Let’s all raise a glass to Wisconsin, a state that has dominated the brewing industry for centuries. Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars and Breweries toasts the historic taverns that have made our state famous by highlighting 70 drinking establishments with a unique and historical impact on the state. From the evolution of the saloon to the rise of microbreweries, from the Art Moderne Casino in LaCrosse to the well-known Wolski’s Tavern, this anthology features a diverse representation of Wisconsin’s best.
Bottoms Up explores the rise of breweries in Wisconsin and investigates the many ways in which our state’s culture and traditions have informed the bars and breweries housed here. Well-illustrated with fine architectural images of some of the state’s most impressive establishments, Bottoms Up shines a new light on the unique contributions that bars have made to our state throughout the eras. Tracing Wisconsin from the pioneer days through Prohibition to the modern day, Bottoms Up is a well-researched and well-written chronicle of many of Wisconsin’s significant icons.
Bottoms Up is written by Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz with photographs by Mark Fay. Speltz, a senior historian at American Girl who recently earned his master’s degree in public history at UW-Milwaukee, will speak about his new book on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. in the American Geographical Society Library on the third floor, east wing of the UWM Golda Meir Library building, 2311 E. Hartford Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
