Raised Grain Brewery

My friend Tiffany works in specialized retail on the east side of Waukesha and Raised Grain Brewery opened very near her job. I met up with her one night after work and we headed over to check the place out.

We ended up going during their Grand Opening celebration and although the place was very busy with patrons, we were able to find some stools at the bar without a problem.


The bartenders/owners were all present and very welcoming. They greeted us as soon as we sat down and got us some menus to review while they waited on other patrons. The menus describe each beer they have available so it took us a bit to get through.

While we read about the beers, I also took in the atmosphere. The bar reminds me of Sweet Mullets in Oconomowoc with a rustic/industrial vibe. Beautiful wood shelves behind the bar, growlers and glasses, and the window behind the taps to see the brew room.

Bar Top - picture doesn't do it justice so go see it in person!

The bar top is an absolutely gorgeous wooden masterpiece that according to their Facebook page, weighs 1000 pounds. My photo does not do the top justice, so please stop in and see it for yourself. The light fixtures and design was all put together by the owners and are very industrial rustic. 

Tiffany and I each decided to do a flight so we could try a variety of their beers. The beers are numbered on a chalkboard and the bartender provides you a mini chalkboard to write down your selections. That mini board is then magnetically stuck to a muffin tin that has your four beers and some pretzel bites..

Tiffany and I shared our flights so we could try almost all the beers. We both chose #3 so #5 was missed this time. But fortunately #3 was excellent and we each were then able to enjoy the full sample.

About the Beer:
Kolsch - nice and light
Spring City Amber - A very good Amber, nice nose and flavor
Imperial Stout - pretty heavy in taste and a lot of coffee - Tiffany really liked this but it was too heavy in coffee for me.
Birdseye Belgium Trippel - This was my favorite and I could drink this all day. It's bold and full of Belgium. But with 9.23% alcohol, I will have to be careful not to overindulge too quickly!
Six Stone Scotch - very easy to drink and much like a Kilkenny for me.
Riggenaut Rye IPA - This one was extremely hoppy for me.
Ah Ha IPA - This one was hoppy as well but I did like it quite a bit.

Between Tiffany and myself, we both thought the Amber was a great beer, Trippel is delicious, and Ah Ha has a unique tastefor a hop-heavy beer.

I overheard the owners talking about having more new beers to try soon (something about a Cherry IPA???)

With all of this great beer available, you need to pair it with more than pretzels. The brewery serves frozen pizzas and jumbo soft pretzels. But on most Thursdays, Smokey O's Food Truck can be found outside serving up their great smoked eats.

The brewery provided us a menu to decide what we wanted to eat and then Tiffany went outside to order it and bring it back in. She surprised us with three selections - pork Banh Mi sliders, pulled pork Panini, and pork Tacos.

The Banh Mi sliders have a solid spice kick but I really liked them. The Kings Hawaiian buns add the perfect amount of sweet to help compliment and calm the heat. Very fresh in flavor too!

The Panini was heavy on the chipotle flavor but still delicious. The crunch of the bread with the melty cheese was excellent.

The Tacos were loaded with fresh ingredients and flavors. They were a little messy to eat but very delectable.

This was a very solid first experience of the brewery and I will be happy to come back again and try more of the beers. And if a food truck isn't available, I read that Raised Grain will let you bring in food from other spots as well to enjoy with your beers.

I also read that they are offering Yoga classes in the brewery. For $10, you get the class and a beer after. Get in your workout and enjoy a delicious beer after. I might just have to try a class!

Swiss Cheese Beer Soup

Winter in Wisconsin - cold, damp, cold, snowy, windy, cold -- have I said cold? We are now naming weather systems and not just storms - Polar Vortex is being thrown around for this system that we are stuck in that keeps us below zero so many days. So what does that mean in this foodie's world???? SOUP!

I had a chunk of Swiss cheese that I wanted to make something with instead of just devouring with crackers (which I did with the previous chunk!). I found this recipe doing a quick search on Pinterest. I didn't have all the ingredients it called for but I'm great at improvising. 

I got to use the food processor for the carrots and onions (didn't have celery so I doubled the carrots). This helped the teary eyes I always get chopping onions...and cuts prep time in about a third!

 Then it's easy peasy for a bit. Let the veggies get smooshy!

 Have a sip or two of beer before you add it. I chose something a little heavier to bring out the flavor of the beer more.

Adding the flour really soaked up all the broth to make the base.

I used a whisk when adding the skim milk (not half and half to make it healthier) and I think I needed a wire or more sturdy whisk. I ended up with a lot of clumps to break apart. Eventually it smoothed out.

And I used regular yellow mustard instead of ground mustard - didn't have any in the house. I did add some garlic powder to bump up the flavor too.

