Archive for the ‘Wisconsin’ Category

If you’re looking for a less “corporate” brewery tour in Milwaukee, look no further than Lakefront Brewery! Unlike the free Miller Brewery Tour, the Lakefront Brewery Tour costs money ($6), but includes a souvenir pint glass with their logo on it, four pours of beer, and a coupon to get a free beer at a neighborhood bar.

If you arrive to the tour early, they have pizza available for purchase too. It is very much a good idea to grab a slice beforehand. Not because it’s the best pizza in the world or anything, but just because if you’re going to be sampling beers, you should probably have some food in your stomach.

You can also go up to the bar and start using your beer tokens right away! You get to go behind the scenes of the brewery, see where the beer is made, get more samples, and even play a little Laverne & Shirley with the beer bottles and some work gloves.

Of course, I had one sample of pumpkin beer too many and ended up throwing up in the elevator of my hotel…but that speaks nothing of the tour or the quality of beer and reflects solely on my own inability to handle alcohol… Still. It was a cool tour.

Site: Lakefront Brewery Tour
Location: 1872 N. Commerce Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212
Cost: $6
Hours: See website for current tour times.
Date: August 16, 2008

It’s BEER WEEK at Silly America! So anyone under 21, cover your eyes!

Somehow, despite the fact that I really don’t like beer, I find myself on a lot of brewery tours when travelling. It’s mostly because I have friends who like beer way more than I do. I apologize that these won’t be the most thorough of reviews because a) they were all from a bit while ago and I didn’t take proper notes at the time and b) I am not the person to ask about the quality of beer! But in any case, they were fun places to see!

First up this week is the Miller Brewery Tour in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Of all the breweries I’ve been to, Miller is the most well-known and one of the most popular beer brands in America.

The tour is free, which is awesome, and includes free samples to anyone over 21. You start out in a theater to see a video presentation on the history of Miller, then move on to witness the assembly lines (although since I went on a Saturday, nothing was going on), and warehouse (ditto). We were supposed to see the “caves,” where beer was stored before refrigeration, but, unfortunately, that portion was closed when I went.

A word to the wise about the Miller Brewery Tour: be prepared to hear “It’s Miller Time” a lot. And by “a lot” I mean constantly.

After the tour portion of the tour you visit the Miller Inn for a free beer and then head across the street to the beer garden for a couple more samples. There you can chill for a bit, listen to some music, and even send someone you know a free Miller Brewery postcard!

Don’t forget to check out the little history museum Miller bus out front before leaving for some more cool archives from the past!

Whether you like beer or not, the Miller Brewery was a fun, free, place to visit if you’re in Milwaukee!

Site: Miller Brewing Factory Tour
Location: 4251 West State Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Cost: Free admission. Free beer samples for those over 21.
Hours: Mon–Sat 10:30 am–3:30 pm. Closed holidays and week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Date: August 16, 2008