Explorium Brewpub Has Huge Menu

If you are in the mood for a visit to an upscale pub in an historic building where the beer selection has the potential to satisfy every taste, look no further than the Explorium Brewpub. It’s located on St. Paul Ave. across the river from the Milwaukee Public Market in the Pritzlaff Building that once housed the John Pritzlaff Hardware Company. It’s hard to picture a hardware store of that magnitude in todays’ world of Home Depot and Walmart, but in the late 1800s until it closed in 1958, it was the go-to store for almost everything the citizens of Milwaukee needed for their everyday lives. From the original 16 buildings, six survive, and house the Brewpub, apartments, offices, and retail businesses.

When you come to the Brewpub, look around to see remnants of the hardware store, including the thick wooden beams, ceiling rafters, and a beautifully preserved wooden floor. You feel the history in this space where the owners took care to keep the bones of the original building.

On both visits, my companions and I began with beer flights, the best way to sample from a long list of house-made brews. We let our server be our guide and ordered Key Lime Cheesecake, Livingston’s Porter, and Copper Lager. The Key Lime was a surprise. You could call it dessert. It tasted exactly like key lime pie in a liquid form, an unexpected delight. We couldn’t stop there so we ordered another flight, English Apple Ale, Toasted Coconut Porter, and Belgian Blonde. The ale reminded us of a tart Granny Smith apple and if you like coconut, order the porter. The subtle taste of coconut blended with the dark rich porter left me wanting more.

The beer list is organized by alcohol content and as you scan to the bottom of the page, you will see Sticky Rye, a stout with 12.3 alcohol by volume.

On the extensive menu, there is a wide variety of choices that include, Burgers, Sandwiches, Entrees, Shareables, Soups, Salads, a Friday Fish Fry, and Flatbreads, Pizzas and Calzones. You will find that making a choice is an exercise in elimination. On my first visit, my companions and I ordered Flatbread, Pizza, and Calzone. After you decide what you want, you must choose from a long list of toppings and nine sauces.

The basic Margherita Pizza made with fresh mozzarella, thick marinara sauce, and lots of basil chiffonade, had a puffy crust that tasted and smelled of yeast. This pizza is a classic, thus ordered with expectations, and the brewpub’s version met all the criteria.

I added pepperoni and sun-dried tomatoes to my flatbread, and was not disappointed. The meat was crisp and there was a bit of sun-dried tomato in every bite. As for the calzone, it was huge, enough for another meal for my companion. All three entrees were made with the house-made dough. Every bite of the yeasty crust said “fresh.”

I returned with two friends and ordered the Jalapeno Pub Burger. This half-pound creation was piled high with three slices of thick-sliced bacon and pickled jalapenos. A tasty beer-cheese sauce smothered the burger and dripped down the outside of the bun. Every bite resonated with flavor thanks to the combination of thick-sliced bacon and cheesy sauce. The meat made a fat platform for the rest and all together it was a memorable, juicy, albeit messy burger.

A companion’s Southwest Bean Burger had plenty of spicy heat from pepper-jack cheese and Sriracha aioli. It was a pretty tasty alternative for vegetarians looking for a burger in a brewpub.

The Banh Mi also had spicy heat from gochujang aioli. This traditional Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette with pickled carrots, sliced cucumber, and shredded pork, had everything you would expect to find in a banh mi, including a perfect soft baguette with a crunchy crust. We all chose the house-made beer chips. They were exceptional. Tater Tots are an optional side as are Side Salads and Truffle Fries.

The menu is imposing. You want it all. Before you order, check out the Shareables and Small Plates. They include Fried Pierogi, Buffalo Cauliflower, Reuben Rolls, and the amazing Buffalo Chicken Tots. These tots are loaded with buffalo chicken, bacon, thick-sliced of course, cheese, jalapenos, cilantro, and finished with a house-made ranch dressing. And at the Explorium, “loaded” truly means “loaded.”

When it’s time for dessert, you can have cheesecake, a brownie, a cookie, a float, or you can just order a glass of that Cheesecake Key Lime beer.

Friends and I left with a plan to return to this cool space where we found good beer, good food, and excellent service. If you want upscale pub food in Milwaukee, come on down to this relative newcomer on St. Paul in the Third Ward. You will not be disappointed.

On The Menu

Photo Gallery

The Rundown

• Location: 143 W. St Paul Ave.
• Phone: 414-423-1365
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon-Thu, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Fri-Sat, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sun
• Neighborhood: Menomonee River Valley
• Website: https://exploriumbrew.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/exploriumbrew?lang=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exploriumbrew/
• UM Rating: 4.25 stars (average of Yelp, Trip Advisor and Zomato)