At first glance at the 60-tap beer menu featured at Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.), the indecisive beer enthusiast might feel overwhelmed. Perplexed, even. Happily, Sugar Maple employs some of the most knowledgeable folks about cold ones in town, and they’re happy to point anyone in a delicious direction. (Their menu also features ciders and meads in addition to a great-for-a-beer-bar liquor selection.)
Of course, an amazing selection of beers that runs the gamut from standard (Anchor, various New Glarus and Lakefront beers) to holy-cow rare (blink and you’ll miss Zombie Dust or limited releases by Bell’s or the Bruery), even alongside well-informed and friendly bartenders, doesn’t totally a great bar make. But Sugar Maple features a great environment that is perfect for just about any leisurely evening out—the space is open and big enough to accommodate large groups of folks, but also large enough to where you can have an intimate conversation with a date or friend. Although they don’t serve food at the bar, they allow outside food, and during warmer months, savvy food trucks have been found parked right outside.
The music is great, too—once I was with a fairly large group that stayed to hear out a Nick Cave mix that was playing, and I never go in there without Shazaming at least one song (or trying to, anyway—like most bars worth their salt, it does get louder as the night goes on).
But what makes Sugar Maple’s ambiance so superlative is the oft-changing artworks, frequently made by owner Adrienne Pierluissi. As of my last visit, there were several minimalist paintings of black streaks across a white canvas and several smaller sculptures mounted over the bar that never fail to become the center of conversation—once you see them, you’ll know what I mean. Pierluissi’s art adds a rich texture to an already warm and inviting space.
Sugar Maple really is the bar that has it all—it was one of the first bars I visited when I moved to Milwaukee and it’s still one of my favorite spots in town. The 60-tap (and two-firkin) lineup virtually guarantees they will always have both something you’ve never had before and an old favorite. They’re also busy enough that freshness of the beers is ensured, and multiple visits, even in the same week, means at least a handful of new beers on the tap list each time. Sugar Maple is one of the best bars in Milwaukee—no small feat for Brew City.
