New Year's Eve Happenings in Waukesha

I am actually heading out of town for New Year's this year because I have family in from the East Coast that I haven't seen in a year. But if I wasn't going out of town, I would definitely be hitting up a few of these great New Year's Eve specials in Waukesha. These are what I found, but I know there are more parties and events going on.

Whatever you do, have fun and be safe. Call a cab if you have had too much too drink or follow the rule that I have - no driving (regardless if I drank or not) after 11 pm because after that, the roads aren't safe.

People's Park is offering complimentary appetizers, DJ and balloon drop and you can even reserve a table if you call ahead.

Generations at 5 Points is having Prix Fixe menu, Drink Specials, Champange Toast, Live Music

Boscos Social Club is having a champagne toast, photo booth and balloon drop

Magellans has just completed a remodel and although I don't see anything on their Facebook page (and the website could use some updating) - I'm sure they are going to have something. If anything, grab some pizza before heading out for drinks. 

The Lincoln Pub is having a Back to the Eighties Theme with shot specials, costume contest, karaoke and dancing and a champagne toast at midnight. (FYI - this bar is cash only or use the ATM inside) 

The Nice Ash will have live music and a champagne toast at midnight.

The Lucky Rabbit will have video mixing by a DJ, champagne toast, $3 domestic beers and cherry bombs all night. 

Eric's Porter Haus is having a wonderful menus for the evening.  Lobster, crab legs and filets, oh my!

The Rox Bar is having drink and shot specials all night, food until 10 pm and champagne at midnight.

Cue Club of Wisconsin is having a DJ, drink specials, champagne toast and free shuttles home starting at midnight. 

Christmas Time in Waukesha

In just 4 weeks, it will be Christmas, so I hope you got a good start on your holiday shopping.

I heard from my parents that downtown Waukesha was really hoppin' on Saturday for Small Business Saturday shopping. The only dislike was the two -hour parking. Sure they knew about the structure but by the time their two hours was up, they were all the way on the other end of town and realized they needed to move. They decided to just call it a day and come home. But they did go back on Sunday and enjoyed brunch at People's Park and bought a few more things they eyed up on Saturday.

So with just 3 weekends left until the big day, here's what's going on in Waukesha.


Energize Zone Wellness Center is having a Countdown to Christmas Craft & Vendor Fair on Dec. 7 from 10 am - 3 pm. Details on the Facebook page.

Not in Waukesha, but the #mkefoodies are hosting a Cookies for Kids' Cancer Bake Sale at the Hudson Business Lounge in the 3rd Ward on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 1 - 4 pm. I have baked a bunch of treats for this event and each year we have sold out, raising tons of money for a great organization. Please help us sell out again this year and check us out in our new location.  And I'll be there :)

Waukesha Art Crawl - Saturday, Dec. 7 - 4 - 10 pm
You can bet that there will be plenty of great deals and merchandise from our local shop owners

Montecito is having ladies night and DJ Flacko on Saturday and they are also collecting winter clothing for those in need. 

The Lucky Rabbit is having some live music: Robert Allen Jr. on 12/7 and DJ Devast8 on 12/13

Carroll University presents Silent Night, a concert at Shattuck Auditorium on Dec. 7 & 8.

The Santa Run is Sunday in downtown Waukesha. It's supposed to be pretty chilly, but my friend Tory and I are going to brave it and run it :)

Not in Waukesha, but this is still a great event - Buy Local Gift Fair at Lakefront Brewery on Dec. 8

Boscos Social Club is having an Ugly Sweater Party & Contest on 12/14. Prizes, giveaways and another Facebook contest!

My friend Christmas Party is on the 14th and I can't wait to bring some delicious treats and share in the holiday cheer with all my friends.

Spurs Saloon is getting close to opening and hopes to announce their opening date soon! 

Save the Date: Jackson's Blue Ribbon Pub is having their Christmas Party on Jan. 18

Wauk Wednesday: Bernie's Tap Room Beer Dinner

Very similar to the dinner that I went to at Magellan's a few weeks back, I couldn't resist when I found out that Bernie's Tap Room was going to host a beer dinner. I had been to Bernie's a few time before, for drinks and then enjoyed the Waukesha Christmas Parade within it's warmth with a duck pizza. It was that pizza that told my tummy I had to come to this dinner.

Again my partners in crime were Tiffany and Brandon - we all love beer and food! The beer this time was Milwaukee Brewing Company, of which I am a HUGE fan. I took the tour for my birthday with my group of friends from Fox Run Sentry Liquor a few years back (RIP to the best store ever!). This tour gets you pretty "happy" as they are very generous with the pours while educating you on all things beer and their brewing process.

Brandon and I arrived a bit early and saddled up to the bar to enjoy a Fatty Boomblatty by Furthermore because we would be having our fill of Milwaukee Brewing Company for the rest of the night. Tiffany joined us shortly after and we were seated at the large family-style tables that are customary in German Beer Halls.

The same representative from Beer Capitol that did the Magellan's/Six Point tasting was our representative for this event. I was pretty excited as he understands the beers and the history very well. The neighboring table did this dinner as a birthday celebration for one of the attendees - very awesome!

Cake on the neighboring table - Happy Birthday nice man!

