Lakefront Brewery

Lakefront Brewery is a brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 1987. It is known for its craft beers, including the popular Riverwest Stein and Fixed Gear. The brewery offers tours and tastings, making it a local tourist attraction.

Lakefront Brewery was established in Milwaukee in 1987 by brothers Russ and Jim Klisch. Its development took place during the growth of the American craft-brewing movement, but the company differentiated itself by tying its beers closely to Milwaukee neighborhoods and by pursuing specialty categories earlier than many regional competitors. Riverwest Stein and East Side Dark are examples of the local naming approach that became part of the brewery’s identity. In 1992, Lakefront launched Lakefront Cherry Lager as a seasonal bottled fruit beer. The product used cherries associated with Wisconsin agriculture, including Door County cherries, and the brewery is credited with being the first U.S. brewery to bottle fruit beer after Prohibition. This gave Lakefront an early role in the expansion of flavored and fruit-based craft beer. The company moved further into alternative production in 1996, becoming the first certified organic brewery in the United States. Its Organic E.S.B. was made with entirely organic malt and hops and was described as the first organic beer bottled in the country. Russ Klisch also partnered with Wisconsin farmers to encourage the cultivation of organic hops within the state, reinforcing the brewery’s relationship with local agriculture and sustainability. Lakefront’s New Grist became another major milestone. Brewed with sorghum and gluten-free yeast, it was developed for consumers avoiding gluten. Because it did not meet the then-existing barley-malt requirement for use of the word beer, Lakefront petitioned the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for permission to market it as beer. The successful petition helped establish New Grist as the first gluten-free beer in the United States and positioned the brewery at the forefront of a growing specialty segment. Production growth accompanied this product development. The brewery shipped 8,863 barrels to wholesalers in 2006, an increase of 2,571 barrels, or 41 percent, from the preceding year. The popularity of New Grist contributed to growth and attracted competitive interest from other brewers. Lakefront’s portfolio consequently came to represent both traditional regional craft styles and products designed around organic or gluten-free requirements. The brewery also developed a visitor and hospitality business. Its tours combine brewing education with entertainment and beer sampling, beginning with a beer for visitors rather than waiting until the end of the tour. Staff members use an intentionally flexible format, explaining the brewing operation while adding personal humor and directing guests to features such as the large grain-storage silo. A notable stop at the bottling line incorporates a musical reference to the television series Laverne & Shirley, whose fictional brewery setting is associated with Milwaukee. The tour’s profile grew nationally and it was ranked fourth among American brewery tours in 2010. Lakefront has preserved and displayed Milwaukee-related artifacts. The brewery acquired the original Bernie Brewer’s Chalet when the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium changes required a new home for it. It also acquired historic lights originally designed for a 1916 beer garden at the Plankinton Hotel. The lights were restored before being displayed in the brewery’s Palm Garden area. Food service and events became part of the site’s operations in the late 1990s, when restaurateur Russ Davis approached the Klisch brothers about using the brewery’s large banquet room. The arrangement produced a family-oriented restaurant environment featuring Friday fish fries, polka music, weddings, and corporate functions. Davis’s lease was not renewed at the end of November 2013. Lakefront subsequently took greater control of the space, extended tour hours, and opened the Beer Hall, which serves locally sourced and German-influenced food. The brewery continues to promote Friday fish fries and polka performances, although it no longer hosts wedding receptions according to the referenced account. Lakefront’s environmental credentials expanded in 2007, when it became the first brewery in Wisconsin and the first business in Milwaukee to receive Travel Green Wisconsin certification. The program recognizes tourism businesses that reduce waste and energy use and encourage environmental awareness among workers and suppliers. The brewery also maintains a public presence at Milwaukee’s Summerfest through a dedicated pavilion serving its beers, including New Grist. Today, Lakefront Brewery remains identified with Milwaukee craft brewing, family-linked ownership, specialty beer innovation, sustainability, and brewery tourism. Its business model extends beyond wholesale beer into tours, food, events, cultural preservation, and festival hospitality.

1. 2013Beer Hall follows Palm Garden closure

   After the Palm Garden lease ends in late November, Lakefront opens its own Beer Hall and expands evening visitor programming.

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2. 2010Brewery tour receives national ranking

   Lakefront's tour is ranked fourth among brewery tours in the United States.

