Milwaukee says, “Bring on the beer, cheese and sausage!” and the Shepherd Express asks, “Would we have it any other way?” The third annual Stein & Dine festival, coming to State Fair Park Saturday, April 25, features 42 breweries, 12 cheesemakers, a half-dozen sausage makers and more than 50 other businesses, including restaurants, beverage companies, caterers and Milwaukee-centric organizations.
“At Stein & Dine, we really try to focus on Milwaukee culture and keeping it local,” says Shepherd Express Marketing Director Heather Pechacek. “You’re going to see a lot of wonderful micro and craft breweries, some that you probably never heard of but have a great product, such as Brenner Brewing Co. We have a ton of great vendors that are local to the area, so it’s just a really great way to explore your city all within one gigantic room.”
Brenner Brewing will be sampling its flagship Rauchbier called “Bacon Bomb,” a smoked beer made with imported German malt, peppercorn and chocolate that tastes like smoked bacon. Mark Mahoney of Brenner Brewing says, “Stein & Dine is a community thing and beer brings community together. Events like this are important because folks would otherwise not travel here to Milwaukee. It’s a sharing experience and it celebrates the best of all we do in Milwaukee and at Brenner. Brenner hand selects the beer festivals it does—ones like Stein & Dine that are executed well and offer other things to do beside drink beer. It’s a good mix of local Milwaukee flavor and we want to be a part of it.”
New to this year’s Stein & Dine is a best cheesemaker competition, where attendees can vote for their favorite cheesemaker at the festival and be automatically entered for a chance to win a brand new Fyxation bicycle. The winning cheesemaker will receive a plaque and be honored in the Shepherd’s 2015 Best of Milwaukee readers’ poll as Best Cheesemaker.
Those who shrug their shoulders at beer shouldn’t shy away because Stein & Dine offers a variety of other beverages to choose from, including wine, spirits and mixed drinks. At the Man Cave lounge area, Tuaca will be hosting hourly mixology presentations featuring their namesake drink—a brandy-based liqueur with vanilla and citrus. “It’s cool playing such a big part in a beer festival. We will be pairing Tuaca with beverages from other vendors and Tuaca mixologists will demonstrate different drink strategies, featuring a Tuaca Mule, a Tuaca Old Fashioned, a Boiler Maker and a Tuaca Rootbeer Float,” says Megan Noviskis, Milwaukee brand champion at Tuaca. “I think Stein & Dine is an extremely unique event to our city that highlights all the breweries we have and so many other unique companies.” The Man Cave also features live painting by dwellephant.
Another distinct company joining Stein & Dine is Grafton’s Philly’s Premium Beverages. They will be offering samples of their bottled Wisconsin-style Old Fashioneds and egg crème liqueurs. “The Old Fashioneds are made with real brandy and real whiskey, not flavored beer,” says Phil Orlenko, Philly’s chief mixologist, president and CEO. “Our egg crème liqueurs are made here with Wisconsin cream and egg, and are then infused with plenty of booze and our own special flavors. The egg in addition to the cream makes the drink much smoother and richer tasting. We are in a lot of retail locations but people aren’t able to taste our products as they’d like to. Stein & Dine gives people a chance to try it before they buy it, so come try it!”
Beyond beverages, delicious cheese and delectable meats (Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats has joined this year) are Milwaukee companies such as Fore! Milwaukee, Brew City Promotions, Addicting Pretzels, 97.3 Radio Now and many more. Co-owner of Brew City Promotions, George Keppler, gives the reasons everyone should attend Stein & Dine: “In order of importance: Beer, cheese, sausage, T-shirts. Oh yes, attractive ladies are in attendance as well. Put attractive ladies first on the list, please.” The company will be unveiling its brand new Pop Top Tee, which is the world’s first T-shirt with a bottle opener built in. “This event accentuates Milwaukee’s rich cultural heritage,” says Keppler. “Milwaukee without Stein & Dine is like Chicago without a losing football team.”
“The Shepherd is here to help support and reflect the community and everything it’s about,” says Pechacek. “We’re showcasing the unique products in Milwaukee and letting the whole city know what great businesses are out there creating them. We’re just here organizing it—the vendors are the ones who make it what it is, who help make up our community and we’re glad that they’re here to make it shine. We give a lot of thanks to them, as they truly make it a great event.”
Stein & Dine takes place at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Expo Center April 25, 2-6 p.m. General admission is $40 in advance and $50 day-of, while VIP tickets, limited to 200 people, are $75 in advance and $90 day-of if any are still available. VIPs enter an hour early for one-on-one time with the vendors and receive an exclusive sample of District 14 Brewery’s special double dry hopped firkin of Captain Trips Triple IPA. Need a designated driver? Use the code SND2015 for $20 off your first Uber ride. No admittance to anyone under the age of 21. IDs will be checked at the door. For tickets, visit expressmilwaukee.com/steinanddine or call 414-276-2222 ext. 223.
