Traveling Tuesday: Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee

For several years now, my kids and I have enjoyed tagging along when my hubby has business trips, making the most of the hotel room, whenever we can.  It just so happens that he has an event in Milwaukee annually, and we've found a ton of fun things to do in this city.

One of our can't-miss Milwaukee moments is the polka fish fry at Lakefront Brewery.  Well, the fish fry and the brewery tour, that is!

Lakefront Brewery started in 1987 when one of the founders gave his brother a "Beer Brewing for Dummies" book.  Which makes me love it that much more.  They worked on their beers, started and grew production, gained fans, and eventually ended up where they are now, in an old Power Plant building on the river in Milwaukee.  And as grungy as that may sound, it's actually a gorgeous place.

They're a small batch brewery, and very focused on providing quality products with quality ingredients.  Going on their tour, you learn a lot about their philosophy, their process, and their sense of humor.  There is a small fee ($7 this year) for the tour, but that price includes 4 pours of beer and a nice pint glass at the end that you get to keep.  Oh, and you get one (or a couple) of those pours before you even start the tour.

There's no charge for kids to go on the tour, and they are welcome, but if you'd like to keep them from trying to con your beer because they're so parched, you can get them some of Lakefront's Golden Maple Root Beer to sip along the way.  It's one of my kids' favorite root beers, and I have to admit, I like it almost as much as the beer myself!

On the tour, you get to walk through the facility and see where the brewing magic happens.

Halfway through the tour, you get to replenish your cup.

Then you move on to see more of the brewery.

Lakefront makes a variety of fantastic beers, including organic and gluten-free beer.  I really like their IPA and their Fixed Gear red ale.

One part of the tour that gets a good laugh is the discussion of the bung and the, *ahem*, bung hole.

You also get to visit the bottling line and reenact a little L&S.

Tours take place everyday.  Check their website for times.  And the beer hall serves delicious beer and food all week.  But only on Friday nights can you find the polka fish fry!

I mean...what's better than a hall full of slightly buzzed happy people eating beer-battered fish together with a live polka band???  Not much, my friends, not much.  It's hard to tear my kids off the dance floor, especially when the bubble machine is going.  

Oh, and the food is pretty great too.  So good, in fact, that while I was snapping this pic of the mac and cheese, one of the minions pretty much devoured all her fish whole.  And don't miss the potato pancakes as a side...they're fantastic!

So, if you ever find yourself in Milwaukee looking for something fun to do...or if you just feel like a little road trip that way...check out Lakefront!