Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Riverwalk Boat Tours and Rental
(Pere Marquette Park, 414/283-9999,
www.riverwalkboats.com
)
has a popular three-hour brewery tour taking in three local mi-
crobreweries on weekends ($29).
ThoughPabst,oncethesixth-largest(andoldest)U.S.brewer,livesoninname(it'spop-
ular in China, of all places), it's no longer made in the United States. Schlitz, the “Beer that
Made Milwaukee Famous,” has made a reappearance, though it's not brewed in Milwau-
kee. Miller is the lone megabrewing holdout, though Milwaukeeans flipped their collective
wig a bit in 2008 when, after a merger with Coors, the corporate headquarters relocated to
(oh the betrayal!) Chicago. Worry not, the brewery itself isn't going anywhere.
Meanwhile, microbreweries and brewpubs are now everywhere.
Lakefront Brewery
(1872 N. Commerce St., 414/372-8800,
www.lakefrontbrewery.com
,
tours 1pm-3:30pm Mon.-Thurs., 1pm-8pm Fri.,
10:45am-2:55pm Sat., noon-3:30 pm Sun., $7) has specialty beers such as pumpkin- and
Door County cherry-flavored varieties. More impressive: it was the first brewery in the
country to be certified organic and the first to produce gluten-free beer (they even got the
government to change its definition of “beer” for this!). This generally is voted best brew-
ery tour by local media. The brewery also has a boat dock and lies on the riverwalk.
The brews at
Milwaukee Ale House
(233 N. Water St., 414/226-2336,
www.ale-
amongthebest,andareevenbettersippedatitsgreatriversidelocationwithdouble-decker
biergarten.
There's great live music here. This building was once a saddlery and, later, the
home of the inventor of the Hula Hoop.
North of here, you'll find Milwaukee's original brewpub at
Water Street Brewery
(1101N.WaterSt.,414/272-1195,foodserved11am-9pmMon.-Sat.,$5-15)withanamaz-
ing beer memorabilia collection (some 60,000 items).
Beerheadsshouldcheckouttheoriginalinteriorsof
Horny Goat Brewing & Hideaway
(2011 S. 1st St., 414/482-4628), built in a cool 1930s pump house.
Perhaps coolest of all: The former offices and interiors of the original Pabst Brewery
have been rejuvenated into the
Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
(901 W. Juneau
Ave., 414/630-1609,
bestplacemilwaukee.com
)
, which has tours (2pm and 4pm Mon. and
Wed.-Thurs., noon, 1pm, and 2pm Fri.-Sun., $8) and a cool tavern with classic Milwaukee
beers on draught Thursday-Sunday. It is true Milwaukee.
