Wisconsin Breweries Create Packers-Themed Beer
Plus: Burger deals, flood damage and a Deer District shakeup.
Gold Package can. Photo courtesy of Lakefront Brewery.
What’s green and gold and best served cold?
Lakefront Brewery‘s Packers-themed beer, Gold Package, created in partnership with Badger State Brewing Company.
Following its 2024 debut, the brew returns ahead of the NFL’s opening day—this time as a lager. Last year’s Gold Package release was a golden ale.
“This collaboration is all about great friendships, quality beer, and showcasing our collective brewing expertise,” said AJ Belling, Lakefront’s northern Wisconsin sales rep, in a statement.
He also noted that the two breweries have a key employee in common. “Our former Lead Brewer, Ryan Hillesland, is now the Head Brewer [at Badger State], which gave us all the more reason to partner with our friends up north.”
Brewed with Pilsner, Light Munich and Vienna malts, Golden Helles Lager is light-bodied and easy-drinking with a crisp finish, according to Lakefront—great for pairing with a cheesehead and maybe even a Lambeau Leap.
“It is quite an honor for us to collaborate with Lakefront Brewery again this year on Gold Package,” said Kevin Kuzlik, sales director at Badger State. “Last year we went through 21,000 cans and 150 kegs of it. I can’t wait for beer drinkers across the state to get their hands on this year’s version!”
Golden Helles Lager, brewed at Lakefront’s Riverwest location, will be available in 12-ounce six-packs at retailers throughout the state, as well as on tap at locations serving Lakefront and Badger State brews.
Three Walker’s Point Businesses Celebrating Anniversaries
After just one year of heading Station 1846, owner Meghan Miles no longer remembers life without the business. That’s the reality of people who build something from the ground up, she said.
“It’s such a time commitment with so much to accomplish that hours go by like seconds—yet I don’t remember a time without Station 1846 in my life.”
Miles, also the founder and CEO of City Tours MKE, launched the cafe and cocktail lounge at 215 W. Bruce St. in August 2024. The year-long project transformed the former Schaefer Auto Services into a public-facing amenity and home base for the tourism company, which operates a fleet of five electric vehicles and two buses.
She celebrated the milestone with a block party and vendors market on Aug. 16. The all-day event featured live music, giveaways and drink specials, along with a lineup of local vendors offering everything from pastries to puppies.
Facing Extended Flood Closure, Cafe Hollander Reassigns 70 Employees
Last weekend’s intense storms—and accompanying rainfall—sent the Menomonee River over its banks and into Wauwatosa Village, flooding buildings and cutting power to hundreds in the immediate area.
Cafe Hollander, 7677 W. State St., was among the hardest hit, with vast amounts of water pouring into its kitchen Sunday morning.
“We started getting calls around 6:30 in the morning when our team started showing up to get ready for brunch,” said Eric Wagner, CEO and founder of Lowlands Group, which runs the Wauwatosa restaurant and seven others throughout the Milwaukee area and Madison. “At first, we thought it was going to be a bit of a hassle and maybe we’d open a bit later after we got some of the moisture out.”
But the water continued to rise, reaching four feet deep inside by mid-morning. Employees were sent home for the day and the restaurant announced its temporary closure.
Five Ingredients With a Foodie: Juneil Cabreza
Editor: This is the second installment of a new series in which Urban Milwaukee will explore five ingredients and how to use them with Milwaukee chefs, growers and caterers.
For the first eight years of his life, Juneil Cabreza spoke only Tagalog, mastering the language along with his earliest culinary skills at his mother’s side in the kitchen.
“I got to learn how to cook from her from an early age,” he said. “Everything was always homemade. Nothing was store bought.”
As Cabreza matured, family trips to the Filipino grocery store gave way to to culinary school classes and, eventually, stints at fine dining restaurants across the country.
George Webb’s Curious History
Here’s something to debate with your friends while waiting in line to get your free burger next week: where and when did George Webb open his first restaurant?
And how many games did the Brewers need to win to get that first free burger? 12? 16? 17? 20?
As the company tells it, and numerous news accounts parrot, it opened in 1948 at the intersection of N. Van Buren Street and E. Ogden Avenue (in a since-demolished building at 633 E. Ogden Ave. to be exact).
“George was the real deal. He opened his very first ‘hamburger parlor’ in 1948 right here in Milwaukee on the corner of Ogden and Van Buren streets,” says the company’s website.
George Webb Announces Burger Giveaway Date, Plus Two More Deals
The Milwaukee Brewers stepped up to the plate—and now George Webb will fill yours.
Wednesday’s home victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates marked the team’s 12th straight win, triggering the diner’s long-running promotion that promises free burgers after a dozen-game streak.
The giveaway will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at all 23 locations across the state, most concentrated in the Milwaukee area.
Those who can’t make it—or prefer to avoid the lines—can secure a voucher for later use beginning Friday, Aug. 15 at any location.
Milwaukee Offers Guidance For Bars, Restaurants Cleaning Up From Storm
Employees at O’Lydia’s Bar and Grill clocked in Sunday morning only to find more than a foot of standing water in the building’s basement.
Flooding from record-setting rainfall over the weekend had incapacitated a lower-level prep space and ice machine, infiltrated a walk-in cooler and contaminated kitchen equipment ranging from cutting boards to cookware at the business, 338 S. 1st St.
After more than 24 hours of cleanup spread over two days, O’Lydia’s was able to safely reopen to the public earlier this week. By Wednesday afternoon it was business as usual, a handful of guests seated throughout the dining room and sunny patio as the Brewers game played on screens behind the bar.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee Health Department representatives were also on hand to celebrate O’Lydias’ recovery and share information with businesses and homeowners facing similar fallout.
