We are a couple from Belle City who love craft beer. At the beginning of 2023 we embarked on a challenge to visit 100 Wisconsin Breweries in one year. Well we crushed that challenge (you can see our journey on our Instagram) and decided we had only just begun our Wisconsin Brewery Adventures. We created this blog to share what we’ve learned, the places we’ve loved, the beer that was excellent, and whatever else our adventures taught and continue to teach us. We hope you have fun poking around!
About Brenda
My love for craft beer began in 2010 when my brother bought a home brew kit. At the time we lived on the same street in Milwaukee, and it was easy for me to pop in and serve as his brewer’s assistant. My main job was to keep him company and drink his beer, but I also helped drop in ingredients and stir every once in awhile. Even though I wasn’t doing any of the technical stuff, I became interested in how the recipes came together, specifically how adding different types of hops would make the beer taste. Looking back, this is probably why my favorite type of beer are IPAs. (Let the record show that I liked them before, during, and after they were #hipsterapproved). This was just before the Brewery Boom hit Milwaukee, when only a handful of places were open, mainly Lakefront and Rock Bottom.
Oh how much has changed.
The love for breweries is also in my blood. My Great Uncle Herb Haydock was a collector of beer memorabilia, and at one time had the largest private collection in the world (no, really1). He was particularly interested in advertisements – posters, signs, mirrors, etc – and I remember his house being filled floor-to-ceiling with it. I grew up in an atmosphere that treated breweries much like old English public houses, places that not only had good beer but also served as a place of merriment that brought people together. It’s this feeling that I look to capture whenever we walk into a brewery and take that first delicious sip. Uncle Herb is rumored to have been to at least 3,000 breweries, so I have some work to do.
About Tim
Born and raised in the Milwaukee area, Tim has been drinking beer since [REDACTED].
Oh, I mean I enjoyed my first beer on my 21st birthday and thought it was quite fine. Let’s go with that. Like many college slobs I spent most of my time drinking garbage, which is inexcusable because you can get Hamm’s around here for roughly 13¢ a can or something like that and Hamm’s is great. More on that in it’s own post most assuredly.
Anyways, sometime in my mid-20’s I discovered Matilda by Goose Island and I was kind of obsessed. WHAT DARK MAGIC WAS THIS? Needless to say my descent into craft beer was a steep pitch from there. My personal favorite WI breweries (just judging on beer) are Central Waters, Eagle Park, 3 Sheeps, Third Space and Torzala. My favorite brewery for hanging out is PetSkull in Manitowoc because I also love rock and roll.
Ever the equal opportunity drinker, I can often be found making craft cocktails in the Belle City Lounge (aka the lower level of our house) and am a part owner of Great Northern Distilling in Stevens Point. (Go try their rum. It rules.)
In what probably sounds like fleeting moments of sobriety after all of that I’m also a visual artist, working primarily in comics, animation, illustration and printmaking. I marry that interest with alcohol too as the founder and co-founder respectively of the Racine + Kenosha and Milwaukee Drink and Social Social Club Chapters.
All that stuff is fun but the most fun thing is going on brewery adventures with Brenda. I hope you enjoy the chronicles of our hijinx.
Why Wisconsin?
What makes Wisconsin breweries so unique?
Wisconsin has a long rooted history in brewing beer. Frederick Miller founded the Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee in 1855 with a specialized yeast he brought with him from Germany, and it’s now one of the most well-known American beers in existence (although a true sell-out, we do love our High Lifes). Pabst Brewing Company dates back to 1844 with the first owner Jacob Best, and it’s also become one of the most well-known beers in the country (All hail PBR). The Stevens Point Brewery was founded in 1857 and sent its beer to the front lines of the Civil War to be enjoyed by Union troops. At one point, downtown Stevens Point even boasted an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most bars in a city block (shout-out to Brenda’s hometown!) Beer has for a long time been a part of Wisconsin culture, and very much still is – as of July of 2023, 7 of the top 10 “drunkest” cities in America are all in our state.
But why is that?
Because it’s really freaking COLD HERE. From just about mid November to mid May, Wisconsin is a salty, windy, frigid, miserable mess, with mildly tolerable days peppered in between absolute hell on earth, and beer is a really good way to suddenly not care about that. Don’t get me wrong, snow can be beautiful, and it’s the ever looming inevitability of winter that makes us squeeze every last drop out of summer. That’s why you’ll find the largest water park in our state, the largest outdoor music festival, tons of beer gardens and hiking trails (around here where you’ll find one you’ll usually find the other), and all of those outdoor activities are easily supported with an ice cold brewski. What a happy coincidence.
Beer is also in many of our family heritage. 37% of Wisconsinites identify as having German in their family ancestry2, where our modern version of beer was invented and perfected. It only makes sense that Wisconsin would continue to be at the forefront of beer production and experimentation, with eager customers ready to consume. But although there are many, not every Wisconsin brewery is great, or even good. Be it the beer, the overall atmosphere, the branding message, or any number of extraneous factors, some breweries succeed where others fall flat, and some are downright terrible.
That’s where we come in.
Wisconsin Brewery Adventures 