Lakefront Brewery’s New Riverwalk Patio

Lakefront Brewery’s new patio. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

When we last examined Lakefront Brewery in 2015, during its 17th year at its location in an old powerhouse at 1872 N. Commerce St., owner Russ Klisch had recently replaced the concrete ramp leading to its second-floor entrance and had also installed secure railings, seating and a kayak dock along its riverwalk frontage, while adding many other less-visible attributes to the facility. The improvements were sleek and of substantial construction, fitting in with the 1908 brewery building and the hulking, muscular Holton Viaduct which looms above.

In 2019, collaborating with Retailworks, a local woman-owned consulting firm, Klisch decided to install a 40 foot high display of 71 beer kegs at the northeast corner of the building, all equipped with programmable LED lights. The “Kegnado” was born, adding a bit of whimsy to the former industrial corridor, where whimsy had been hitherto unknown in the tanneries and warehouses of the district. As Klisch noted, the “work has kept the authentic look to our century-old building and contributed to the fun culture that we have here at the brewery to keep it a destination for our residents and visitors.”

I had my birthday party at Lakefront in late February 2020, and shortly thereafter the brewery suspended its tours, being one of the first establishments to close due to COVID, and before such closures were mandated. By 2022 the brewery had exited from its COVID precautions, and Klisch made the transition from bottles to cans, while also planning renovations to its riverwalk. On Tuesday, July 18th of this year, the expanded Milwaukee Riverwalk Patio, Beer Hut, and Beer Garden opened to the public with a grand ceremony, complete with a traditional “Hop Bine Cutting Ceremony,” just as had occurred a quarter century earlier when the riverwalk first opened there. (Hops lack the tendrils or suckers of vines, instead wrapping their stems around a support, hence they are “bines.”)

An Improved Riverwalk Presence

As the time for the cutting of the hop bine neared, I approached the new open staircase with its balcony, entering through a glassy iron vestibule topped with the remnants of an old copper lauter tun that Klisch had reserved for future use. Previously, access to the riverwalk was behind a solid door, leading to steep steps sheathed in ugly corrugated steel panels. It more closely resembled access to a mineshaft than to one of the region’s top 10 tourist attractions. The first person I encountered was May Klisch, taking a photograph of her husband with another woman.

The woman was Teri Regano, owner of the Roman Coin, a Brady Street fixture that features many Lakefront beers on tap. A photograph of Russ and brother Jim Klisch taken at the 1987 opening of the brewery hangs on the tavern’s wall, along with an excellent oil painting of Teri’s father Joe, who bought the place in 1966. This long-time support earned her a place in the line to cut the bine. Lakefront has a plantation of humulus lupulus of many varieties growing on the fence of its adjacent property, just north of the Holton Viaduct, and it was the task of export manager Andrew Jungwirth to find about 20 feet of hops in bloom. Finding none of that length, he taped two strands of Wye Viking hops together, then anxiously raced through the brewery commandeering for the cutting every scissors he could find.

Promptly at 6 p.m., Klisch addressed the crowd, his voice amplified by a speaker. At that very moment loud crashing noises came from above, emanating from construction work on the viaduct, where silence had reigned before. He mentioned the incremental improvements made over the decades, and then addressed this project, saying he “wanted the best.” He ticked off a list: “get rid of the stairs … we needed a balcony … I had this old kettle … and now we have real bathrooms instead of porta potties [cue applause] … we used to have broken asphalt — we put in pavers … we had the Bernie Brewer Chalet [where beer was dispensed] — nice and quaint, but hard on the employees.”

Klisch went on to thank his customers and accounts; his distributors; Visit Milwaukee; his banker, Luke Hagel of Summit Credit Union; The Kubala Washatko Architects; Findorff, his longtime contactor; Brew City Electric; J M Brennan Mechanical Contractors; his employees and all ex-employees. He also thanked his family for the time he spent on the pricey project leaving them bereft of his attention, confessing he told his daughters he had spent their inheritance on the project.

“We believe in this city. We believe in this riverwalk,” he announced with finality.

A Unified Vision

When you consider that the season for outdoor attractions in Milwaukee is about four months long, the first impulse would be to hobble together a makeshift venue using cheap materials and to patch them up as the elements take their toll over time. Klisch instead opted for construction that would stand the test of time. There are enough moving parts to a brewery that continually break down of their own account, so why add to the load?

