Football — and beer — in Green Bay’s blood

“The Big House,” Lambeau is the only stadium in the NFL that still has mostly bench seating. Our excellent tour guide told us the seat are heated — “when the sun hits them.”

That brings up the fact that winters in Green Bay can be brutally cold and that Lambeau’s actual playing field commonly is referred to as “the frozen tundra.” However, we learned, the field froze only once, during the 1967 NFL Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Packers — better known as “The Ice Bowl” — in which Starr scored a late touchdown to give the home team the win.

With a capacity of more than 81,000, Lambeau is one of the largest stadiums in the league. That’s not to say the Packers are meeting demand, however. Our guide said there’s a waiting list for tickets of 116,000 — more people than live in Green Bay.That explains the bleachers, by the way; if the stadium converted to seats, its capacity would drop a few thousand.

While Lambeau is charming with its decades-old feel, aspects of it are brand-new. Many millions of dollars were poured into improvements such as a renovated Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, a swanky team shop nearly double the size of the old one and a new restaurant, 1919 Kitchen & Tap, that’s not just open on game days.

The Hall of Fame is, without question, impressive. It takes a while to walk through and is chock full of historical items shown with modern display techniques. I was particularly taken by the glass-enclosed film projector used by legendary coach Lombardi to watch “countless hours” of game film, according to the accompanying placard.

The team shop has everything you’d expect — gear ranging from official jerseys and pricy-but-nice golf sweatshirts to those foam cheeseheads you see fans in the stadium wearing on TV (those will set you back about $20) — as well as things you don’t, such as a $60 Packers Crock Pot and a wooden captains chair for nearly $600.

At 1919 Kitchen & Tap — named for the year the Packers were founded — I had my first encounter with a local treat, the cheese curd. The fried variety that came as an appetizer was delicious and, I’m fairly sure, offered almost no nutritional value whatsoever. The same probably goes for the 1919 Burger I ordered, what with its havarti cheese, fried sauerkraut, peppered bacon and red pepper aioli. (Who cares? It was scrumptious.)

And if Green Bay is about anything other than football (and cheese curds), it’s probably beer. The restaurant carried myriad craft beers from Wisconsin microbreweries, and I tried a couple of ambers.

But that only scratched the surface of my pleasantly beersoaked trip.

I enjoyed a tour of Badger State Brewing, given by Andrew Fabry, one of three friends from Green Bay who founded the business in 2013. The brewery, which includes an industrial but attractive tap room, lies not far from Lambeau in the Stadium District and had a nice little crowd for a mid-afternoon Friday. (This just in: Many fine folks from Wisconsin love beer.)

As we walked around and learned about the business, I enjoyed a pint of its Bunyan Badger Brown Ale, an English-style brown, with caramel malts, spicy hops and a bit of rye with a pleasantly roasted taste. Along with several of their own brews, they have a number of guest taps. It would be all but impossible for a beer lover to not find something to his or her taste here.

Later that night, I tasted a selection of beers in the tap room at Titletown Brewing Co. The business opened in 1996 in what was once an important train depot, and its historic feel has not been lost. Beers tried included the Dark Helmet Schwarzbier, a German-style black lager with notes of coffee, chocolate, caramel and toasted malt and the Johnny “Blood” Red, a Irish red ale named for Packers great Johnny “Blood” McNally. Like some other Wisconsin beers, you’ll find Johnny “Blood” Red in many establishments within the state but not beyond its borders.

Titletown also has a restaurant nearby. Our table voted to order the “Brats, Brats, and More Brats” appetizer platter, which seemed geographically appropriate. As you might have surmised, it involved bratwurst prepared in different ways, including wrapped in bacon and given a spicy brown sugar glaze — yum.

My most memorable meal in Green Bay, however, was dinner at the historic Union Hotel, in the downtown of nearby De Pere. And when I say historic, I’m not using that term loosely. It was founded in 1883, and its proprietor, McKim Boyd, represents the fourth generation of his family to run the place. The Union is old-school, from a telephone booth in the lobby to a menu that sees only gradual changes so as to not offend its loyal clientele. These folks seem to want change about as much as a losing Packers season. I was surprised to find a WiFi signal, and Boyd confirmed that wireless Internet had not been offered there for long.

I had one of several aged Angus steaks on the menu, but, to be honest, the highlight of the evening was walking around with Boyd and hearing about the history of the hotel, which added a third floor in 1903. While they still rent out all the rooms — and, yes, they’re booked solid when the Packers are in town — he warns folks they don’t want to stay in those thirdfloor rooms without air conditioning until the weather turns cool in the fall. Of course, some of the rooms are said to be haunted.

Ask Boyd nicely, and the guess here is he’ll gladly show you his collection of neckties, which include vintage numbers inherited from family members as well as modern pieces such as not one, but two, Viagra ties. Probably best not to ask.

My few days in Green Bay concluded with the Packers’ preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Pregame festivities started with a visit to Stadium View Bar & Grille, a large property offering fun indoors and outside and from which, yes, you can see Lambeau.

Following a tailgate gathering involving more bratwurst and cans of Bunyan Badger Brown Ale, it finally was time for some football.

While Lambeau was packed (pardon the pun) and the atmosphere fun, the team rested star QB Rodgers, and no one was too bothered by the fact the Eagles had their way with the home team for much of the game.

I’d love to get back for a regular-season game someday. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even sleep Under the Lights of Lambeau.

ABOVE: A statue of retired Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver resides outside Titletown Brewing Co.’s restaurant. You never have to look far in the Wisconsin city to see something Packers-related. BELOW: The living room in Under the Lights...