The best Milwaukee beer is.... (Delafield, New Glarus: buy, rating, area)

[mdkkr]

If someone told me to go for the bubbler in NY, I'd guess a bubbler would be a steambath/sauna/whirlpool apparatus with underwater air jets. (It's probably Champagne in France, you know.

I have a suspicion this is something very different in Wisconsin.

[deo0519]

Hmm. I think you're thinking of "bubbly" which is certainly nice, and they make some very NICE bubbly in France, I hear, but will check it out myself when I'm there next month. However, a BUBBLER is actually a drinking fountain when you're in Wisconsin. Nothing is ever what you think it is, huh?

Next vocabulary lesson: TYME MACHINE. You have 30 seconds. Go!

[mdkkr]

Easy - that's an ATM.

It stands for "All Things Milwaukeeian".

[deo0519]

Great work! You should have seen the responses in NYC the first time I asked someone where the TYME machine was. They looked at me like I must have staggared out from my cozy bench in Central Park. Sniffed a bit to see how much booze I had imbibed... After I explained that I wanted an ATM, they said, "OH! A NYCE machine. Why didn't you say so?" Having no idea why I wanted a nice machine, but not wanting to argue, I just nodded...NYCEly.

Well, my work here is done. You know where to get a drink of water, what to order at the bar, and some basics on pub food and dessert. You even know where to get a nice salami to send home to mama. (Well, a nice knockwurst, anyway!) Have a great trip!

Cheers.
D.

[illwauk]

Originally Posted by mdkkr

Sounds like some initiation or rite of passage for unsuspecting out-of-towners. I'll pass on the Kringle, though the bubbler could have potential, whatever the hell that may be - I don't know.

With all the curds and whey you are eating, has a spider ever came along and sat down beside you? It makes sense that Miss Muffet was from Wisconsin, I suppose. She sat on a "tuffet" - something I still have no idea what that is, but you probably sit on after the Kringle and Bubbler, then chase that down with aforementioned curds and whey?

I'm starting to understand why you need a lot of beer, brats, and cheese out there. I am really looking forward to this trip, especially since if it works out - I will be back semi-regularly and apply for honorary cheesehead status.

You are very funny and I appreciate the information.

On behalf of those of us who believe Milwaukee is far above the stereotypes that are apllied to us, I'd like to apologize for being yet another out-of-towner who is not getting an accurate view of Milwaukee. I'm starting to doubt that most of those cheese and sausage adivce is being given by people who live in the suburbs and just tell people they're from Milwaukee.

The truth is, that while Milwaukee is known as a beer city (because of Miller), that only represents a fraction of what goes on here. And contrary to popular belief, there are no cheese factories in Milwaukee and referring to a Milwaukeean as a "cheesehead" is more often than not going to be interpreted as an insult (the northern part of Wisconsin is more likely to embrace the term). I would rather suggest that you check out one of the Jazz/Blues clubs on King Drive or take in a flick at the Oriental or Downer theaters (some of the last remaining "movie palace" theaters in the US). Or visit the Calatrava addition to the Art Museum (I'm not even into art, but it's such a cool building... you won't be disapointed) or the new Pier Wisconsin aquarium on the lakefront.

I was born & raised in Milwaukee (CITY... never the burbs) and it pisses me off to see us get pigeonholed simply because we're in Wisconsin. Hopefully once you visit, you'll have a more accurate view of our city to take back to NYC than what you're getting right now.

[Drover]

I'm a dedicated beer snob to the extent that I drive up to Wisconsin at least once every couple of months just to load up on beer that you can't buy in Illinois. I think nothing of dropping $150 on beer on one of these trips. I've tried literally thousands of different beers in my lifetime. I currently have about 200 bottles of beer in my cellar, including at least a few dozen from Wisconsin breweries.

