Page 108 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER SPRING 2022

which once sprawled over seven city blocks, is
open for tours and houses the modern-day Best
Place brewery. The baron's Flemish Renaissance
Revival mansion is also open to the public.
I visited three breweries during my stay, and
quaffed my fare share of pilsners, IPAs and odd
sounding brews during my stay. I come from San
Diego, one of the best beer cities in the nation,
and I found Milwaukee's scene to be just as eclec-
tic. City Lights Brewing Company was housed in
an impressive 1902 brick plant constructed for
the Milwaukee Gas Light Company. I enjoyed their
Mexican-style lager, a personal favorite. I joined a
group tour at the Milwaukee Brewing Company,
voted the city's best craft brewery in 2019. On the
tour I sipped a fine IPA while learning about the
learned the sustainable high-tech operation. My
fellow imbibers quickly became fast friends.
To get the full-on Old World German beer and
brat experience, I hobbled through the rain from
my hotel past sausage and cheese shops to
Mader's, an old-school restaurant that opened as
a bar for the town's German immigrants 1902.
With its elaborate beer steins, stained-glass win-
dows, knight's armor and woodcarvings, the din-
ing room reminded me of a restaurant I once
enjoyed in Nuremberg. The menu held all the stan-
dards, from wiener schnitzel to spatzel to sauer-
braten.
Dining alone in a German restaurant is diffi-
cult—even the pretzel is too big for one person. I'd
been eating convention fare and heavy treats for
days before finally making it to this landmark. Af-
ter ordering a dark, rich beer, I perused the menu
and actually ordered a grilled Caesar salad. The
pretzel croutons and a pretzel roll added some au-
thenticity, as did the flaky apple strudel for
dessert. My booth felt like a cushy respite from
the weather and conventioneering.

Left: Beer tastings included Mader's
German restaurant and two stellar
breweries.

Right: Several buildings around the city
announce the importance of the Pabst
name. A happy tour group takes a break
from sipping brews.

108 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER/SPRING 2022