A new exhibit at the Milwaukee County Historical Society focuses on the history of brewing in MKE. Brew City MKE: Craft, Culture, Community includes rare artifacts and images from the city's brewing history. It runs through April 30, and admission is $7. Check out our sneak peak article about the exhibit here.
A number of events will also be held in conjunction with the exhibit. Three happy hours, on Jan 28, Mar 3 and Apr 21, will offer you an opportunity to enjoy a beer from a pop-up bar while you browse the exhibit. Ladies Night will be held on Feb 5 celebrating Wisconsin's female brewmasters. A moderated panel discussion will include Jamie Baertsch of Wisconsin Dells Brewing, Ashley Kinart of Capital Brewing, Allyson Rolph of Thirsty Pagan Brewery and Heather Ludwig of Pabst. Tickets to this event are $20.
Fun Beer Tours
As the name implies, Fun Beer Tours hopes to bring bus tours of breweries and beer history to Milwaukee. Imagine a brewery tour-hopping trip with some local brew history thrown in for good measure. Tours will start and end at Brenner Brewing in Walker's Point, with stops at Pabst's Best Place and presumably, lots of breweries. Pricing is yet to be determined. Private tours can also be arranged for corporate parties, organizations, birthdays and other events. Their website is not live yet, but you can check for updates on their Facebook page.
Barley to Barrel
Home brewers hoping to turn their hobby into a legitimate business now have help. Barley to Barrel is a 10-week program offered by The Crafter Space, an organization that helps craft brewers and entrepreneurs build brands. Each course will guide students through every aspect of starting a brewery, from market research to getting funding and actual brewing. Classes are held at Company Brewing in Riverwest, which is also where students will get their first hand-on commercial brewing experience. The application process has closed for the program starting in February, but watch their Facebook page for updates about the next round of classes.
Beer Awards
A couple local breweries recently brought home awards in food and beer competitions. Lakefront Brewery's Growing Power Farmhouse Pale Ale has won a Good Food Award. The awards honor food and drink producers who use socially responsible ingredients and means of production to create exception products. Growing Power Farmhouse Pale Ale is a Belgian-style beer with organic barley and hops developed in collaboration with Growing Power, the local non-profit focused on providing sustainable produce to inner city residents. It is brewed with organic Cascade, Centennial and Calypso hops with caramel and clove notes.
Near the end of last year, Milwaukee Brewing won gold at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers in Chicago for their barrel-aged version of O-Gii Imperial Wit. O-Gii, available year round, is brewed with fresh ginger and Rishi green tea for a crisp and refreshing finish (and it's also 11% ABV). For the special barrel-aged version, it's stored in gin barrels from Great Lakes Distillery, imparting just a hint of juniper and herbs into the brew. It was available in 750 ml bottles around Christmas, and will be available periodically throughout the year. Watch for updates from MKE Brewing for availability (I sure will be).
Upcoming Events
Jan 23: Lakefront Beer and Cheese Tasting at Uber Tap Room. Four beers, four cheese and Jim Klisch to talk about them all. Tickets are $14.
Jan 27: Beer Styles Blind Tasting by the Milwaukee Beer Society at Best Place. Blind taste about a dozen beers in different styles to learn about craft brewing and hone your taste buds. Tickets are $10 for members, $20 for non-members (includes membership fee).
Jan 27 and 28: Milwaukee Brewing Beer Dinners at Pizza Man. Four courses paired with beers at the Milwaukee location on the 27th and Wauwatosa location on the 28th.
Got the scoop on news or upcoming events? Contact me on Twitter @brewcitybooze.
