BREWERY TOURS INFORM, AMUSE BY THE PINTFUL
Drinking beer is an essential part of the experience
Brewery tours are the best excuse to drink beer with purpose. Even if the purpose is simply to drink beer where beer is made. At Third Space Brewing, 1505 W. St. Paul Ave., a group of birthday-celebrating friends sip from pint glasses, ready to walk behind the scenes into the land of giant stainless steel fermenters and holding tanks. Brewery tours aren’t tidy affairs. Breweries are filled with equipment and sometimes malt dust. Buckets catch the overflow from bubbling tanks as yeast gobbles wort — terms you’ll learn during any tour. But first: The ritual. All brewery tours begin with public recitation of beer’s essential ingredients. Hops. Check. Water. Check. Barley.
Check. Silence. It’s yeast. Everyone forgets yeast. What made this tour at Third Space stand out among other tours is that it was led by the brewery’s co-founder and brewmaster Kevin Wright.
“It’s not just somebody hired to give the tour,” Kelly Burns said. “He makes the beer. It felt like it was more of a conversation.”
Even better, Wright temporarily stopped talking to check on a beer in progress, which Burns said made the group feel included in the process.
Tony Kwech and Nikala Maria Gigliotto consider beer-related tours a hobby. They’ve visited breweries in Milwaukee, Florida and Seattle. The couple hasn’t found a tour yet that they didn’t enjoy.
But a City Lights Brewery tour this month will be recounted forever, and not just because they actually do know all the ingredients of beer. City Lights is where Kwech proposed to Gigliotto. It’s where she said yes.
At Good City Brewing, 2108 N. Farwell Ave., 15 people
leave delicious curry fries at the bar to crowd into a hot brewhouse where David Dupee, one of three Good City founders, talks about how this brewery was conceived in an Oregon taproom. And there’s some discussion of how beer is made, followed by deeper discussion of how beer is made by those who choose to remain after.
Milwaukee Brewing Co. tours are high-energy, dive-bar-rambunctious, cocktail-party happy hours. Founder Jim McCabe expects everyone to have a beer in hand and to feel comfortable leaning on a tank as tour guide Tim Higgins tells the story of how beer is made.
“It’s loud. It’s active,” said McCabe, swirling a pint of his brewery’s Louie’s Resurrection in his hand.
Beer might be the reason for that. Tours start with a brew and they stop anytime someone wants a refill. They last about an hour — depending on how many refills are necessary. More beer is poured for 30 minutes after the tour ends and everyone takes a token for beer at another location.
The tourist gets beer. What’s in it for the brewer?
Brewery tours are a way “you can tell your story,” said Russ Klisch, president, founder and owner of Lakefront Brewery. Lakefront tours, which include making everyone sing the words to the “Laverne & Shirley” theme song, have been listed among the most popular in the country.
“You spend time and hours going to festivals to get people to sample your beer,” Klisch said. “Here they come to you. This is great.”
Here’s a look at tours offered from Milwaukee’s growing brewery population.
Bavarian Bierhaus
700 W. Lexington Blvd., Glendale; thebavarianbierhaus.com
Tours are given on the halfhour starting at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The last tour begins at 6:30 p.m. Tours take between 25 and 30 minutes and include samples and $5 off a flight of beers. The tours are free.
What was the former Bavarian Inn is a stylish beer hall with an oompah music soundtrack, wait staff in dirndls and lederhosen, and a brewhouse in the back.
Biloba Brewing
2970 N. Brookfield Road, Brookfield; bilobabrewing.com
Tours are given on occasional Saturdays. Check the Biloba Facebook page.
Biloba is a prime example of a neighborhood brewery, often crowded with families gathering over pints and takeout food.
Black Husky Brewing
909 E. Locust St.; blackhuskybrewing.com
The owners of Black Husky refer to the brewery tour as “Milwaukee’s worst tour; best beer.” Tours are at 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday. They cost $10 and include a take-home pint glass.
Riverwest never knew how much it needed a spot like Black Husky, where thirsty patrons can pull up a chair inside or out on the patio (there’s a sandbox for the kids). Dogs are welcome.
Brenner Brewing
706 S.5th St.; brennerbrewing.com
Tours are offered at 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Friday; noon, 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Online tickets cost $8 and include four 51⁄2-ounce samples.
On a nice day, the doors are open to watch passersby on 5th St. They all look a little jealous that you’re drinking beer and they are not.
City Lights Brewing
2210 W. Mount Vernon Ave.; citylightsbrewing.com
Tours are offered at 5 and 7 p.m. Friday; 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday and are typically limited to 12 people. Tours cost $10 and include one free beer and a City Lights glass. Saturday tours are family-friendly.
Pay attention to the Tiffany-glazed brick on the walls. Posttour, stake out a spot on the patio and take selfies with the impressive Alexander Eschweiler-designed building as a backdrop.
Delafield Brewhaus
3832 Hillside Drive, Delafield; delafieldbrewhaus.com
Tours are offered at 3 p.m. Saturday and cost $10.
Sip on a pint during the tour, then get a photo on the brewing platform. Follow that with another beer and keep the glass. Sign up online.
