Moving to Milwaukee (Greendale)

I will be moving to Milwaukee (Greendale) at the end of March. I'm debating finally joining a home brew club, does anyone have any suggestions on one to join? Also, anyone have suggestions for good brew pubs in the area?

Beer Barons of Milwaukee & Northern Brewer has a nice store not too far away....Brewpubs - Milwaukee Ale House, Rock Bottom, Water Street...

Find yourself some Sprecher...I always bring a few bottles home when I visit Milwaukee. Great stuff, particularly Black Bavarian.

I have a related question that my contribute to the OP too.

I'm coming from Madison in my way to IN and stopping in Milwaukee this Monday to drop my beer for the NHBC at the Northern Brewer store. I will be driving by at lunch time, so I'm debating if I should visit a 1-Local Brewery or 2-Get lunch in a bar/pub with good food but great selection of crafts

For those familiar with Milwaukee craft beer scene, would you recommend option 1 or 2 above? Where more specifically? I can only pick one place

I'm also in Madison, so I'm no Milwaukee expert. But I do know one bar with good food and a great beer selection -- that's Cafe Centraal in Bay View. Have fun!

EDIT: Here's some other ideas (not sure which of the others have decent food, though).

tophmck said:

I'm also in Madison, so I'm no Milwaukee expert. But I do know one bar with good food and a great beer selection -- that's Cafe Centraal in Bay View. Have fun!

EDIT: Here's some other ideas (not sure which of the others have decent food, though).

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Thanks, after reading that, I think I go with the Ale House for good pub-style food and good selection of beers

I live in the Third Ward, blocks away from what I'm listing below

For food and beer, I would recommend in order
1. Rumpus Room. Awesome food, and excellent selection of micros and limited edition brews
2. Hinterland. Awesome (pricey) food, and good selection of Hinterland brews from Green Bay
3. Ale House. Don't eat the food, their beers are decent, and have gotten better over the years
4. Cafe Benelux. Food is hit or miss but the sweet potato fries are always good, good selection of taps, and huge selection of bottles. Belgian experience
5. Water Street Brewery. Decent food, decent brews. Haven't been here in a while, it's in one of the dirtier parts of downtown

m_stodd said:

I live in the Third Ward, blocks away from what I'm listing below

For food and beer, I would recommend in order
1. Rumpus Room. Awesome food, and excellent selection of micros and limited edition brews
2. Hinterland. Awesome (pricey) food, and good selection of Hinterland brews from Green Bay
3. Ale House. Don't eat the food, their beers are decent, and have gotten better over the years
4. Cafe Benelux. Food is hit or miss but the sweet potato fries are always good, good selection of taps, and huge selection of bottles. Belgian experience
5. Water Street Brewery. Decent food, decent brews. Haven't been here in a while, it's in one of the dirtier parts of downtown

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Thanks! My first priority is the beer, what I like is not necessarily the large selection of taps in town but rather I love to go in a bar where they have great "exotic" or seasonal beers on tap that I have never heard about. I also like when the menu has a good description of the beers or the waiter is knowledgeable about them.

As for food, as long as it is decent and not too pricey, any will do it. I will probably just get a burger and fries, nothing too fancy. Do you still recommend Rumpus Room first?

You want interesting beer, don't move to Greendale. Live North of Downtown.

Lakefront Brewery

Hinterland (doesn't brew on premises but at their Green Bay location). Probably my favorite restaurant in town.

Big Bay has a tasting room in Shorewood. Don't know if they would be classified as a nano or microbrewery but they were started by a bunch of home brewers not long ago.

Silver Creek in Cedarburg (their seasonal Imperial Maibock should be out soon)

Cafe Hollander for your Belgian pleasure.

One lunch here? Don't go to Milwaukee Ale House. It's pretty generic. Lakefront Brewery tour or Cafe Hollander. Hollanders food is very good, beer menu is excellent, and the Wauwatosa location is pretty close to Northern Brewer.

i agree with mojo aside from:

DO go to the Milwaukee Ale House.

Big Bay is a.....well I'm not sure what to call them. They have all their stuff contract brewed. By Milwaukee Ale House and Stevens Point I believe.

Indyking said:

Thanks! My first priority is the beer, what I like is not necessarily the large selection of taps in town but rather I love to go in a bar where they have great "exotic" or seasonal beers on tap that I have never heard about. I also like when the menu has a good description of the beers or the waiter is knowledgeable about them.

As for food, as long as it is decent and not too pricey, any will do it. I will probably just get a burger and fries, nothing too fancy. Do you still recommend Rumpus Room first?

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As far as downtown places, I'd still put it first. Their burger, although $13, is extremely good, plus it's 1/2 lb! Also, you get a pretty great selection of beers

motobrewer said:

Big Bay is a.....well I'm not sure what to call them. They have all their stuff contract brewed. By Milwaukee Ale House and Stevens Point I believe.

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Thanks for the clarification. I've always wondered how those guys went from supposedly a bunch of home brewers to distribution in grocery stores and restaurants so quickly. So they are a little more insidery than they let on.

That said I like what I've had of theirs.

I take back what I said about Ale House. I haven't been there in a long time.

Thanks for the suggestions, Greendale is already settled, the lease is signed. I'm only 10 miles south of Marquette where I will be working and don't mind driving a little bit to visit places. Coming from Minneapolis, living 2 miles from the new Northern Brewer, I'm glad that I will still have one within a reasonable drive. I'll have to check out some of the places yall suggested, thanks.

nobody's mentioned sugar maple in bay view. that's disappointing.

motobrewer said:

nobody's mentioned sugar maple in bay view. that's disappointing.

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Sugar maple has a great selection of beerjust off of Lincoln and kk.Bennos in west allis on Greenfield has a crapload of good beers on tap. There is always the overpriced world of beers on Brady street. And Bennelux, hollander and Centraal, even trocadero is where you go for the Food AND beer.

TheBrewinator said:

Thanks for the suggestions, Greendale is already settled, the lease is signed. I'm only 10 miles south of Marquette where I will be working and don't mind driving a little bit to visit places. Coming from Minneapolis, living 2 miles from the new Northern Brewer, I'm glad that I will still have one within a reasonable drive. I'll have to check out some of the places yall suggested, thanks.

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ooooooo, yea I would have gone northside as well, mainly because of traffic - 94 south kinda blows after work. but I might be a bit biased, i'm well north of the city. i don't know anything about the greendale area, I think it's nice.