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3. 2007Travel Green Wisconsin certification

   Lakefront becomes the first Wisconsin brewery and first Milwaukee business to receive Travel Green Wisconsin certification.

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4. 2006Wholesale shipments grow

   The brewery ships 8,863 barrels to wholesalers, reported as a 41 percent increase over the previous year.

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5. 1999Palm Garden restaurant arrangement begins

   Restaurateur Russ Davis approaches Lakefront about operating food and event programming in the brewery's banquet space.

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6. 1996Organic certification and Organic E.S.B.

   Lakefront becomes the first certified organic brewery in the United States and produces Organic E.S.B. using organic malt and hops.

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7. 1992Cherry Lager enters the bottled fruit-beer market

   Lakefront begins producing seasonal Lakefront Cherry Lager, recognized as the first fruit beer bottled in the United States after Prohibition.

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8. 1987Lakefront Brewery is founded

   Brothers Russ and Jim Klisch establish the brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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A Milwaukee-centered regional craft brewery combining neighborhood identity, specialty and alternative-diet beers, Wisconsin ingredients, environmental practices, brewery tourism, and informal hospitality.

• Riverwest SteinCraft beer

  A core Lakefront beer named after Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood. It represents the brewery's practice of using local place names to give its portfolio a strong Milwaukee identity.

• East Side DarkDark beer

  A dark beer associated with Milwaukee's East Side. The brand is part of Lakefront's neighborhood-inspired range and illustrates its emphasis on regional identity rather than generic national branding.

• Lakefront Cherry LagerFruit lager1992

  A seasonal lager made with cherries and introduced in 1992. It is associated with Wisconsin-grown fruit, including Door County cherries, and is recognized for its place in the post-Prohibition history of bottled American fruit beer.

• Organic E.S.B.Organic ale1996

  An extra special bitter made with 100 percent organic malt and hops. Introduced in connection with Lakefront's 1996 organic certification, it helped establish the brewery's early environmental and organic-beer credentials.

• New GristGluten-free beer

  A gluten-free beer brewed with sorghum and gluten-free yeast. Lakefront's successful federal petition to permit the product to be called beer made New Grist an important early product in the American gluten-free beer category.

• 2013Transition from Palm Garden to brewery-operated Beer HallStrategy

  The Palm Garden lease was not renewed at the end of November, creating an opportunity to change how Lakefront used its hospitality space.

  What changed. Lakefront extended tours into the evening and opened its own Beer Hall with food, fish fries, and live polka music.

  Aftermath. The brewery assumed a more direct role in food service and visitor programming, while wedding receptions were discontinued according to the referenced account.

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• 2007Adoption of Travel Green Wisconsin practicesStrategy

  The brewery sought formal recognition for operational measures addressing environmental impact.

  What changed. Lakefront obtained Travel Green Wisconsin certification by demonstrating efforts involving waste, energy use, and environmental awareness.

  Aftermath. It became the first brewery in Wisconsin and first Milwaukee business to receive the certification.

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• 1996Commitment to certified organic brewingStrategy

  Lakefront pursued organic certification and sought to develop reliable supplies of organic brewing inputs.

  What changed. The brewery became the first certified organic brewery in the United States and produced Organic E.S.B.; Russ Klisch also partnered with Wisconsin farmers to grow organic hops.

  Aftermath. The move established sustainability and organic production as recurring elements of Lakefront's brand identity.

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• 2013Lakefront opens its Beer Hall after Palm Garden closure

  After the Palm Garden lease ended in late November, Lakefront expanded evening tours and opened a brewery-operated Beer Hall with German-style and locally sourced food.

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• 2010Lakefront expands its brewery tour reputation

  The brewery tour was ranked fourth among American brewery tours, increasing the visibility of Lakefront's visitor-focused operating model.

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• 2007Lakefront receives Travel Green Wisconsin certification

  Lakefront became the first Wisconsin brewery and the first Milwaukee business recognized under the state's Travel Green Wisconsin program.

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• 1996Lakefront becomes the first certified organic brewery in the United States

  The brewery obtained organic certification and produced Organic E.S.B., an organic beer made with organic malt and hops.

  Other
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• 1992Lakefront introduces bottled Cherry Lager

  Lakefront began producing seasonal Lakefront Cherry Lager, described as the first fruit beer bottled in the United States after Prohibition.

  Product launch
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1. Lakefront Brewery