With about 47 bars per 100,000 people, Wisconsin drinks a lot! We’ve lived here for years and it still amazes us how often you’ll stumble across a bar or a tap room – even in the middle of no where. However, when we’re traveling, we’re not just looking for a drink, we’re looking for an experience. So as we road trip our way across Wisconsin, we love to stop in for a local winery or brewery. Well we’ve criss crossed the state so many times now we wanted to share our favorite finds. Keep reading for the best Wisconsin breweries that we’ve discovered!
What earned these establishments the honor of being one of the best Wisconsin breweries? Well overall awesomeness! It could be an amazing tour, a great tap room, historical significance or just great beer. This is not a list of the best beers in Wisconsin; we haven’t tried nearly enough beers to comment on that.
PS: this list is organized by location, not any particular ranking system.
Lakefront Brewery
Milwaukee, WI
The best brewery tour I have ever been on! If you take one brewery tour in your life, this should be it. This brewery is a must-visit even for folks who don’t love beer. Their tour is both hilarious and informative. The tap room is massive and serves great food as well.
Miller Brewery
Milwaukee, WI
With the rise of local breweries, it can be easy to overlook the big players in the beer game when participating in beer-tourism. However, we think it’s important to have a well rounded knowledge of the beer industry – and a well rounded beer tasting palette. For that reason, we think doing a Miller Brewery tour is a great activity for all adults. You’ll learn about all of the history of the brewery as well as how it has grown to be the massive conglomerate it is today.
3 Sheeps Brewing
Sheboygan, WI
We think 3 Sheeps Brewing is one of the best breweries in Wisconsin based solely on their beers. Solidly beer-y, their taps focus on elevating beers without going overboard. This is a beer maker we always suggest to folks visiting us from out of state. The brewery itself is large and fun with plenty of people just hanging out for hours.
Badger State Brewing
Green Bay, WI
A massive taproom in Green Bay, Badger State Brewing is one of the best Wisconsin breweries and one of our favorite grabs from the beer cooler at our local store. While the beer is good, the beer tasting room is even better. Just a block from Lambeau Field (Packer’s football stadium), this massive space has indoor and outdoor seating, a full menu and a hoppin’ social vibe.
Door County Brewing
Door County, WI
One of the most popular Wisconsin vacation destinations, Door County is a great place to relax with a brew. So it’s no wonder that they have one of the best Wisconsin breweries, along with some of the best Wisconsin wineries. Overall, Door County is a great vacation destination! But where some beer-tourism destinations focus on the tourism, Door County Brewing focuses on the beer. With a well-rounded menu, we describe their beers as “incredibly drinkable”.
Starboard Brewing
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Starboard Brewing is another destination we stumbled on when just enjoying a Wisconsin road trip. Located in a standard downtown shopfront, this place does not scream brewery. However, the small batch beers are all excellent. So while other breweries on this list may win for vibes, this place has some of the most consistently good beer.
Ale Asylum
Madison, WI
This massive brewpub is a great place to spend a few hour relaxing in Madison. With beers made using only water, malt, hops and yeast, their beers are solidly beer-y and trusted by beer purists. The taproom also serves delicious Wisconsin style bar food and their patio is always hopping on a sunny day. Ale Asylum is one of our favorite meeting spots in Madison as it has a great social vibe.
New Glarus Brewing Company
New Glarus, WI
Most beer drinkers can’t drive through Wisconsin without picking up a Wisconsin exclusive New Glarus beer, most popular is Spotted Cow. So it would just be rude to not visit New Glarus Brewing Company on any road trip through Southern Wisconsin. The New Glarus brewery tours and taproom visits are a fun intro to beer making. The beers you’ll find here are more traditional style brews. After you’ve had a drink, don’t forget to check out the German inspired town of New Glarus – it sure is unique.
Potosi Brewery
Potosi, WI
The Potosi Brewery has been in operation since 1852 so this would be a historic stop on your best Wisconsin breweries tour. Onsite, you’ll find a brewery, pub and National Brewery Museum. There is a lot of history here to explore that is worth a stop. Including learning about how the brewery switch to root beer during prohibition – which they still serve, with or without ice cream. The brews here have a wide range of appeal – and again, if you can’t find anything, I recommend the root beer. …Did I mention the root beer?
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing
Chippewa Falls, WI
This historic brewery has been in operation from 1867 until now! The tour explores the original brewery spaces as well as the current experimental brewery on site now. While main brewery operations have moved, take a tour and do a tasting in the tap room to explore some beers unique to the brewery or even beers resurrected from history.
The Brewing Projekt
Eau Claire, WI
For years, this brewery has been a favorite for us. From an industrial garage space to their updated open taproom on the river, the brewery space has always been unique. What’s even more unique is their selection of beers. Their iconic Gunpowder is a green tea infused IPA is one of our favorite Wisconsin beers that we always share with visitors. Their rotating taps always have something interesting to try: from that horrible mango milkshake thingy we tried to that delicious stout dohicky that tasted like Dr. Pepper, you’ll for sure find something unique on tap.
Oliphant Brewing
Somerset, WI
Oliphant Brewing is one of those gems that you only discover on a Wisconsin road trip. We stopped in and were hooked. Great beer, super nerdy taproom, and great graphic design – it was the trifecta for us. There are a few beery-beers always on tap and several rotating experimental beers with a high rate of deliciousness.
We hope this list of what we think are the best breweries in Wisconsin has helped you to discover a new gem or find something to fill your Wisconsin vacation with. As always, if you’re discovering these breweries on a Wisconsin road trip, make sure to designate a driver! If you have any questions or suggestions of your own, leave them in the comments section below.