The outdoors begins indoors, where the old lauter tun is poised above a glassy vestibule with a glimpse of the river beyond. Inside is an original schematic of the device, along with a letter attesting to its origin in a German brewery. Outside, the new covered balcony has seating, and fabulous views of the Holton Viaduct and the hundreds of housing units that line the river there, virtually all of which were built since the brewery opened. The new stairs are enclosed in a wire mesh instead of a corrugated crate, greatly enhancing the attractiveness of the building inside and out. The materials are very similar to those used on the ramp in the front of the building a decade before, providing a unified vision, and showing the wisdom of long association with his architect Chris Socha, and the Findorff construction team. On the river level a new bar and merchandise shop is housed in a smart structure sheathed in metal panels, painted the same color as the viaduct. It faces a long, covered bar also of substantial construction. These are located directly beneath the bridge, which is owned by the city. If only the Milwaukee Public Market could do something similar with its space beneath I-894, owned by the state.  The pavers are permeable, minimizing parking lot runoff into the river. Further north are tables shielded by living walls that draw pollinators from the brewery’s apiary. The old site of the chalet is now home to two unisex bathrooms, equipped with Kohler fixtures. A surprise is to be found at the south end of the riverwalk where a small stage is suitable for busking, with tables nearby for basking.

It will take some time to recoup the expense and to revive the chance that the Klisch daughters may someday come into an inheritance. Looking around at the sizeable crowd enjoying the expanded amenity, Klisch turned on his internal cash register and said, “I think we’ll make a profit tonight.”

On Tap - Sponsored by Lakefront Brewery

• East Side Dark
• Fixed Gear
• German Fest Hefeweiss
• Hazy Rabbit IPA
• Hop Gods
• La Gosa Rita
• M'waukee Brewsicle
• New Grist GF
• New Grist Light GF
• Riverwest Stein Beer
• Riverwest Stein Beer NA
• Spiced Lager with Bourbon-Aged Cinnamon Stix
•  Cold IPA Test Batch

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The Verdict

• Location: 1872 N. Commerce St. City of Milwaukee
• Neighborhood: Brewer’s Hill
• Phone Number: 414-372-8800
• Website: http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakefront?fref=ts
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lakefront
• Description: This 1908 former power plant and later City of Milwaukee utility building has housed Lakefront Brewery since 1998. Its tours make it on to the lists of top Milwaukee attractions. Brick planters with a wobbly chain-link fence separated the riverwalk from the river below, while beer flowed from taps set into the brewery’s walls. By 2008 more secure fencing, tables and seating were added, along with an expanded beer shed. The 2023 reconstruction added shelters, restrooms, a new staircase and an overhead terrace with impressive city and river views.
• Signature drink: Lakefront Brewery Riverwest Stein Beer is the company’s flagship. However dozens more rotate into the lineup, some seasonally, others one-off.
• Capacity: 399.
• Restrooms: Bathrooms off the gift shop. The woman’s room is palatial. Other bathrooms on lower level, and new unisex bathrooms are now along the riverwalk.
• Year Established: 1987, at this location since 1998
• Year Building Constructed: 1908; addition 1911; new floor of concrete to create upper level 1952. Many improvements interior and exterior over the years, with this being the largest and most expensive.
• Property Value: As Manufacturing Property, this real estate is assessed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Usual property attributes found in City Assessor listing not found.  Property is assessed at $1,055,400 for the 36,112 square foot lot [$29.22/s.f.] and $703,000 for the estimated 24,000-square-foot building for a total assessed valuation of $1,758,400. Taxes of $40,592.21 are current on the installment plan. [2015 Taxes: $49,592.21] Operator owns real estate.
• Property: Bought by Lakefront Brewery, Inc., the operator, from City of Milwaukee on 04/01/1998 for $125,000. Property had been vacant since December, 1996. Registered Agent of Property Owner is Russell Joseph Klisch.
• Owner: Lakefront Brewery, Inc., Russell Joseph Klisch Agent and 100% owner.
• Walk Score: 88 out of 100 “Very Walkable” Bounded to the east by Milwaukee River, and to west by steep bluff. Immediately adjacent to north is Edward D. Holton Viaduct and Marsupial Bridge. [2018 Score: 85 out of 100]
• Transit Score: 64 out of 100, “Good Transit.” Climb 70 feet of stairs to bus stop on N. Holton Ave. [2018 Score: 55 out of 100. Can’t imagine what has changed.]
• Bike Score: 67 out of 100, “Bikeable” Bike racks in front of brewery mimic beer bottles, a relic of the brewery’s past, as production is now canned. Brewery now sells beer glasses in the shape of cans.
• Games of Chance: None found.
• Games of Skill: None Found.
• Trade Name: Lakefront Brewery Beer Hall
• Aldermanic District: 6 Milele Coggs
• Police District: 5
• Subdivision: None