Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Breweries
396
Sprecher Brewing Company &
Lake Front Brewery
The Beers That Keep Milwaukee Famous
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
When most people think of Milwaukee, they
think of beer, and rightfully so. In the 1800s,
thanks to its German immigrant heritage, the
city was home to more than 100 breweries,
including giants like Miller, Pabst, Blatz, and
Schlitz. It was not by accident that the 1970s
sitcom
Laverne & Shirley
cast its two
Milwaukee heroines as brewery workers.
Today only a few big commercial breweries
remain—Miller's the only biggie left—but
Milwaukee is undergoing a renaissance with
a number of fine microbreweries. By defini-
tion, a microbrewery produces less than
15,000 barrels a year (compared to the
20-40 million barrels produced by major
corporate breweries). The emphasis on qual-
ity over quantity is apparent at first quaff.
One operation, in particular, has been
gaining renown and awards for both its beer
and designer sodas. The
Sprecher Brewing
Company
(701 W Glendale Ave. Glendale;
&
414/964-2739;
www.sprecher
brewery.com) was founded in
1985 by Randall Sprecher, a
former brewing supervisor for
Pabst. Sprecher began mak-
ing his distinctive European
and traditional brews in the
Walker Point neighbor-
hood, though as demand
grew, he had to move 10
years later to a larger facil-
ity in the nearby suburb of
Glendale. The varieties of
beer increased along with
demand. As a small opera-
tion, Sprecher can pro-
duce small batches for
almost any event; spe-
cialty brews include Irish
Stout, brewed for Milwaukee's yearly Irish
Fest. Tours (every weekday in summer, Fri the
rest of the year) include a visit to a museum full
of brewing memorabilia, the brew house,
and a large cellar graced by Bavarian murals,
as well as a tasting session in an outdoor
tent. After your tour, stop at the indoor
beer garden which features oompah music
to go with the house drink.
Milwaukee's innovative
Lake Front
Brewery
(1872 N. Commerce St., Milwau-
kee;
&
800/328-7275;
www.lakefront
brewery.com) began as a rivalry between
Russ Klisch and his brother Jim over who
could make the best homemade brew. After
prompting by their family, the brothers went
public in 1988 with a small brewery on the
site of a pizza bakery. As business grew, they
moved to their current location, which fea-
tures a Palm Garden that hosts a Friday night
fish fry. Lake Front's beers include ales,
lagers, and specialty beers like their award-
winning Pumpkin Ale. The Klisch brothers
think out of the box: In order to make gluten-
free beer for people who are intolerant to
wheat, they successfully challenged a gov-
ernment requirement that all beer be made
with 25% malted barley. Their brewery tours
(call ahead for times) are also unorthodox.
For one thing, they start right off with the
tasting session, rather than waiting until the
end to offer the goods.
(
Milwaukee International (15 miles/
24km).
L
$$$
Pfister Hotel,
424 E. Wisconsin
Ave. (
&
800/472-4403
or 414/273-8222;
www.thepfisterhotel.com). $$
Ambassa-
dor Hotel,
2308 W. Wisconsin Ave.
(
&
888/322-3326
or 414/345-5000; www.
ambassadormilwaukee.com).
Oktoberfest lager from Sprecher.
