The decor is an odd mix of German beer hall, brew pub and random brewerania. Having old brewerania hanging on the walls is pretty common in brew pubs, but it’s a little of an odd mix with the German beer hall elements. They make it work, though. I ordered their Das Laker (fried Walleye sandwich), which was quite good, and a beer sampler.
The sampler included:
- Leisure Beer, a light-bodied lager which won a 2012 World Beer Championship Bronze
- Summerzeit Hefe Weizen which won the 2002 World Beer Championship Silver
- Delafield Amber, their biggest seller and winner of the 2002 World Beer Championship Bronze
- Pewaukee Porter, which won the 2011 World Beer Championship Silver
- Fruhlingzeit Maibock
- Nagawicked Pale Ale
It’s not surprising that their amber is their biggest seller. I’ve heard it said that every state seems to have a style that is the staple of most brew pubs and micro-breweries. If that’s true, then it’s the amber in Wisconsin. But their amber wasn’t at the top of my list. In fact, they all ranked about the same in my book - drinkable but not particularly noteworthy. The Leisure Beer is their lightest - I’d consider it a lawnmower beer - and I thought it was their best. For me that’s a pretty clear mark that I won’t go out of my way to visit again.
If they were more conveniently located for me, the food is good enough that I’d go back for their food and get a beer, but I think brew pubs need to be better than just okay. It makes me wonder about the awards their beers won, though. The taste of their beers has likely shifted since they won the awards - it happens in all craft breweries - but was the shift that big? Or do I have different criteria for judging a good beer than beer judges? I’d like to learn more about picking out different flavors in beer, but I think the most important test is the one that any beer drinker can do. “Do I like this? Would I come back for this?” If the answer is no to either question, then it’s time to move on.
