I'm staying in Brookfield, WI for work for 2 nights next week (Tues-Thurs). So far it looks like I'm going to try to hit either 1840, Eagle Park, and/or Third Space. Definitely going to check out Discount Liquors for some take home cans/bottles. My main concern is that all of these are in Milwaukee and I'll be 20-25 minutes away in Brookfield with limited time after 5-6 PM to get over there during rush hour. I have a rental car, but what is traffic and parking like in Milwaukee during the week in the evening? Am I better off just Uber'ing around (won't be covered by my company)? Also, are there any options closer to Brookfield - even if there are just some good bottle shops over there? TIA!
RaisedGrain in Waukesha, just west of Brookfield has SOLID beer, and great pizzas. They do sell some of their beers in cans at the tap room. There's a Total Wine & More in Brookfield. They have an excellent section of Wisconsin beers. And better prices on Chicago beers than in Chicago! Discount Liquors also has a great selection of Wisconsin beers, as well as a large number of limited release beers. Westallion, a little to the east of Brookfield has really good, easy-drinking beers. Make sure you try their Peanut Butter Porter! Last I knew, other than growlers, they don't have beer to go. Traffic isn't bad in Milwaukee. Tho, I'm comparing it to rush-hour Chicago!! Parking is pretty good, except for the trendy 3rd Ward. Tho, in the 3rd Ward, there's a number of pay lots if you don't mind paying a few bucks.
The Brewers have night games Tuesday and Wednesday so heading downtown from Brookfield will slow you down a bit.
Biloba Brewing is also a great place in Brookfield. They're pretty under the radar, but they have some sneaky good barrel-aged and unique brews. They also make some world-class lambics, but it's unlikely they'll have those available. Worth asking if they have any bottles stashed away though. They're not open on Tuesdays, so Wednesday would be your day to go.
This is going off-topic a bit. Two restaurants I highly recommend for breakfast are BluesEgg, a little east of Brookfield, and MadRooster, just south of Miller Field. Mad Rooster's a bit further from Brookfield than Blue's Egg.
Check out Champps in Brookfield. Has a great taplist, though pours are pricy. As stated Total Wine or Discount Liquor in Waukesha (not as good as true one in milwaukee, but you won’t fight traffic getting there) may be your best bet for bottle shops. Woodmans in Waukesha will also cover a wide selection of the basics available in the area. Rays Wine and Spirits in Wauwatosa would be another place to check out. I would avoid wasting time at breweries other than Eagle Park and Third Space if you’re limited. 1840 is very good, but isn’t open Tue-Thur. The one exception I’d make is checking out Vennture Brew in Tosa\Milwaukee. 6 minutes down the road from Rays, with some very solid brews in a variety of styles. If you’re stuck closer to Brookfield, Raised Grain has a couple decent beers and is just down the street from a Woodmans and only about 5 minutes from Discount Waukesha.
Hey @mikegryo - @thebigredone is spot on, he really stole my thunder. LOL! I just stayed in Brookfield 4 weeks ago and had the exact same dilemma as you, but Eagle Park is totally worth it, and you will love the tap list and the prices at the Brass Tap in Greenfield. The food is great, and I sampled so many good/great beers there on a budget that I will always stop back in. https://www.brasstapbeerbar.com/beer/greenfield/draft
Woodman's is a great suggestion for beer. Be forewarned that they don't take credit cards. Cash, debit card, or check only. Out of state checks are OK. And they have some of the best prices for gas!
Sound advice above. Traffic/parking is probably nothing close to what you deal with in Jersey. Eagle Park is by far the best brewery IMO. Also both champps and brass tap update their tap lists pretty regularly on beer menus which is a real plus.
