Milwaukee Wisconsin

The next morning we decided to drive towards Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We knew it was only two hours away so we decided to take a scenic route up, seeing a bunch of beaches, the only lighthouse in the area, and some parks. Needing to say that we at least put our feet in the lake we made a quick stop and then proceeded to the Miller Brewery in Wisconsin.

Pulling up to Miller Valley felt like pulling up to Mr. Wonka’s factory except that the sweat aroma of coco beans filling the air was replaced by freshly brewed beer.

Miller Valley is four blocks long, the free tour of the brewery is about an hour long and the beer is free.

Since we visited the brewery on a weekday, we were able to receive an intimate tour. Jack our tour guide was a sweetheart. He brought us through packaging, distribution, brewing and the caves. Prior to the invention of electric refrigeration, the caves were where the beer was originally stored to keep it icy cold. The tour was delightful with the exception of a small group of knuckleheads who were very loud and obnoxious, thankfully, Jack, being the wonderful tour guide that he is, kicked them out. Since he felt bad about the interruption, he brought us through the Miller Inn (the bar where the visitors are served beer in the winter). The tours last stop was across the street at the beer garden, where we were able to get three free beers each. The first beer was the freshest Miller Lite that Jason and I have ever tasted. We then chose our new favorite beer, Leinenkugel Original Amber. Unfortunately, we learned that we east coasters do not receive any of the beer distributed in this Miller brewery.

* A fun fact about the distribution: 40% of the beer produced at the Milwaukee brewery is distributed directly to Chicago.

After chatting it up with the bartender, we decided to check out Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball and then to one of her favorite German restaurants. At the Old German Beer Hall we were able to sample an assortment of authentic German meats and wash it down with a liter of home brewed beer.

Before we enjoyed ourselves too much, we headed out of Milwaukee and called it a night.