Puerto Rican Tapas Bar Planned For National Avenue
Three years ago, Carolin Rosario-Virella and Mildred Virella-Martinez set out to open a bar—but ended up with a food trailer.
The couple has since fallen in love with hospitality, relishing the daily opportunity to share Puerto Rican cuisine and culture from the window of Las Virellas, based at Zocalo food Park.
“People have accepted us in an incredible way,” Virella-Martinez said, noting enthusiasm for traditional foods like jibaritos and pernil. “The local people love the food,” Rosario-Virella added. “And we love them right back.”
The partners now plan to build on that foundation—and realize their original vision—with a permanent location in Walker’s Point. El Batey, a bar and tapas restaurant, is slated to open at 1003 W. National Ave. in late 2025.
New Bar Taking Over Key Deer District Spot
A new bar is set to replace The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill, shaking up Deer District ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ upcoming season.
Tom’s Watch Bar plans to take over the multi-level tavern space directly across the plaza from Fiserv Forum, according to a license application submitted to the city Wednesday afternoon.
Billed as the “ultimate sports bar experience,” Tom’s offers a wide range of domestic, imported and craft beers, along with cocktails, wine, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages. Also a full-service restaurant, the business highlights classic pub fare like burgers, chicken wings and deep-dish nachos, with elevated offerings such as an ahi tuna tower and lobster mac and cheese.
The sports bar is part of a chain with 16 locations nationwide—each reportedly featuring upwards of 100 TVs for maximum gameday viewing.
Oyster Bar Opening Inside Bay View Restaurant
Outlaw Oyster made its debut in early 2025, transforming a semi-hidden space at Crafty Cow‘s Wauwatosa restaurant into an eclectic destination for fresh fish and seafood.
Six months in, the pop-up has emerged as a rare pearl.
Diners flock for the Northeast-meets-Northwoods menu, which offers half-shell oysters and lobster rolls alongside nostalgic Midwestern fare like smoked whitefish dip and a Packer party-worthy pimento cheese ball.
These days, snagging a spot at the 36-seat restaurant often means waiting in a line. Owner Devin Eichler plans to capitalize on that popularity—and whittle down wait times—with a second location set to open next month in Bay View.
Feeding America’s New Board Member is a Milwaukee Buck
Before he became an NBA player, Bobby Portis Jr. was just a kid growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas.
His upbringing in the mid-sized city, though not without challenges, instilled a deep commitment to community—one he now channels into hunger relief as Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s newest board member.
“Growing up, we didn’t always have the answers,” the Milwaukee Bucks power forward said during a press conference Tuesday morning at the nonprofit’s Milwaukee food bank, 1700 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
“My mom had four kids and was proud to take care of all of us, but along the way, there was always someone who stepped in and gave us a helping hand.”
Latin-Inspired Tavern Opens in Walker’s Point
Banderas opened in early August at 408 W. Florida St., bringing street food, soccer and an expansive selection of agave-based spirits to the former Lost Valley Cider Co. space in Walker’s Point.
The Latin-inspired tavern is now gearing up for a grand opening celebration, Aug. 15 through 17, which will feature tastings, tattoos and a raffle, according to a news release from Caravan Hospitality Group.
Beyond the grand opening, Banderas aims to serve as a “cultural hub” with bilingual staff, themed happy hours, social mixers and Spanish-language programming, including televised soccer matches.
The tavern highlights a large collection of tequila, mezcal and other agave-based spirits, plus beer, South American wines and a lineup of cocktails and mocktails developed by mixologist David Gonzalez.
Bay View Bakery Announces Rebrand
Less than one year after launching a second location in Bay View, Batter & Mac has rebranded as Gather Bakehouse.
The change, announced Sunday, reflects the bakery’s future following a partial ownership change last spring, as well as its continued commitment to community, according to co-founder Brittany Wohlfeil.
“We thought it was a good name to sum up everything we are,” she told Urban Milwaukee, noting the business’s role in many customers’ gatherings—both as a physical space and through its products. “People often take our baked goods to weddings, birthday parties, Packer parties with hot ham and rolls—we’re a part of a lot of peoples’ individual gatherings.”
Wohlfeil and her sister, Kasey Gusho, combined their individual businesses—Batter MKE and Mac MKE—to form Batter & Mac in 2021.
Lakefront Brewery Has Tasty Food
My history with Lakefront Brewery goes back to 1996 when I wrote The Food Lover’s Guide to Milwaukee. I got lucky when I happened on a small brewery on Chambers Street in Riverwest on a day when they were tasting their new fruit brews, cherry and pumpkin. The person who shared samples with me described the cherry brew like this: “It’s tart, hollow, woody, with a champagne flavor that ends with a hint of malt and hops,” a mouthful of words to describe a beer that tasted like, well, cherry. They made it, then and now, with Door County cherries, including the pits to add a hint of almond to the mix. The second sample, pumpkin lager, I later learned was a recipe that originally came from Thomas Jefferson.
From their unpretentious beginning on Chambers, in 2000, Lakefront took their beer operation to Commerce Street by the Milwaukee River where they brew and serve food in a rathskeller-like room with long communal tables.
When you come for a meal, it is a slick operation. You pick up a menu, order at the counter, and in a very short time, a server delivers your meal. If you want a drink, you order it separately at the bar where you can choose from 18 taps, fountain drinks, or the refreshing house-made golden maple root beer.
If you come on a Friday, you will get the Friday menu, a scaled-down version of the regular menu because the fish fry is the main event. My companion’s fish tacos, strips of beer-battered cod neatly tucked into a flour tortilla were a rave. Also, inside the tortilla there were micro greens, chopped tomatoes, and hidden underneath the cod, coleslaw. The side, house-made sour cream and cheddar kettle chips, were unique in their toasty flavor.
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