Category: Beer
The craft brewing scene has grown tremendously on the peninsula in recent years. Door County breweries have popped up in Egg Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, Baileys Harbor, and Ellison Bay, with two more just across the border in Kewaunee County.
Whether you love IPAs, Belgian saisons, ciders, or lagers, one of these Door County breweries will quench your thirst.
Door County Breweries
Door County Brewing Company
2434 Cty F
Baileys Harbor, WI 54202
(920) 839-1515
www.doorcountybrewingco.com
Founded in 2012, Door County Brewing Company is a family owned craft brewery. Owned and run by the McMahon family, Door County Brewing Company is located in Baileys Harbor and uses as many ingredients for their beer from Door County as possible. Their tap room features Wisconsin cheese boards and curds, live music, and they frequently bring in food trucks.
Island Orchard Cider
12040 Garrett Bay Rd
Ellison Bay, WI 54210
(920) 854-3344
www.islandorchardcider.com
Located on the northern tip of the peninsula, Island Orchard Cider makes its home in Ellison Bay. Island Orchard Cider owns an orchard on Washington Island where they grow the apples for their ciders. Their tasting room and cider pub offer customers an opportunity to see the cider making process.
Shipwrecked Brew Pub
7791 Hwy 42
Egg Harbor, WI 54209
(920) 868-2767
www.shipwreckedmicrobrew.com
Shipwrecked Brew Pub was the first microbrewery in Door County, opened in 1997. Housed in a historic building in the center of Egg Harbor that dates to 1882, the brewery and restaurant is open year ’round. Brewmaster Rich Zielke is in charge of brewing the hand-crafted Door County beers. Shipwrecked offers an extensive menu in their restaurant and also operates an inn.
Shipwrecked burned in a fire in August of 2017. Its owners hope to rebuild in time for the 2018 summer season.
Starboard Brewing Company
151 N. 3rd Ave
Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235
(920) 818-1062
www.starboardbrewing.com
Located in downtown Sturgeon Bay, Starboard Brewing Company is Door County’s first nano-brewery. Their tap room offers their in-house brewed craft beers, Wisconsin cheeses, smoked salmon, and more.
Kewaunee County Breweries
Ahnapee Brewery
202 Clark St.
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 785-0822
www.ahnapeebrewery.com
Ahnapee Brewing stretches back as far as 1868 and is an integral part of beer-making in Wisconsin. This tap room offers flatbread pizza, snacks, small-batch beers and tasting events.
Thumb Knuckle Brewing Company
E0208 Hwy 54
Luxemburg, WI 54217
www.thumbknuckle.beer
Newly opened in 2017, Thumb Knuckle Brewing Company is located in Luxemburg, Wis. The brewery has three beers available with a fourth in the works. The tap room also offers its own soda and growlers.
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May Stalwart Sons and Gentle Maidens Rise
Someone gifted me with a couple of beers from Canada that I’ve never heard of. Come to think of it, Canada’s a big country and probably has hundreds of beers I’ve never heard of. I was particularly interested in one called Hockley Dark, which the label says is an award-winning traditional English ale by Hockley […]
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In Your Glass: The Bloody Mary
The bloody mary’s of Door County are varied and delicious.
