They don’t call Milwaukee 'Brew Town' for just any reason. Nationally, Milwaukee is well recognized for its breweries, and that’s because in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it produced more beer than any other location in the United States.
Although Schlitz, the “Beer that a Made Milwaukee Famous”, is no longer available, there are plenty of great tasting beers that are. Whether you like a classic Miller Beer or a specialty microbrew, you can certainly make a weekend out of Milwaukee’s beer scene.
Here is a sample weekend itinerary:
FRIDAY:
Start the weekend off with a Pre-Prohibition Style Artisan cocktail in our lounge, Gin Rickey. Or try our own Ambassador Amber!
Lakefront Brewery 1872 N. Commerce St., Milwaukee http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com Often hailed as the best brewery tour Milwaukee, Lakefront Brewery is a great one to take in on a Friday afternoon and then stay for their traditional fish fry, complete with a polka band.
The brewery itself is kind of small, but the friendly and funny guides make it worthwhile and if you’re a Brewers fan, Bernie’s Chalet from County Stadium may be almost as exciting as your beer samples. Tour info: $9 (Mon.- Thurs.) $11 (Fri.-Sun.) for a 45-minute tour, pint glass, and four samples. Mon.-Thurs.1-7pm on the hour, Fri. and Sat. noon-8 pm every half hour, Sun.noon-4 pm on the hour. Purchasing tickets in advance on the weekends is wise.
Black Husky Brewery 909 E. Locust St., Milwaukee http://blackhuskybrewing.com Located less than 5 minutes away from Lakefront Brewery in Riverwest, Black Husky Brewery is one of Milwaukee’s newer microbreweries. It has a laid back log cabin atmosphere in the middle of the city, complete with a husky pup that often roams the place. All of Black Husky’s beers pay tribute to the 23 dogs that spent their lives with Tim and Toni Eichinger, the brewery’s founders. The taproom features a giant husky statue and their beers are topnotch. We recommend you try the OHIF Milk Stout, Dogfather Pale Ale or Howler Imperial IPA.
SATURDAY:
Sleep in, enjoy a Valentine coffee and a delicious pastry from Deco Café and then head out for some more fun!
Miller Brewery 4251 W. State St., Milwaukee https://www.millercoors.com/breweries/miller-brewing-company/tours Experience everything from Fredrick Miller’s arrival in Milwaukee to the high-speed production lines and modern technology used in today’s brewing process. Tours begin with a video depicting Frederick Miller’s historic arrival in Milwaukee to the company’s transition to modern day brewing. Get up-close views of our packaging center, shipping and distribution warehouse, brewhouse and one-of-a-kind historic Miller Caves. Tour info: One-hour tour every half hour from 10:30 am-3:30 pm Mon.-Sat. (10:30 am -2 pm seasonally on Sun.). Free of charge. Three samples included.
City Lights Brewing Co.
2200 W. Mt. Vernon, Milwaukee http://citylightsbrewing.com
Just a quick drive away from Miller Valley, the City Lights Brewing Co. is located in the Historic West Side Water Works complex. The facility, constructed in 1902 and designed by famed architect Alexander Eschweiler, re-opened in 2016 as a perfect site for City Lights Brewing Co. Signature beers include: Amber Ale, Mosaic Pale Ale, Coconut Porter, and IPA.
Tour Info: Fri. at 5 and 7pm, Sat. at 2, 4, and 6pm. See the incredible 115 year-old iconic building as well as the state of the art brewing equipment and learn about the art and science of brewing world class beers. $9 and $10, guests receive one beer and a logoed glass.
Third Space Brewing
1505 W. St. Paul St., Milwaukee
https://thirdspacebrewing.com
Round out your afternoon at another wonderful microbrewery run by Milwaukee natives Kevin Wright and Andy Gehl, who met at a summer camp as kids. Kevin is the brewmaster while Andy, a self-proclaimed “recovering attorney” serves as the director of sales and marketing. Signature beers include Happy Place Midwest Pale Ale, That’s Gold! Golden Kolsch, Upward Spiral India Pale Ale, Acres Edge Toasted Oatmeal Stout, Unite the Clans Scottish Rye Ale, Liquid Layers Spiced Barley Wine, Unbridled Enthusiasm Juicy Double IPA and Ice Bear Baltic Porter. Tour info: Sat. at 1 and 3 pm. $9 and includes a logoed pint glass and two samples.
