you have time, check out the Lakefront Brewery tour. Only 15 minutes from the airport and arguably the best tour in WI.

 

The safe house is a fun stop as well.

 

Check the appropriate subforum. I'm sure a city like Milwaukee is fairly well covered.

 

Wisconsin is a great state for German styles. If you like Lagers and Pilsners, you will not be disappointed. You can easily find New Glarus beers and they are distributed only in Wisconsin. Two Women and Yokel are both excellent Lagers from New Glarus. Capitol Pilsner from Capitol Brewing is really good too. Klisch and Riverwest Stein from Lakefront are both very good. Sprecher, MKE, and Wisconsin Brewing have some great beers too. That should get you off to a good start.

 

Oh yeah, there will be good beer to be had, but if you skip the Safehouse you've missed an experience. Been there once years ago, a bit drunk and still indelibly imprinted on my mind.

 

BeerMenus.com/Milwaukee