Now days, when I check out any community, at least one with a substantial population, a craft brewery is always within reach. And some breweries, as I’ll explain below, reside in towns boasting only a few hundred people. Heck, a few beer factories reside right along, and I mean right in the middle of, some Dairyland farm fields.
I’ll write about a few Breweries, five to be exact. Whether in a small community, or, like I had just mentioned, in a rural setting, these northeast Wisconsin establishments are worth a visit.
I’ll start off with the biggest community on my list: Sturgeon Bay, which has a population of around 9,000 people. This Great Lakes shipbuilding town, a blue collar locale with tourist allure, sits on a 19th century canal. And sitting at one end of the city’s historic bridge, the bridge being a steel vestige constructed during the Great Depression, the Bridge Up Brewing Co. provides a great beer sipping atmosphere. Whether you sit on the patio, surmising the canal, the bay and the industrial banks of a shipyard,
or choose to to enjoy the kitschy taproom, the setting suits this maritime town well.
Secondly, as it’s just a short jaunt, should you course north on highway 57, gallivanting the Door Peninsula’s eastern shore, you’ll find the casual town known as Bailey’s Harbor.
Here, among this town of only a few hundred, sits a fairly sizable building, one that has the outer appearance of an old town general store. Inside this space, you’ll find the Door County Brewing Company taproom.
And very close by, a food truck and food stand allow for outdoor eats while sipping beer.
Stepping away from Door County, but not too far, you’ll find a brewery, one named for its geographical location, quite literally set in a hayfield.
Thumb Knuckle Brewing Company gets its name because it resides just south of the Door Peninsula, which happens, if you should look at a map, and agree that Wisconsin looks resembles a left hand, to look like the state’s thumb.
This place, with all the name explanation aside, is kind of cool.
Staying just outside Door County, in a little lakeside town known as Algoma, you’ll find the Ahnapee Brewery. This particular place resides in a garage; so, it’s pretty tiny-and that’s what makes it cool.
You can also sit on the taproom’s mini patio, taking in the beautiful expanse of a quaint marina. Not to mention the beers are excellent.
Lastly, just outside the very small town of Greenleaf, Wisconsin, you’ll find the Gnarly Cedar Brewery.
This particular place shares its property with the LedgeStone Vineyards. So, if someone in your party, most likely a female, cares for wine over beer, there are plenty of excellent choices for her. And, as was the case with Thumb Knuckle Brewing Company, this particular place resides in an agrarian setting, allowing for food trucks and live music during summer
In closing, I’d just like to say that every one of these places, all with quaint small town charm, offer great service and beer. It’s all about finding that brewery that suits your taste. Heck, maybe you’ve found more than one appealing. Or, if you’re like me, perhaps all will register as a ‘gotta see it’ type spot.
Safe Travels!
Midwestern Escapes 