We stopped at Potosi Brewing for lunch. It's a non-profit brewery tucked in a beautiful, rural part of Wisconsin. The town is super small but very cute. We had beer-battered cheese curds as an appetizer and I ordered a brisket melt and sweet potato fries (my favorite side whenever I can get it). Of course, we each had a beer as well. He had the lemon shandy and I had a dark saison. Everything was delicious, and our service was fantastic as well.
After a winding drive through the countryside, our next stop was at New Glarus Brewing. I'd had some of their beers but I hadn't yet visited the mecca. I'm so glad I fixed that. The facility is beautiful and everything is so streamlined. There wasn't a lot of waiting for beers, and beer depot was set up perfectly for when we were ready to load out (with lots of beer for friends). I only wish the weather would have been nicer so we could have enjoyed the bier garten more. Guess that just means we'll have to go back. Darn.
Traffic getting into Milwaukee was crazy, but we eventually did make it to our AirBNB. It was a cozy little place in the perfect location. No more than 15 minutes from anywhere we wanted to go during our weekend. Plus the hosts had left us cookie dough and beer in the fridge. Once we had checked it out and cleaned up, we headed out for my birthday dinner at a restaurant that came highly recommended -- Sobelman's. I wish I liked Bloody Marys because they had some incredible-looking ones, but I stuck with beer.
Our final stop of the night was a brewery I had researched and was intrigued by -- MobCraft. They crowdsource beers, meaning they ask their customers to submit ideas for beers. And if they make it, the submitter gets credit on the menu. Sean and I each ordered a flight and there wasn't one beer in my four that I didn't like. They even made two sours I liked. That never happens. Unfortunately neither of them was packaged so I could bring them home. But we did leave with plenty of souvenirs (beers).
Saturday morning, we were up early and off to find breakfast. We went to a place called Mad Rooster. I had the Mad Breakfast Tacos and Sean had chicken and waffles. My tacos were amazing and the bite I had of Sean's meal was pretty tasty too. The place filled up pretty quickly after we were seated, so it's clear we made a good choice.
With full bellies, we headed off to our first brewery tour of the day -- Lakefront Brewing. I'd been there a few years ago and really enjoyed the tour. Plus they make one of my favorite beers (Fixed Gear) that has become increasingly hard to find in Des Moines. I was so happy to be reunited with it. Our tour guide was funny and informative. I love hearing the history of places and that's what most of this tour is about. The taproom was just as I remembered from my last visit and the food looked and smelled incredible, but unfortunately we weren't hungry yet.
That afternoon, we went on a tour at Milwaukee Brewing. It was a much different tour than Lakefront. It talked more about the brewing process and more specifically how it's done there. They are a solar-powered brewery, and I really enjoyed seeing the green initiatives they're using. Their beers were delicious too. We came home with a decent selection.
Sunday, we ended our time in Milwaukee by checking off another ballpark. It was drizzly and cool, but that didn't dampen our enjoyment one bit. We walked around and explored the exterior until the gates opened. Inside, we snagged some foods that had been recommended to us and (of course) some local brews.
The most notable of foods recommended to us was the helmet nachos .... which we polished off in 18 minutes. I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed.
It was great to be back in my own bed on Sunday night, however we weren't quite ready to return to reality again. We decided to turn our vacation into a staycation. We got tenderloins at Smitty's (a Des Moines institution), saw all the animals at the zoo, and spent a few hours splashing around at the pool.
All in all, it was a great weekend. It was nice to get away from home and responsibilities for a few days and have some time with just Sean.
So glad you had a good time!! Sounds like so much fun! :)
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