Milwaukee Ale House

On Saturday, March 19th, Amanda and I went to the Milwaukee Ale House for lunch. This was my first time, but I've been planning to go since I'd found out that it was on several of OnMilwaukee.com's "best" lists.

They have two potential six beer samplers - the Light Flight and the Night Flight:

Light Flight
1) Ulao Wit
2) Flaming Damsel
3) Downtown Lites
4) Solomon Juneau
5) Pullchain Pail Ale
6) Dunkel-Weizen

Night Flight
1) Downtown Lites
2) Flaming Damsel
3) Pullchain Pail Ale
4) Louie's Demise
5) Blockhead Brown
6) Sheepshead Stout

They also allow you to add a seventh sample for an extra dollar from any of their draft beers. This was nor the extent of their beers available, but I had come with the intention of sampling. I chose the night flight (promising myself to return for the Light Flight) and after it arrived, I decided to add a Pressing 78 Porter. Amanda ordered their Bloody Mary and received a chaser of the Solomon Juneau. The menu had a 1-4 hopiness scale (1 - Hint O' Hop, 4 - Lots O' Hop). And they gave the following descriptions:

Louie's Demise 4.8%
Medium bodied amber ale with hints of caramel and roasted malt.
Hop scale: 3

Pullchain Pail Ale 5.0%
Smooth, hoppy ale with citrus spice notes. 43 BUs.
Hop scale: 4

Flaming Damsel 4.8%
A copper hued Vienna Style lager with a rich malt flavor.
Hop scale: 2

Solomon Juneau Ale 5.0%
A crisp hoppy golden ale with a fresh citrus aroma.
Hop scale: 3

Downtown Lites 4.5%
Refreshingly balanced honey ale.
Hop scale: 1

Sheepshead Stout 6.0%
Classic Oatmeal stout, teaming wit rich coffee and chocolate flavors. Nitrogen tapped.
Hop scale: 2

Pressing 78 Porter 5.6%
A rich mahogany ale with warm malt flavors and hints of raisins.
Hop scale: 3

Blockhead Brown Ale 5.3%
A light bodied aenglish pub brown ale with milk chocolate, caramel and his hit flavors
Hop scale: 2

My preferences were as follows (#1 being my favorite):
#1 - Pressing 78 Porter
#2 - Sheepshead Stout
#3 - Pullchain Pail Ale
#4 - Blockhead Brown
#5 - Flaming Damsel
#6 - Solomon Juneau Ale
#7 - Downtown Lites
#8 - Louie's Demise

Now don't misunderstand - just because their flagship brew (Louie's Demise) is at the bottom of my list, I am not saying I don't like it. I am quite happy to say that I liked every beer I tried and am comfortable calling each of them a good beer.

I also tried to rate each beer independently on a scale of one to ten. One being unimpressive and ten being Great.
Downtown Lites: 8
Flaming Damsel: 5-6
Pullchain Pale Ale: 4
Louie's Demise: 6
Blockhead Brown: 7
Sheepshead Stout: 5
Pressing 78 Porter: 7-8
Solomon Juneau Ale: 6

Now don't get confused by my choosing the Sheepshead Stout as my second favorite, but only rating it as a 5 out of ten.

With my favorites list I asked myself, "Of these beers in front of me, which is most likely to get ordered and drunk in multiples during one visit (or sitting if I get a six pack)?"

With the rating, I asked myself, "When I am in the mood to drink this style of beer, how likely am I to choose it over another brewer's?"

To continue using the Sheepshead Stout as an example, I would gladly grab a seat at the bar and drink 2-3 pints of it. But if I were to pick up a Stout from the store, I may be more likely to get a Guiness, Beamish, or Murphy's.

Hmm. Now I want to do a side-by-side stout tasting to see if it's true.

The Importance of Being In Season

Last night after work I wanted a little beer (I wanted some, but wasn't interested in drinking "a" beer, so I had a half bottle). I opened the fridge in our basement, and although we currently have a nice selection of winter-appropriate beer I decided to drink the last Sam Adams Summer Ale that was hanging on from the end of summer.

I enjoy this beer. When I opened it and took my first sip, it had good flavor. But it was wrong. The beer was fine, but it didn't taste right. It was too light. Too subtle. It wasn't a winter beer.

I've read things about differences in seasonal beer, and I am more inclined to drink lighter beer during the summer than during the winter. But I didn't realize how unsatisfying it can be to drink a seasonal beer out of season.

Now I know.

Bucket List - Wisconsin Breweries

I have been attempting to gather information about breweries in Wisconsin (micro, macro and brew pub). I also need to put together information for Northeast Illinois and the Minneapolis/St. Paul areas, but I have not yet begun to look into that.

Much of the information came from Wisconsin Online -
http://www.wisconline.com/attractions/breweries.html

I have eliminated the ones I could identify as closed, and have added some of my own that I knew of which were not on the list. If you know of any additions or deletions, please let me know.

