Fun Beer Tours MKE

With a rich history that includes the inception and rise of many global names in the brewing industry, Milwaukee has earned its nickname as “the beer capital of the world.” Pabst, Miller, Schlitz—all born in Milwaukee. Beer is yet another prized resource in the land of cheese and cream and brick.

On a recent collaboration with Fun Beer Tours MKE, I got to learn some local history first-hand while enjoying delicious, locally brewed beer. Beer Is Famous, Milwaukee Made It So tour was a must-do activity for anyone looking to experience Milwaukee’s foamy culture, hands-on.

Tours are a wonderful way to get a taste of what Milwaukee has to offer, and Beer is Famous is one of my top recommendations. It was a “uniquely Milwaukee” way to spend a Saturday. The tour centered on MKE’s unique rise as an epicenter of water, grains, hops, yeast, and mass production, highlighting stops within the Pabst brewery complex.

Here’s how my Beer is Famous tour by Fun Beer Tours MKE went.

Quick details

Duration: 2 hours, 45 minutes; a walking distance of about .9 miles
Offered: select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays starting at 1 or 4 p.m.
Price: $20
Website: funbeertoursMKE.com
Note: must be 21+ to go on the tour

Each tour is led by the owner, Paul. Paul’s expertise is informed as a craft brewery co-founder, historic brewery artifacts collector, and a 30-year history teacher.

• Pilot Project Brewing Milwaukee
• Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
• On Tap
• Brewhouse Inn & Suites
• Central Waters Brewing Company

Beer is Famous tour by Fun Beer Tours MKE

Listen: I know a lot about beer. I can credit my knowledge to many factors: I’ve reviewed one or two breweries and toured many others; I love craft sour beer; I’m married to a home brewer (dare I say, a reformed beer snob?); I’ve lived in two states where beer is as much the culture as mountains or cheese. And because I know a lot, I never expect to be “wowed” by beer-based tours.

Consider me very much wowed!

Even with my lengthy list of credentials, Chad and I walked out of the Beer is Famous tour feeling like we just had a proper lesson in Milwaukee’s beer culture—a fun one—where we got so much out of our afternoon.

At each of our stops in Milwaukee’s Brewery District, we grabbed a beer to enjoy while our guide Paul gave us the lowdown on our location and its operation both present and past.

Stops

We started at Pilot Project Brewing Co. (formerly MKE Brewing), where we met our group of seven. Paul took us upstairs, where we began learning about Milwaukee’s role in beer’s rise to fame. This was followed by an overview tour of Pilot Project’s backend—complete with an iconic neon Pabst sign in the background. There was also a low-stakes trivia quiz involved, complete with handouts and a group review. As you can imagine, I absolutely loved this aspect of the tour.

From there, we made our way to Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, where we learned a great deal about the inception of Pabst at the behest of the Best family. Here, I also snagged a Schlitz hat from the gift shop (as someone who lives right by Schlitz Park, it was an obvious choice).

Up next, we walked to On Tap, a bar and restaurant connected to Brewhouse Inn and Suites. As we made our way into the hotel, we admired the historic remnants left over from generations of brewing (and even some modern history, like Will Ferrell’s 2010 mark). My favorite part was seeing the original and massive Pabst copper brewing kettles, and learning about the miraculously in-tact stained glass window depicting King Gambrinus, the patron saint of beer. Plus, it was a treat to see and hold some of Paul’s incredible beer artifacts.

The last stop on our Fun Beer Tours MKE Beer Is Famous tour was Central Waters. Central Waters is near to our hearts—it’s Chad’s all-time favorite brewery. We loved ending our tour here, complete with another fun matching quiz.

Overall

I highly recommend this tour and Fun Beer Tours MKE as a must-do Milwaukee experience.

From start to finish, the Beer Is Famous tour was fresh and engaging and Paul kept things interesting. His roots as a teacher are very obvious (and appreciated!) as he mixed in tactile, written, and auditory lessons throughout. He’s a pro, and Chad and I had so much fun.

This would be a great choice to bring out of town guests, though I also enjoyed it as a local.

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