OK, so with my amateur credentials out of the way... believe it or not there aren't any really great beers that are made in Milwaukee proper. (The epicenter of Wisconsin's craft beer scene is not Milwaukee but Madison.) There are two popular brewpubs in Milwaukee -- Water Street and Milwaukee Ale House -- that in my opinion brew some remarkably mediocre stuff. I can't understand why people rave so much about those places. The best brewery in the city itself is Lakefront, and their products are hit-and-miss. However, their tours are fantastic and I'd recommend calling to find out when their tour times are.

There's a brewery just outside the city limits called Sprecher. Their beer is good. Not great, but really good, solid and consistent. Their Black Bavarian is a favorite of mine.

A little further out in the suburbs is a brewery called Tyranena. If you can find any, you MUST get your hands on their beer called "Who's Your Daddy." It's a bourbon-barrel-aged imperial porter that is, bar none, the best porter I've ever had. They also make an intriguing English brown ale called Rocky's Revenge. A portion of Rocky's Revenge is also aged in bourbon barrels and blended with non-bourbon-barrel-aged stock to subtle effect. IMO it's one of the best taste-for-the-buck beers out there.

If you're a fan of German beers, look for products from a Madison-based brewery called Capital. Their renditions of German-style beers are often so accurate that they're better than their respective style contemporaries from actual German breweries. In particular, their Bavarian lager is a solid Munich lager, but the stars of their lineup is their Doppelbock series: Autumnal Fire (a copper doppelbock available in fall only but there might still be some on the shelves), the Blonde Doppelbock, and the Dark Doppelbock. The king of their doppelbock line is Eisphyre, basically an eisbock version of the Autumnal Fire. It's without a doubt their best product, and unfortunately not easy to find. In fact I don't even know when's the last time they made a batch of it.

If you're a hophead, I suggest grabbing a sixer of Central Waters Lac du Bay IPA. Central Waters is a very small brewery smack in the middle of the state so their distribution to Milwaukee is very spotty. But, if you see some Lac du Bay, grab it. Be warned though that Lac du Bay is done in the British IPA style rather than the American style, so don't expect your big standard Cascade Citrus boilerplate hop profile. It compares quite favorably to Samuel Smith's IPA. Also, on the very unlikely chance that you find Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Bourbon-Barrel Stout, grab a 12-pack of it. It's one of the most sublime stouts around.

Finally, far and away the best and most renowned craft brewery in Wisconsin is New Glarus. The brewery is actually just south of Madison but they serve the Milwaukee market. You must, MUST get your hands on at least one bottle each of their Belgian Red Ale (brewed with cherries) and the Raspberry Tart. These are not wussy-girly fruit beers. These beers are INTENSE. They are sold in 750ml-sized bottles only, and at $8 a bottle they're the craft-beer bargain of the country. Period. You really can't go wrong with most other New Glarus products but those two are what they're known best for. New Glarus Uff-Da Bock is also regarded as one of the best bocks made in America.

Hope that helps.

[mdkkr]

This is great beer advice - thanks so much Drover!!!

[ekg56]

Central Waters recently moved from Junction City to Amherst. I knew the original owner and know he sold out few years ago. I am not a drinker but my brother loves the stuff. He likes the Mud Puppy. Everytime we come down to Chicago we bring him some Central Waters and some Bells beer also.

[Drover]

I've been meaning to get to their brewpub in Marshfield for the longest time now. Maybe I'll put that on my Spring Break "to-do" list.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by deo0519

Next vocabulary lesson: TYME MACHINE. You have 30 seconds. Go!

I lived in Milwaukee from birth until the year 2003...moved to Albuquerque, NM. My wife and I needed some cash quick one of the first weeks we were living down here, and I popped into a 7-11 asking for "excuse me, where is your Tyme machine"...the guy looked at me like I was either nuts/ribbing him ("time" machine...I am in New Mexico - UFOs, etc.). At any event, I stammered, I stuttered...I for the life of me couldn't even think of what you would call it other than a Tyme machine!

As for the local beer question, I have to say that I second (or third or fourth?) those who stated Sprecher products. Sprecher = good stuff. I miss, MISS my occasional 16-ounce Sprecher Amber bottles...those are just top-notch.

There is also an annual Sprecher Fest that is just tremendous...