I got a workout shredding the cheeses, but I have heard that when making soups, you do not use pre-shredded. It has an anti-clumping agent added to it that makes it less likely to melt nicely.

 As you can see, mine melted nicely!

 Tada!

 For me, the soup seemed a bit watery, so I pulled out my trusty corn starch and mixed about a 1/4 cup in. Probably too much in the long run, but I like a thick soup.

 And I added more pepper, a little chili powder for zip and it was set to eat.

After having it sit for a day in the fridge, I did still think it was a little clumpy, so I warmed it up to room temperature and ran my whipper-doodle (immersion blender) through it create a smoother texture.

You could definitely add bacon, ham, Italian sausage to this soup to take it to the next level. I like it just like this. I think a nice rye bread would be wonderful with it. I just had some french bread on the side. But this recipe goes on the "make again" list.

Wisconsin State Fair: Eating My Way Thru It

The Wisconsin State Fair is home to a ton of food items on a stick and crazy deep fried concoctions involving bacon and a multitude of other ingredients. So many, they website has pages dedicated to them. We even have an event to kick off the Fair known as the Sporkies awards. This contest is judged by local celebrities including my foodie friend Nick. I took some of his suggestions when I planned to get my grub on at the Fair.

Of course the Fair is also known for the agriculture and horticultural displays, the latest and greatest As-Seen-On-TV-Items, rides, games, music and drinking, but to me.....it's all about the FOOD.

I had the opportunity to go twice during the 11 day run and there are still 3 days left so if you plan to go this weekend, here are my suggestions for food! (They don't have a food map of the grounds (work on that for next year State Fair) but the info booths are staffed with super friendly folks that will lead you to what you want!)

Jumbo Pickle - a must!!! Found in the Expo Building on the south end of the grounds. I went with just an original but there are garlic and spicier options
 

Cheese Curds - need I say more? There are tons of options for these little fried pieces of happiness, but my favorite location is just north of the Budweiser Pavilion and all they sell are these curds. It's something about the breading that I just love!

Honey Lemonade from the Wisconsin Products Pavillion. Super refreshing for an August day. My only complaint was that there were no lids for the cups and I wanted to walk thru the barns and not have debris fall into my cup.

Deep friend peanut butter and bacon nuggets with Berryweiss jelly! This was my favorite item on Saturday. It reminded me of toast in the morning with a savory factor. I had a Summer Shandy to go with these. I plan to recreate these with the new Jif Whipped Peanut Butter I bought at the store this week - stay tuned!

Saz's Sampler Platter - cheese curds, mozzarella sticks and sour cream & onion fries. This is a staple at both State Fair and Summerfest - always delicious.

 We couldn't eat this cake, but I loved it - A tribute to all things Wisconsin and well deserving of it's award!

I got to go back to the Fair on Tuesday with some friends and stumbled across the Fried PB & Jelly on a stick at Machine Shed - west side of the grounds sort of near the ejection seat!. Not knowing what to expect, I excitedly ordered one to compare to the nuggets. It's a deep fried Uncrustables sandwich on a stick and then powder sugar is sprinkled over the top. This became my favorite item at this year's Fair. Sure it didn't take a rocket scientist to create this one, but sometimes the simplest items taste the best. My friends were jealous and ordered them later in the evening.

 

My friend ordered the Krispy Kreme burger and said it was pretty good. She liked the sweet and salty combo. This is also at Machine Shed.
 

 Loaded fries from Machine Shed - these were ordered twice as well because they were so good.

My friend really wanted to ride the ejection seat but couldn't find a partner to go with her. Just watching it, I thought I was going to lose my dinner but I give props to people brave enough to be flung into the air on it!

The Micro is a newer area at State Fair, featuring many awesome Wisconsin microbrews for a very reasonable price. I tried the MKE Brewing Company Creme Puff Ale and as much as I was hoping for a tinge of sweetness to it, it wasn't really sweet, but very refreshing.

  

I also got a Hinterland Cherry Wit beer and it was the right amount of sweetness I was looking for on an Summery August temperatured evening!

Keg Killing is in effect at The Micro and if you "kill the keg" a siren goes off and you are introduced to the other pub folks, recognized for your efforts and given a t-shirt. This goes for the Flight School area too. Flight School provides you 3 smaller-sized beers for the same price as the other beers in the Micro, but you get to try more!


