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Milwaukee is synonymous with beer. Its nickname is Brew City. The baseball team is called the Brewers. Brewing giants Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz, and Miller were all started here too. With its rich brewing history and love of beer, there are tons of awesome Milwaukee breweries for you to visit, but which ones should you try?
Well, there are tons of breweries for you to choose from in Milwaukee. However, there are 5 in particular that stand out based on their beer, food, and overall experience you have when visiting. So which 5 Milwaukee breweries do you need to visit? Let’s take a look!
1. Lakefront Brewery
When looking at which Milwaukee breweries to visit or things to do in Milwaukee, Lakefront Brewery will most likely pop up on any list. It’s well-known for its famous brewery tour, which is definitely worth going on if you’re looking for a fun time while sampling their beers.
The beers at Lakefront Brewery are great. While they focus more on traditional lager style beers compared to some of the other breweries on this list, they also have a variety of more experimental and seasonal beers too.
One of the other highlights at Lakefront Brewery is their weekly fish fry. If you’re not familiar, a Friday night fish fry is a must do for every Milwaukee, and Wisconsin, visitor. They have live polka music in a beer hall atmosphere with great food and beer. There will probably be a wait, but you can enjoy a beer on their riverwalk patio while you wait.
If you are going to try one beer at Lakefront Brewery go for the Riverwest Stein Amber Lager. It’s not our favorite, but it is the most popular craft beer in Milwaukee and the most popular amber lager in Wisconsin.
Our favorite Lakefront beers, include Oktoberfest Lager, Hazy Rabbit IPA, and Imperial Pumpkin Ale. The Hazy Rabbit is on tap year-round, but the other two are only available in fall.
If you are looking for a classic Milwaukee brewery with a beer hall vibe, you should include Lakefront Brewery on your list when visiting Milwaukee breweries.
2. Dead Bird Brewing Co.
Next up is Dead Bird Brewing Co. It’s a newcomer to the Milwaukee beer scene, but it’s already standing out for it’s delicious beer and for being the first all-vegan brewery in Milwaukee!
We’ll get to the food in a second, but the beer at Dead Bird is delicious. You can also play retro arcade games in their taproom while sipping on all their different brews.
Our favorite Dead Bird beers, include Wine Thief Imperial Belgian Wit with Sauvignon Blanc Grapes and Pamplemousse American Pale Ale. They have rotating taps, so check out their website to see what’s on tap now. You can also buy cans or bombers to drink there or to take home!
Dead Bird also has their gluten-free seltzer, FLYT, on tap as well as rotating homemade sodas with flavors like Orange Cream, Apple Crisp, and Grapefruit Thyme.
If you are hungry while exploring all these Milwaukee breweries, it’s also one of the best breweries to eat at, whether you’re vegan or not!
They have a huge menu of absolutely delicious vegan food, including their own house cheese and bacon, vegan of course.
While their weekly specials change, we recommend the BBQ Chicky or the Loaded Nachos! They also carry Liv a Little vegan ice cream and Bunny’s Bites vegan desserts for your sweet tooth.
Vegan or not, Dead Bird is a brewery you must visit in Milwaukee!
3. Eagle Park Brewing Company
Number 3 on our list of 5 Awesome Milwaukee Breweries You Need to Try is Eagle Park Brewing Company.
Eagle Park Brewing Company has a couple locations in the Milwaukee area. Their original location is on Milwaukee’s East Side, but they have a new facility in Muskego, a southwestern suburb.
They are known for their more experimental beers with limited releases and fun, unique flavors. Some examples of these include:
Bahama Mama: fruited sour with pineapple, toasted coconut, and sweet cherry.
Man Your Battle Stations: Nine hour boil imperial stout with cacao nibs and vanilla.
Big Botm’s: Double Vanilla: A milkshake IPA brewed with blood orange tangerine, and mandarin
If you are looking for a hazy or milkshake IPA, Eagle Park is the best brewery in Milwaukee. They almost always have multiple hazy or milkshake IPAs in a huge variety of flavors. We recommend trying any or all of their IPAs!
4. Vennture Brew Co.
On Milwaukee’s west side, near Wauwatosa, is Vennture Brew Co. This is the only place on this list, and Milwaukee brewery, that’s half coffee house, half brewery. You can stop in for your caffeine fix in the morning and get a little buzz later in the day!
Vennture Brew Co. has a fantastic selection of beer that include more traditional styles like New England IPA, Lager, and Saison. Their beer menu is usually small, and they rotate all of their styles in and out so you never know what might be available to drink!
Our favorites at Vennture are Taste Buds NE IPA and Crisp Bae Lager. Their special releases are always truly unique and often use flavor combinations that aren’t seen anywhere else, so grab one of those if you’re looking for something different!
5. Third Space Brewing
The last of the 5 Milwaukee breweries you need to try is Third Space Brewing. It’s located in the Menomonee Valley and has a huge selection of beers with tons of variety in styles.
While Third Space has only been open for 4 years, it’s created quite a name for itself in the Milwaukee brewing community with a number of award-winning beers! They also have a cool space with an indoor taproom and an outdoor beer garden.
Third Space has everything from your traditional lager, IPA, and pale ale to brandy barrels aged kettle sours and their new, fun Beer About Nothing Series where they create funky new experimental beers for, well, fun!
We recommend the classic Happy Place Pale Ale or Unite the Clans Scottish-Style Ale. If you’re looking for something more exclusive and non-traditional, go for one of their limited release beers or their Beer About Nothing Series beers.
Milwaukee has tons of fantastic breweries to drink at, large and small, so you won’t have a problem running out of options. These 5 awesome Milwaukee breweries are just some of our favorites that we think you need to try next time you visit Milwaukee!