Next I’ll need to make a plan –
If these are brew pubs or breweries with tours, can I get to them?
If they are in Southeastern, Central or Northwestern Wisconsin, there is a good possibility. Northeastern and Southwestern Wisconsin destinations are unlikely, but not impossible.

The exception may be Shipwrecked Brewery in Door County. An inn and a Brew Pub? How cool is that!

If they aren’t a destination, is their beer distributed in my area or an area I will visit?
If so, can I find the stores that sell or the bars that serve their beer?

Also, if a company I found did not have their own website, I struck them from the list. I am not interested. If it is a destination (brew pub) I will not try to visit them. I do not want to find myself driving 25+ minutes to someplace just to find out they closed 2 years ago, and then have to drive home again. If it is a brewery, I will not look for their product. Good beer should NEVER be a “best kept secret”.


Southeast Wisconsin


Big Bay Brewing
http://www.bigbaybrewing.com/
Available at some retail locations and on draught at North Star Bistro 4518 N Oakland Ave, Shorewood.

Stone Cellar Brew Pub
http://www.stonecellarbrewpub.com/
920-731-3322 (restaurant) or 920-735-0507 (brewery)
1004 S Olde Oneida St, Appleton

Buffalo Water Brewing Co.
http://www.buffalowaterbeer.com/
414-273-4680
309 N Water Street, Suite 315, Milwaukee WI, 53202-7908

Horny Hideaway
http://www.hornygoatbrewing.com
414-482-4628
2011 S. 1st St, Milwaukee,

Stonefly Brewing Company
http://www.stoneflybrewery.com/main_page.html
414-264-3630
735 E. Center St, Milwaukee

Silver Creek Brew Pub
http://silvercreekbrewing.com/
262-375-4444
N57 W6172 Portland Rd
Cedarburg

III Dachshunds Beer Co.
http://www.3dachshundsbeer.com/
414-769-0928
5922 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee
The beer in now exclusively sold at City Lounge in Cudahy, Wisconsin.
3455 East Layton Ave.

St. Francis Brewery
www.stfrancisbrewery.com
414-744-4448
3825 S. Kinnickinnic Ave, St. Francis

Chameleon Brewing
http://www.chameleonbrewing.com/
The only phone numbers are for sales reps
They do not have a location, but their websites has locations where their beers are sold.

Passport Brew Haus
passportbrewhaus.com - brew pub is “coming soon”
262-780-9600
4900 S. Moorland Rd, New Berlin

Delafield Brewhaus
http://www.delafield-brewhaus.com/default.asp
262-646-7821
3832 Hillside Dr, Delafield

Gray Brewing Company
http://www.graybrewing.com/
608-754-5150 or 608-752-0821
2424 W Court St, Janesville

Lakefront Brewery
http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/main.html
414-372-8800 or 414-372-4400
1872 N Commerce St, Milwaukee

Miller Brewing Company
http://www.millercoors.com/milwaukee-brewery-tour.aspx
414-931-2467
4251 W State St, Milwaukee

Milwaukee Ale House
http://ale-house.com/
414-226-2337
223 N Water St, Milwaukee

Rock Bottom Brewery
http://www.rockbottom.com/milwaukee
414-276-3030
740 N Plankinton Ave, Milwaukee

Sprecher Brewing Company
http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/index.php
414-964-2739
701 W Glendale Ave, Glendale

Water Street Brewery
http://www.waterstreetbrewery.com/
414-272-1195
1101 N Water St, Milwaukee


Central Wisconsin


Ale Asylum –
http://aleasylum.com/
608-663-3926
3698 Kinsman Boulevard, Madison

Grumpy Troll Brewery, Restaurant and Pizzeria
www.thegrumpytroll.com
105 S Second St, Mount Horeb
608-437-2739

Blue Heron BrewPub
http://www.blueheronbrewpub.com/
108 W 9th St, Marshfield
715-389-1868

Capital Brewery Company & Beer Garden
http://www.capital-brewery.com/
7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton, 53562
608-836-7100

Central Water Brewing Company
http://www.centralwaters.com/
701 Main St, Junction City
715-457-3322

Cross Plains Brewery
http://www.essersbest.com/home.html
2109 Hickory St, Cross Plains
608-798-3911.

Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company (Madison)
http://www.greatdanepub.com/
123 E Doty St, Madison
608-284-0000

Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company (Wausau)
http://www.greatdanepub.com/
2305 Sherman Street, Wausau
715-845-3000

Moosejaw Pizza & Dells Brewing Co
http://www.dellsmoosejaw.com/
110 Wisconsin Dells Parkway S, Wisconsin Dells
608-254-1122

O'so Brewing
http://www.osobrewing.com/
1812 Post Road, Plover
715-254-2163

Stevens Point Brewery
http://www.pointbeer.com/
2617 Water St, Stevens Point
715-344-9310 or 800-369-4911


Northwest Wisconsin


Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company
http://leinie.com/av.html
715-723-5557 or 888-534-6437
124 E Elm St, Chippewa Falls

Northwoods Brewing Company
http://www.northwoodsbrewpub.com/
715-552-0510 or 715-552-0512
3560 Oakwood Mall Dr, Eau Claire

Sand Creek Brewing Company
http://www.sandcreekbrewing.com/
715-284-7553
320 PIERCE ST, BLACK RIVER FALLS

South Shore Brewing Company
http://www.southshorebrewery.com/
715-682-9199
400 3rd Ave W, Ashland, Ashland County.