I don't have pictures of the following but some brief thoughts on other foods had at the Fair.
-Deep Fried Pickle Spears - my friend was in heaven with them dipping it in ranch. Found near the WE Energies booth.
-Pig Candy on a stick - Deep fried bacon on a stick that is then marinated in sweet & spicy sauce. Skip it - didn't like it and my second piece numbed my taste buds it was so spicy. (Machine Shed)
-Roasted Corn - This is a Fair staple and I have worked this booth - they sell thousands of cobs a day dunked in melty butter! I didn't get it this year but the New Berlin Lions Club runs the booth with a ton of volunteers and makes this Fair staple a lasting tradition.
-Cream Puff - I am not a fan of them personally, but that is something that the Wisconsin State Fair is known for and they sell by the thousands. The production line is awesome to watch as well, but I avoid that area because it is so crowded.
-Baked Potato - Wisconsin Products Pavillion - can't go wrong with that
-Maple Syrup Cotton Candy - Wisconsin Products Pavillion - I usually buy this every year, but took a year off this time in search of something else sweet that I never found.
-Cheapest Beer at the Fair (Miller Products) - found by the Oriental stores on the north west side
-Grilled Cheese - Wisconsin Products Pavillion - fresh melty cheese between yummy bread, you can't go wrong!


So that was my trip through the Fair for 2013. Hope you can make it out and try all the great foods and have some fun at the Fair.

Wauk Wednesday: Bernie's Beer Dinner #2

Last month, my friend Brandon invited a group to another beer dinner at Bernie's Tap Room. I couldn't pass it up because the last one was so great. Our friend Jimmy and his friends joined us. 

We started by grabbing a beer (yup a beer before a beer dinner) at Fixture Brewing Co. on Clinton Street in the old Beer Goggles/Klub Kaboom/Main Stage/Shepard's (depending how far back you go). Shepard's was where I went in college for $.50 tap nights. They had pool, darts and a DJ but the cheap beer is what brought us in and kept us coming back. When it became Main Stage, more live entertainment was added. I never went in when it was either Klub Kaboom or Beer Goggles, but I was happy to return and see it turned into a beer bar. 

They are still working on the brewing room, but they will be brewing and serving their own beers in about a month. The tap selection was nice and a chalk board behind the bar explained the beers a bit more as well as the bottled selection. 

The place hadn't changed a ton but they did add church pew seats and a VIP'ish area in the middle of the bar. I think that was like that from a former location. The back of the bar that was the dance floor and stage (formerly a small bowling alley) has been turned into the brewing room. 

The bartender was very nice and beside Brandon and I there were two guys playing pool, but it was only 5:30 :)  I will definitely return when they have their beers up and going on tap and because I am such a fan of beer, will probably add this to my downtown hotspots list.

We then headed over to Bernie's to begin the Lakefront Beer dinner. The menu again looked amazing and I was starving!

Course one was a wedge salad with apple, bacon, goat cheese and a raspberry dressing. The bacon was sliced lengthwise, matching the onion slices and made it a very sweet/salty combo. The wedge reminded me of Mad Men (returning on April 1!) and the lunch salads they typically received. I love goat cheese so this salad ranked very high in my list. 

It was served with the Pilsner (5.6% ABV). It was a light beer pairing well with the light salad. 

While we waited for course two, I took a long look at the new mural added to the back area of Bernie's. This was created by Christine Vincent, who also did the Discount Liquor mural with Good Friend Inc. and I could see the resemblance in style. I think it is a great addition to a very large blank wall and makes for nice focal piece. Christine was at the dinner as well.

The second course was a shrimp taco with lime creme and salsa. This was an amazing flavor explosion in my mouth. The shrimp had great flavor but didn't overpower the other ingredients. It was served with Big Easy, Lakefront's Mardi Gras beer (7.6% ABV). It wasn't my favorite beer but the taco was sooo good, I didn't mind. 

Course three was a flatbread (my new obsession!) with fried chicken, black beans, corn, cilantro and parmesan drizzled with a tangy remoulade. I would have never thought to put fried chicken on a flatbread, but it was really savory. I noticed the so-cal/tex-mex theme by this course, but didn't remember the last dinner having a theme per say. I am a big fan of so-cal food. 

This was served with Fixed Gear, an amber beer (6.5% ABV). "This is so much better than Jacks," was a comment by someone at our table which in turn made us bust out laughing. I mentioned my love of flatbread and how easy this was and had all the guys I was with ask for me to cook for them :)

The next course was a little harder to eat but it was like thick cut bacon on a bun and I was in heaven! The sandwich was a pork belly po'boy with onion lettuce and a sweet pickle stabbed into the top. It had a bit of cajun mayo on it and it was the perfect amount of spice (when I usually shy away from cajun spices. 

It was served with an IPA (6.6% ABV) and was pretty hoppy, but that completely killed the bite of the mayo, which in my book is a win-win. 

By this course, we had collected quite a few glasses at our table and needed a clearing before dessert. The staff was right on top of this, bringing me more water and getting things out of our way right away when we were done with it. 

