Milwaukee has always been known as Brew City, and this year's explosion of new micro breweries only cements our status as one of the best beer cities in the country. Here's a roundup of breweries that have opened recently, plus a few more opening soon.
A completely crowd-sourced brewery, the general public submits recipe ideas and votes to determine which beers are brewed next. That can result in some unique combinations, like a durian and cashew pilsner and a chocolate peanut butter coffee porter. They moved their operations from Madison to Walker's Point and just opened their taproom, which has a patio, 25 taps, tasting flights, growlers and food trucks on the weekends.
Also on 5th St. in Walker's Point, Urban Harvest brews small batch ales and lagers several times per week. The taproom, which is large and airy, is currently open Wednesdays through Saturdays. There are 12 to 16 taps available, including flagship beers and seasonal brews. They have snacks for sale, but customers are encouraged to order delivery or bring in take-out from local restaurants to enjoy with their beer.
Just opened in the last couple weeks, Third Space is located in an old warehouse on St. Paul Ave. in the Menomonee Valley, near Miller Park, Potawatomi and the Harley Museum. The taproom is industrial, with garage doors that open to the beer garden when the weather is nice. There are four beers on tap: a Midwest pale ale, golden kolsch, IPA and an oatmeal stout. Tours are available.
Opened just this week after a long battle with the state to allow Justin Aprahamian, owner and chef of Sanford, to obtain a brewery permit, Like Minds is serving up beer brewed at their facility in Chicago while the brewing operation gets going in MKE. Located on Hamilton just east of Water, there are nine beers on tap currently, including a rhubarb sour. They have a kitchen with a former chef of Hinterland heading it up, so plan to eat at this one.
Previously located in northern Wisconsin and brewed in a log cabin, Black Husky moved operations and opened a taproom on Locust in Riverwest. (The owners clearly love their dogs, so Riverwest should be a great spot for them.) There are at least five brews available in the taproom, including their flagships Howler pale ale and Sproose IIPA brewed with spruce. Garage doors open onto the patio, which is dog friendly, of course.
Enlightened has opened a taproom in the Lincoln Warehouse on S. 1st St., where it's been brewing since last year. They occupy the former loading dock space at the southwest corner of the building. The garage door is still utilized, opening up the space when weather permits. They usually have four of their own taps available, plus guest taps from many of the small brewers on this list and tap takeover events.
One of the only breweries on the East Side, Good City opened up earlier this year on Farwell. With 10+ of their own beers on tap, there are a lot of choices, from porters to British session ales. They have a full kitchen, run by a former Rumpus Room chef. The menu includes a number of snacks and appetizers, plus cheese boards, burgers and entrees.
Still coming:
A baseball-themed brewpub is in the works in the basement of a Third Ward building on Buffalo St. The plan is to be open from Brewers Opening Day next year.
The first brewery in West Allis, Westallion aims to open in April 2017. Plans are for a tasting room and beer garden in addition to the brewery on 72nd St. a block south of National.
The Explorium will be a new brewpub addition to Southridge Mall in January of next year. Customers will be able to take a brewery tour and enjoy a meal indoors and on a large patio.
The opening of this brewery in the Menomonee Valley has been delayed many times, but once it's open, the tasting room at the top of the brick tower should be amazing.
Read more Brew City Booze articles from Lacey Muszynski here.