For dinner, we recommend you head back to The Fitz at the Ambassador Hotel to enjoy a memorable meal, created by our chef Brittany. After dinner, consider taking in a show at the Pabst Theater http://pabsttheater.org/ built in 1895 by beer baron Captain Frederick Pabst for the residents of Milwaukee.
SUNDAY:
You can't visit Milwaukee without trying a Bloody Mary! Enjoy one of our house-made Bloody Marys before your day of beer tasting! (We also serve Sunday Brunch in the Fitz if you need a hearty meal to prepare for a big day of drinking!)
Sprecher Brewing Company 701 W Glendale Ave., Milwaukee http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/tours.php Sprecher Brewing Company is recognized as one of Milwaukee’s oldest and most successful micro breweries. Start your visit in their gift shop which is full of Sprecher memorabilia, as well as beer and soda to purchase. Next, visit the brew house and discover how Sprecher is reviving the Old World brewing traditions that once made Milwaukee famous. Travel through the lager cellar and see the Bavarian murals on display on their bottling room wall. After the brewery tour, the next best thing to Munich is Sprecher's indoor beer garden, with music and samples from any of up to 20 beers and 10 sodas on draught. Tour info: $8 gets you a 30-minute tour and a sample glass, four beer samples, and unlimited soda. Mon.-Fri. at 4pm, Sat. and Sun. noon-3pm on the hour. Reservations are required.
Other Places worth Considering for your Itinerary:
Milwaukee Ale House 233 N Water St., Milwaukee http://ale-house.com The original home of Milwaukee Brewing Company with a custom 15 barrel brewery, the Milwaukee Ale House features house brewed ales and lagers as well as many national and internal premium beers. The Ale House also has live performers scheduled several nights a week. Check out their website for details.
Milwaukee Brewing Company 613 S 2nd St., Milwaukee http://mkebrewing.com Visit the current home for this growing company with a 50 barrel packaging facility. It’s worth noting Milwaukee Brewing Company’s head brewmaster, Robert “Bert” Morton studied culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America in Manhattan and it shows. Their specialty beers have unique nonconforming flavors that have been characterized as bold balance. Signature beers include: Louie’s Demise, Hop Happy, Outboard, O-Gi, Hop Freak and MKE IPA.
MobCraft Beer 505 S. 5th St., Milwaukee https://www.mobcraftbeer.com/ Established in 2013 in Madison, MobCraft was the first crowdsourced brewery where the people decided what’s brewed. The brewery was so popular founded Henry Schwartz and Andrew Gieczak decided to relocate it to Brew Town and opened their current location in Walkers Point in 2016. Queen Hazel, a bourbon barrel aged imperial hazelnut milk stout will be released in 2018. Other recent beers include Minitro Dragon’s Dream, a nitro oatmeal stout with blackberries, cacao nibs and coffee and Liquid Dessert, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout with peanuts, maple syrup and Belgian candy sugar.
Urban Harvest 1024 S 5th St., Milwaukee https://www.urbanharvestbrewing.com/ Established in 2016, Urban Harvest is a neighborhood brewery and taproom where they brew handcrafted ales in small batches several times a week. Year-round beer offerings include 414 Golden Ale, Black Puppy Pale Ale, Corkscrew IPA, HC IPA, Old Towne Amber, Lupy-Cascade IPA, Nookie Nookie, Expresso Amber, Ach Ya Der Hey-Fe Weizen and Radar de Stout.
Want to have all the beer and not worry about driving? Our complimentary shuttle service can take you to any of the breweries around the downtown Milwaukee area!
Enjoy your time in our Fabulous and Fun Town! Cheers!