Hi and welcome back for part two oft he top ten reasons why you should visit Milwaukee, however if you’ve just joined me better check-out part one for the introduction and numbers one through four.
But with that, let’s continue on at number five, but don’t plan on meeting any Women here as this pace is a real Sausage Factory…
5. Usinger Sausage Shop
This place is a real Sausage Factory…. but you can buy at the storefront if you have somewhere to cook-it. Otherwise anywhere you find these on a menu; get one.
I recommend after you get your fill of Cheese at the Wisconsin Cheese Mart next door (see part one), walk through the hole in the wall (literally, there’s a door between the two) and get a Brat at Uber Tap Room and Cheese Bar.
6. Great Lakes Distillery
The first distillery in Milwaukee since prohibition ended (they literally had to write the laws for this placeto start-up), and for such a small distillery they certainly punch out an impressively wide variety of spirits (from Vodka to Absinthe and a lot in between, all of which I would say definitely pass muster).
For 10USD you can tour the distillery, learn the process and get an interesting insight into prohibition, followed by 6-7 tastings in the distillery room.
You can also, if you then choose (and I chose) to taste additional products back at the bar for the VERY reasonable sum of 1USD each!
Unordinary You can often get two or four ticket purchases on Groupon for up to 48% off; grab one of those then book online and save…. and if you do, but because of the days preceding events your friends misfortunate enough to get sick then perhaps you might get two tastings for the price of one. Unordinary.
….and yes those last two are, or at least were Absinthe!
https://www.greatlakesdistillery.com
7. Mob Craft Brewery
A small batch micro brewery that somehow puts out an amazingly diverse range of beers (checkout the menu below!).
For 10USD you get two pint tastings (but trust me that’s no where near enough), some history of the brewery and a tour of the facility.
But it’s the concept that really got me in the door –
Crowd Sourced Beer
You submit your idea for a beer and if it wins the’ll make it and you get to drink it for free. They’ll also fly you out to the brewery to do so. Simple, but it works.
Unordinary one When they ask on the tour where you’re from make sure you speak up; there’s an extra beer in it for you if you’re from the furthest away….. and there were some very disappointed Texans once I spoke.
Unordinary two Despite them being 10% ABV stay very FAR aware from the god-awful Sour-beers, everything else however is terrific.
Unordinary three They’re also on Groupon, and if you buy the two-for-one ticket and it’s the same day you visited Lakefront distillery whilst your friend is sick you might get four-for-one pints.
8. Frozen Custard and Cheese Curds
Let’s Start with Frozen Custard; unique only to Milwaukee in the US (so far as I know), think of it like soft-serve Ice Cream but on DAIRY STEROIDS.
Made with buttermilk and custard it takes silky-smooth deserts to a whoooooole new level. Plus, you can get a different flavour everyday if you go to the right place.
Where to Get It?
There’s only one problem, none of the places that make it are anywhere near downtown. The closest is on the Lake Michigan but if you can spare the time get on a GRE (Green line) bus, relax for 54 minutes (YEP your going to be taking a bus 54 minutes for this and it’s bloody well worth it!) and make you way out to Kopps at North Point.
Why Kopps?
The Custard is legendary and you can see what the daily Custard flavours are online including the three day flavour forecast, so pick your day, or just go as I couldn’t imagine any of them wouldn’t be worth it.
And BTW, this is there version of one scoop, or at least ‘one’ scoop for an Australian who just took the bus 54 minutes to get one. Unordinary.
But were not done yet, and remember this entire post is in the order I did them.
Kopps Burgers are bloody legendary too!.
Now I’m not just talking fast food good I’m talking great by any measure. Get the Cheese Burger.
Moving onto Cheese Curds; which is exactly what they are. Small, devilishly tasty morsels of constipation inducing cheese curd available and available in a variety of flavours. Milwaukee’ns eat these like packet chips.
Where to Get Them?
Wisconsin Cheese Shop has a good selection but if you wander into the Milwaukee Public Market and find the cheese shop there, they will (if you ask, and I asked) let you taste all six variety’s on offer and then make up ¼ size bags for you. They’re also cheeper there that most everywhere else I found.
Unordinary 16.95USD for a 1lb Lobster dinner with fries and coleslaw sound good? YEP, grab one also at the Public Market seafood stand and restaurant.
9. Harley Davison Museum
If you love, or even like ‘bikes I don’t really need to say anything here. If you don’t, well go find someone with a bike and ask for a ride.
Done? OK now you like them to so go visit the museum.
Unordinary You might want to move out of your house and travel for a considerable amount of time after visiting this place, as otherwise an addition to your fleet remains a very high probably once returning home.
10. This is it!
I don’t know if I’ve got a hidden talent for finding great bars or its just dumb luck. But finding myself with two hours to spare before my train left, after some research I then found myself at one of the most unassuming but yet greatest dive bars I’ve ever visited (and I would consider my visitations to such establishments as being a little above the norm, you might say a little unordinary).
They have specials everyday but on Sundays its two-for-one drinks (all night if your first purchase is before five PM). AND, if the Frozen Custard has left you wanting more they have FREE artesian self-serve Ice Cream with all the trimmings available to not only further expedite your Cholesterol saturation but give those little Cheese Curds a hand with the constipation.
Oh, I probably should mention this may or may not be Milwaukee’s oldest Gay bar (so it is a real sausage factory), but who gives a f* about that! (But if you do and if you’re gonna let it get in the way of CHEAP CHEAP beer and drab good FREE Ice Cream – maybe read someone else blog.
The End
Huh, you said ten reasons, where’s three?
Well, you’d lose count and forget too if your itinerary looked like mine. AND, I didn’t even manage to visit the premier Milwaukee craft brewery and tour at Lakefront Distillery Brewery. Or did I?
http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com
But to be fair there are other things to do in Milwaukee; Iike visit one of the other 30 something craft breweries like…. (oh sorry, bugger, start again).
But to be fair there are other things to do in Milwaukee; you could also walk the lakefront, canoe the river, cruise the river with/or without unlimited beer, see the Art Museum or catch any number of the festivals that seem to happen each weekend over summer. Some of which I may or may not also have done.
Milwaukee ems to be the place that local go for holidays but yet seems to be off the radar for the international traveller. But this won’t last, I can ASSURE YOU OF THIS.
So is Milwaukee my new favourite US city?
We’ll it certainly joins an elite few cities that I’d happily go back too (or even plan my travels in order too); and given that company otherwise consists of, for example New York and New Orleans just a couple; it might not be my favourite city, but its bloody well close.
Awsome Sam, fantastic reading. You really write an interesting and informative blog.
Hope you are working on and submitting your idea for a beer …could be awesome ..a whole new world and I could be employed as a taster ? Haha
Oh, actually I’d forgotten about that…