Viking Brewing Company
http://www.vikingbrewing.com/
715-837-1823
234 Dallas St West, Dallas


Northeast Wisconsin


Fox River Brewing Company & Fratello's Italian Café
http://www.supplerestaurantgroup.com/fratellos-oshkosh/default.html
920-232-2337
1501 Arboretum Dr, Oshkosh

Fox River Brewing Company & Restaurant
http://www.supplerestaurantgroup.com/fratellos-appleton/default.html
920-991-0000
4301 W Wisconsin Ave, Appleton

Hinterland Brewery and Restaurant
http://www.hinterlandbeer.com/
920-438-8050
313 Dousman St, Green Bay

Rowland's Calumet Brewing Company
http://www.rowlandsbrewery.com/
920-849-2534
25 N Madison St, Chilton

Shipwrecked Brewery
http://www.shipwreckedmicrobrew.com/
920-868-2767 or 888-868-2767
7791 Egg Harbor Rd, Egg Harbor

Titletown Brewing Company
http://www.titletownbrewing.com/
920-437-2337
200 Dousman St, Green Bay


Southwest Wisconsin


Brewery Creek
http://www.brewerycreek.com/
608-987-3298
23 Commerce St, Mineral Point

City Brewery
http://www.citybrewery.com/
608-785-4222
925 S Third St, La Crosse

Minhas Craft Brewery
http://www.minhasbrewery.com/
608-325-3191
1208 14th Ave, Monroe

New Glarus Brewing Company
http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/
608-527-5850
County Rd W & Hwy 69

Pearl Street Brewery
http://www.pearlstreetbrewery.com/
608-784-4832
1401 Saint Andrew Street

Potosi Brewery
http://www.potosibrewery.com/
608-763-4002
209 S Main St, Potosi

Tyranena Brewing Company
http://www.tyranena.com/
920-648-8699
1025 Owen St, Lake Mills

Bucketlist - Milwaukee Brew Pubs

OnMilwaukee.com lists the top Milwaukee brew pub each year. I think it may be a good list for me to use to try new places. I am ashamed to say that I have only tried 2 of them, and not even any of the top 3.

Milwaukee's best brew pubs - 2010

1. Lakefront Brewery Palm Garden
2. Milwaukee Ale House (rated #1 in 2009)
3. Hinterland
4. Rock Bottom Brewery (DONE)
5. Water Street Brewery (DONE)
6. Stonefly Brewing Co.
7. Bay View Brew Haus
8. St. Francis Brewery
9. Delafield Brewhaus
10. Grafton Ale House
11. Port Washington Brewing Co.
12. Riverside Brewery

Nut Brown Ale

Steven Jones is a great guy. He is my wife's cousin's husband and he bought Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale for Christmas Eve. I only had one this evening. I would have liked a second, but it just didn't make sense - unless I had wanted to chug the second, which I didn't.

I've had Samuel Smith's porter, which I really liked, but this was the first time I've tried their nut brown ale. I really liked it!

This is the third beer of this style I've had and now I hold the style in much higher regard. Previously, all I'd had was Newcastle. To me, it's good, but not great. Certainly not worth going out of my way for. Then I bought the Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown for the cheese dip I tried. I drank it and really liked it. I will certainly consider buying it again. And now I've had Samuel Smith's.

With two very good versions and a third that is decent, this beer has earned a place in my seasonal selections.

Steven Jones is a great guy. He is my wife's cousin's husband and he bought Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. I only had one this evening. I would have liked a second, but it just didn't make sense - unless I had wanted to chug the second, which I didn't. I've had Samuel Smith's porter, which I really liked, but this was the first time I've tried their nut brown ale. I really liked it! This is the third beer of this style I've had and now I hold the style in much higher regard. Previously, all I'd had was Newcastle. To me, it's good, but not great. Certainly not worth going ou

Sprecher in Beer Connoisseur

So I finally opened my Winter issue of The Beer Connoisseur magazine (the first anniversary issue) and there on the contents page, was a picture that looked strangely familiar. The caption said "Brewery Tours" and sure enough, it was Sprecher. Well done, Beer Connoisseur, to include this pleasant brewery in your magazine.

That reminds me, I want to do Sprecher's "reserve tasting" sometime. $15 to sample 10 Sprecher beers paired with artisan cheeses? Sign me up! After the holidays are done I'll have to see if I can find a good time to go. And people to go with.