Dessert was another flatbread!!!! Unfortunately it had pecans on top so my friend Jimmy had to pass due to his nut allergy, but he enjoyed the beer! It was a spiced apple cinnamon cream cheese flatbread with pecans and bourbon caramel drizzle. I don't know if this was the same drizzle as last time, but it again was amazing. It was paired with Fuel Cafe (6.4% ABV). I am not a huge coffee fan, but I love coffee beers now! This one is now a nitrogen beer, so it holds a creamy head for almost the whole glass. There are 10 lbs of Alterra coffee in 50 barrels. 

Another successful beer dinner and a tradition that Bernie's plans to continue with the amazing success they are having with them. Each one has been a complete sell out and for the price, you can't beat it. The chef gets to have fun at the same time in the kitchen and boy is she talented. 

I highly recommend attending a beer dinner or even just going to Bernie's for their flatbreads or sandwiches. So far I have no complaints and recommend everything :)

Wauk Wednesday: Fox Run Lanes

When I was employed at Fox Run Sentry Liquor (RIP), a group of my co-workers and I started relaxing after work at Fox Run Lanes, a bowling alley and bar just down the parking lot from the store. It's located just West of St. Paul Ave on Sunset, next to the now vacant Fox Run strip mall. Sentry Foods is still open and doing decent business, but all the other shops have left the north strip.

We would play darts, pool and occasionally bowl. We even did a competition once of playing all three in one night, and our former co-worker Wendy won each event. We we still enjoyed playing games but haven't done another contest (hmm maybe it's time??)

Since the store closed in 2010, we still go to the bar, but not nearly as frequently as it isn't as convenient for us to get to. However, we attempt to meet up maybe every other month to get some food and catch up.

Thursday is the wing special night. I believe they are $.30 each and you can order in increments of five. I typically order 5-10 wings in teriyaki sauce and an appetizer of cheese curds or sour cream and chive fries to fill me up. I tried the jerk sauce which had a good kick with pineapple in it to dull the spice. It's a very refreshing sauce and I think it's a new favorite. The teriyaki seems to be a bit too salty lately.

Cheese curds with ranch & marinara

Teriyaki wings from Fox Run Lanes

crispy sour cream & chive fries with ranch

Tiffany and Heather can handle the super hot wings and usually get those. Although lately, the sauce hasn't been consistently hot, so Tiffany tried the Sweet Chili on the side and it was almost like a sweet and sour with red pepper flakes. Heather did let me know the sauce was really good and hot the last time we were there and she was happy!

Hot Wings at Fox Run Lanes

Plain wings with sweet chili sauce

Brandon usually goes for a burger, and let me tell you, the burgers are gigantic and delicious. It could possibly be my favorite burger in Waukesha if there would be a battle today. The meat patty is nicely seasoned and remains thick and juicy after grilling. There are plenty of topping choice and it comes with chips, but you can upgrade to fries if you would like.

Jumbo burger and fries

The pizzas are pretty good as well and would rank pretty high in a battle (IMHO). They are large and full of toppings to feed a big group. We ordered these at the bar on the night the liquor store closed it's doors, thanks to the owner coming over to the bar with us for a celebration meal and cheers!

For a decent sized bar in Waukesha, they have a lot of beer choices, mostly on tap. They serve beer by the mug, mini pitcher or pitcher. I usually go for a mini pitcher, which would be about 30 oz. and that will suffice me during my night out (occasionally I get two, hee hee!). It is a great value and you get a frosty mug with it to keep all that beer nice and cold.

upper right of photo shows the microbrewery taps

Mini pitcher of Spotted Cow and a frosty pint (they ran out of mugs this night)

In addition to the bowling alley (which is always busy with leagues), pool tables & dart boards, there is a lot of open space in the bar to host a large group party, band or show a game on the projector and pull down screen. A digital jukebox fills the room with bar-goers choices. There are also some meeting rooms that local small groups use regularly and recently, the bar added a bowling proshop that sell gear  and does repairs. The also host volleyball leagues in the summer on the outdoor courts.

This is still a favorite place of mine and the bartenders are so nice to us. We have gotten to know them throughout the years which makes it nice to walk into the bar and see a familiar smiling face.

The bar is a bit outdated with dark paneling walls and old ceiling tiles. But I would never call the place dirty. They just redid the bar lip not too long ago with a nice wood trim (instead of torn padded vinyl). Along one wall, three large LCD TVs were mounted to show sports game and some others were updated to flat panels throughout the bar.

Large newer TVs mounted in the bar

So I would say, the bar is being fixed up as needed, but it has a steady crowd Thursday - Saturday, so the current look and feel isn't turning anyone away that knows of this hidden gem in Waukesha.

The bar doesn't have a website and the Facebook page isn't kept up-to-date, but feel free to call the bar to find out about more of the specials and consider stopping up for wings, a game of pool or some bowling. I'll definitely post more about this place when I have the pizza again, and hopefully get a rundown of the specials to post. But for now consider stopping in and trying the food!