Beautiful wooden table at Bernie's Tap Room

We started with a Caesar salad with garlic crostinis on top. The salad was covered with the perfect amount of dressing and Parmesan cheese and the garlic toast on top was light, crispy and delicious. This was served with Ulao Wit (5% ABV), a clear (odd), light, citrus wheat beer named after the Ulao river in Belgium.

The next course was my personal favorite - Beer Cheese soup with popcorn on top and a pretzel roll on the side. The soup was nice and thick and tasted like a sauce that would go perfect on Mac N Cheese. I scarfed this down, dipping the pretzel roll in and enjoying the popcorn on top. I wanted more, but knew I had three more courses to go and needed to pace myself. This was served with Love Rock a Vienna Lager (5% ABV). This was a light refreshing beer that didn't overpower the soup.

Course three was a flatbread pizza of onions, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic and goat cheese (all hail the goat cheese - love love love). Neither Brandon or Tiffany are fans of mushrooms but they both ate the pizza slice and even had second slices. Asparagus was a nice refreshing touch that I wouldn't have thought to ever put on a pizza. No single veggie overpowered another and the crust was nice and crispy. This was served with Polish Moon, a milk stout (4.5% ABV). This was a dark coffee stout that really helped bring out the different vegetable flavors. Love that it is served in a snifter!

Veggie Flatbread from Bernie's Tap Room

The next course is the only course that is currently on the menu. But fear not, they are constantly tweaking the menu and offering specials to see what the guests of Bernie's truly want to see on the menu. We were each served two pulled pork sliders with extra BBQ sauce drizzled on them. They were a little messy, but the BBQ sauce is really good - a nice vinegary, sweet bite. The pork was tender and smoky. This was served with Hop Happy IPA (7.7% ABV). Although I am typically not a fan of the hop-heavy beverages, this one helped cut the zip of the BBQ - a great pairing.

It's about the get messy!

The final course was something that I was curious about since I read the menu waiting at the bar - ginger crisp waffle with vanilla ice cream and maple stout drizzle. Maple is typically hit or miss with me but this was AH-MAZING! The ginger waffle added a spice that was mellowed by the sweetness of the stout sauce. I didn't ask if the ice cream was homemade or not, but the sauce melting in the ice cream made for a great end to the meal. The owner came out with spoons so we could all scrape our bowls. This was served with Louise's Resurrection, from my notes, smooth, strong, vanilla, malty yum-yum beer (7.5% ABV). I couldn't believe how nicely this beer finished off the dinner - almost like an after dinner drink.

Before

During the melting phase

Must eat it all

Gone!

Bernie's really went all out with the menu and pairings and after talking with the owner after the event, this is something that they are hoping to do almost on a monthly basis. I'm not sure my waistline and wallet could handle this monthly ($30 isn't too bad for all that food and beer, but def the waistline can't handle the goodness), but I hope to attend another one soon.

I'm so happy that Waukesha establishments are stepping up to the plate and offering events like these to showcase their chef's skills as well as knowledgeably pair the food with great beers.

Beer Revolution and #beerclub

Have you noticed that bars are finally getting on board with offering quality tap beers and not just Bud and Miller products? Sure some bars have been ahead of this curve, but in Waukesha alone, there are many bars that offer microbrews and having 8+ specialty taps behind the bar. House of Guinness and Nice Ash have offered them for a while, but now we can add Magellan's, Bernie's Tap Room, Bosco's and Mainstream to that list.

I have really switched to be more of a wine and beer girl and rarely have specialty cocktails anymore. Beer has really been hitting the spot lately and the thought of enjoying something flavorful and malty really makes me have relaxing thoughts. My friend Jacob hosted a beer tasting for his birthday party and I really found some great beers that I like. I can really appreciate the malty hops and work it takes to create that flavor. 

I can't remember when I exactly "joined" the Milwaukee area #beerclub on Twitter nor do I remember how I stumbled across the group, but since I have started, I have been able to enjoy some beers I might not have ventured too, and learn some interesting beer facts about the industry.

Beerclub meets on Twitter (search #beerclub) on Monday nights at 8 pm CST. It's a group of Milwaukee-area beer lovers that drink the Bottle of the Week (#BOTW) in the comfort of where ever they choose and discuss their thoughts on the beer and some other beer-related topics. The conversation usually lasts about an hour in length and the following week's selection is chosen by the group. Anyone can offer up a bottle to try for the next week and if selections aren't chosen, the group leaders will chose by the next morning. We don't pick things that can't be found in typical liquor stores, but sometimes you have to go above a basic grocery store to find the selection.

This next week's selection is Wisconsin's very own, Capital Brewery Winter Skal. I know that I have had this, but it's been a while. I was able to find the beer at Muskego Beer and Liquor. Discount Liquor in Waukesha has some of the weekly selections, but the Discount location in Milwaukee as well as Ray's Liquor in Wauwatosa always have them. I'm not sure why both Discount's don't carry the same product at the same time, but I guess different areas pull for different clientele.

I also have upped my usage of the Untappd app on my iPhone. This is an app that you can let your friends via Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare know what you are drinking, where you are drinking it and what are your thoughts on it. I have been able to see what others are drinking, their thoughts and possibly pick up the beer based on their review. There are websites out there for those that don't have smartphones that rate beers as well. RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com are two that I have used in the past.

So consider joining us this week for #beerclub and if the notice is too short, join us next week, the week after or whenever you have time. Cheers!