Explorium Brewpub
5300 S. 76th St., Greendale; exploriumbrew.com
Tours are given by appointment, but a sneak peek is available through a large window.
Tours are limited to eight people and include a look through the brewery to learn about the process and the particular challenges of operating a brewery within a mall. Samples and a keepsake glass included. Cost is $10.
Call (414) 423-1365 for reservations. Tours can be held any day of the week, but are typically scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday.
Technical tours last two hours and are led by an owner or head brewer, explaining the technical details of the brewing process along with water treatment, grain preparation and other technical details. These tours, which are limited to six people, cost $30 and include beer samples and a keepsake glass. These tours are by appointment.
Good City Brewing
2108 N. Farwell Ave.; goodcitybrewing.com
Walk-in tours, usually given by one of the founders, are held at 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis. Tours cost $10 and include a full pour of beer and a unique takehome glass made for tours only.
Lakefront Brewery
1872 N. Commerce St.; lakefrontbrewery.com
Lakefront gives so many tours that we won’t even try to list them all here. What you need to know is that there are three varieties: the walk-in tour; the mini-tour and the technical tour. Regular brewery tours — the ones considered among the most entertaining in the country — last about 45 minutes and are aimed at adults. Tours, which run daily, are $10 and tickets should be purchased online. The cost includes a take-home pint glass and four 6-ounce pours.
If tours appear sold out, Lakefront may still have walkup tickets or mini-tours available at the door.
Technical tours cost $30 and are given at 11 a.m. Sundays. They’re led by an expert and last about 90 minutes, followed by a food pairing of cheese, fruit, meat, chocolate and coffee. Participation is limited.
Like Minds Brewing
823 E. Hamilton St.; likemindsbrewing.com
Barrels in the window and throughout the taproom should be your first clue that the beers here are unique. They’re brewed with Brettanomyces or are barrel-aged. Tours are available by appointment. See the brewery’s Facebook page.
MillerCoors
4251 W. State St.; millercoors.com
Tours typically run every 30 minutes between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays). Tours are free and include three samples.
Each tour begins with a video featuring MillerCoors history and starring the mythical Girl in the Moon, and include a stop at the Historic Miller Caves.
Milwaukee Brewing Co.
813 S. 2nd St.; mkebrewing.com
Tours are given at 4, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. Friday; on the half-hour from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and at 2, 2:30, 3 and 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Tours cost $10 and include a take-home pint glass, beer samples and a token for beer at a later time. Half of the tour space is open for walkin tickets. Tickets also are available online. The Saturday Open House begins at 5 p.m. and is an opportunity for repeat customers to come back and sample different beers on tap without going through the full tour. The Open House costs $15.
Private tours are available for groups of 15 or more at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
MobCraft Brewing
505 S. 5th St.; mobcraftbeer.com
Tours are given at 5:45 and 7 p.m. Friday and 12:45, 2, 3:15 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday and last about 45 minutes. Tours include the brewhouse and the barrel room — oh yeah, take a big whiff. They cost $12 and include two beer tickets. Tickets are half-price on Groupon.
If you can, take the beers outside the picnic table or pull up a seat at the bar and enjoy the open-air doorway.
Raised Grain Brewing
2244 W. Blue Mound Road, Waukesha; raisedgrainbrewing.com
Tours begin at 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday. They include information on the brewery background, brewing process and samples. An interactive test lab offers a hands-on experience with different elements of brewing, such as sampling wort and dry hopping. The tour ends with a beer pour of choice and a take-home pint glass.
Tours cost $10 and reservations are available online.
Raised Grain plans to move to a larger location at 1725 Dolphin Drive in Waukesha.
Sprecher Brewing
701 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale; sprecherbrewery.com
Tours are at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Summer hours expand. It’s good to check the website.
The tour ends in the indoor beer garden with unlimited soda samples, four samples for adults and a glass to take home. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for minors.
Reserve tastings are also offered in smaller groups. They include 10 samples of premier and limited-edition products paired with artisan cheeses. The tours cost $20. Check the website for times.
Sweet Mullets Brewery
N58-W39800 Industrial Road, Oconomowoc; sweetmulletsbrewing.com Tours are held by appointment. Call (262) 456-2843.
Third Space Brewing
1505 W. St. Paul Ave.; thirdspacebrewing.com
Tours are held at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They’re always given by co-founder Andy Gehl or brewmaster Kevin Wright. Tours cost $10 and include two drink tickets and a glass to take home. Sign up at the bar beginning at noon. Tours are limited to 25 people.
Urban Harvest Brewing
1024 S. 5th St.; urbanharvestbrewing.com
Tours are at 2:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month. They cost $5 and include four samples, a talk about beer and the brewery, and an additional beer on tap.
Ask to see the full-scale theater in the back. Or ask about the origins of the brewery’s name. Brewer Steve Pribek will tell you how word association helped him name the small brewery.
Westallion Brewing Co.
1825 S. 72nd St., West Allis; westallionbrewing.com
The new brewery is still formulating a tour plan. For now, tours will be offered at noon either Saturday or Sunday. Check the Westallion Facebook site for details.