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Cheers! The Blacker the Berry, the Sweeter the Juice
I have a weakness for blackberries. This relative of the raspberry is a nutrient-dense flavor bomb. Ancient Greeks recognized it as a hugely healthful berry, and in 18th-century Europe, it was known as the “gout berry” for its reputed ability to relieve symptoms of that form of inflammatory arthritis that wreaks havoc with one’s big […]
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Cheers!: Of Pomegranates and Blushing Monks
I passed by Blushing Monk many times, wondering why Founders Brewing Co. decided to release two raspberry-influenced beers. I love their Rubaeus. How could they improve on that? Or if not improve, what could the difference possibly be? But I can pass by with those questions only so many times before realizing there is only […]
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Cheers!: Put a Heinie Smile on Your Face
I started watching the old HBO series The Wire on Amazon Prime and was struck by how brash Baltimore cop Jimmy McNulty – played with great American panache by English actor Dominic West – is often drinking what he refers to as Dutch beer. I was reminded that it has been a very long time […]
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18 New Food & Drink in Door County
If you like to keep tabs on what’s new and happening in the foodie arena of the county, here’s your 2019 updates! As things change and open, we’ll keep the list fresh. Recently Opened Pearl Wine Cottage Find this cozy cottage nestled on Church Street in Ephraim, where you can indulge in fresh small plates […]
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Cheers! Put de Chocolate in de Coconut, Drink ’em Bot’ Up
What have I done to deserve this? I am not worthy! Oskar Blues Brewery of Longmont, Colorado, calls its Death By Coconut an Irish-style porter, but there has never been a porter such as this one, so chock full of chocolate and lovely coconuttiness. No, never. Not even close. I don’t think they even have […]
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Uncork Summer Returns on June 22, 2019
Door County’s only foodie festival is celebrating its sixth anniversary with new food vendors and the soft launch of an associated, low-key cheese festival. Scheduled for June 22, Uncork Summer (uncorksummer.com) will once again take place on the grounds of Wickman House in Ellison Bay. This year’s event features 20 food vendors and sponsor booths, […]
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Hillside Now Home to Hügel Haus
The classic dining space at Ellison Bay’s Hillside Inn has been newly christened Hügel Haus, a German pub and eatery. Stroll through the front doors, and you’ll find a tall, double-sided stone fireplace; high, beamed ceilings; and wood-paneled walls that have been part of the setting for decades, but they seem quite fitting for a […]
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There’s no shortage of happenings in Door County this Saturday, June 15. Here’s a preview! Peninsula Century Spring Classic Avid and casual cyclists alike will enjoy this scenic ride, beginning in Baileys Harbor, which offers 25-, 50-, 62- and 100-mile (“century”) courses with aid stations along the way. Watch for riders on roads throughout the […]
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One Barrel Project Cited as Collaboration Success Story
How dedicated is the staff at the new One Barrel Brewing in Egg Harbor? General manager Adam Ginsberg was willing to don what looked to be a thick and potentially sweltering penguin costume under the hot sun to pose for photos during the brewery’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 4. “He’ll do anything that’s needed, which […]
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Door County Beer Fest: Food Highlights
The Door County Beer Fest isn’t just about the suds. Food is featured, too, and not just your average hot-dog-stand fare. You’ll find delicious eats from some of Door County’s esteemed chefs, including Jesse Johnson of Door County Creamery, Mike Holmes of Wickman House, Brit Unkefer of Wild Tomato, and Karl Bradley and Tonda Gagliardo […]
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I was recently gifted a couple of cans of a really tasty dark lager, but, in truth, there are very few dark lagers I have not liked. In fact, earlier in the day, I had a delicious pint of 1554 Black Lager from New Belgium and found it absolutely delicious. So I get home from […]
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Hacienda Beer Co. Opens Milwaukee Taproom
Hacienda Beer Co. will open the doors – and a few really big windows – on June 1, 11 am, at its new east-side Milwaukee taproom, 2018 E. North Ave. De la Buena will take the stage at 9 pm. At the grand opening, enjoy a diverse draft lineup of favorite staples and a few offerings […]
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Cheers!: A German Lager from Japan, via Vietnam and La Crosse
I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how much I like a good lager, and I’m probably also repeating myself when I refer to my fondness for Japanese lagers, but it bears repeating, I think. This fact made itself apparent on a recent Saturday afternoon when I saw a silver bullet of Sapporo Premium Beer looking down […]
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A pal and I decided to test the waters for a series of beer tastings at the new community center in the village where we both live by holding a Valentine’s Day dark-beer tasting that we dubbed Heart of Darkness: a celebration of dark beers. The title was my idea, and I marketed us as […]
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Cheers! An American Pilsner and a German Amber
The colorful six-pack container and colorful cans inside looked like they might be another iteration of IPA, but upon a closer look, I learn that Da Shootz! is a new American pilsner from Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon. Well, several American pilsners have let me down in the past, so I had to try this […]
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Cheers! Ahnapee Brewing’s PB Hobo
‘If You Can’t Control Your Peanut Butter, You Can’t Expect to Control Your Life’ Quite a while ago I gave up eating carb-heavy things such as bread and feel much better for it. However, when I tasted Ahnapee Brewing Company’s latest iteration of its annual, early May Hobo release – which this year is called […]
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Cheers!: How About a Little Cherry Blood?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yuhmmm! I’ve seen this one for months now and finally bit the bullet and picked up a corked bottle of Blood of the Cherry from O’so Brewing of Plover, Wisconsin. What I love about O’so is that you’re thinking one thing and get another. What would you expect from something named Blood […]
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Cheers!: There’s No Disputin’ Old Rasputin
I know I’ve probably done this beer before, but I saw Old Rasputin looking down at me from the shelf like I owed him money or something, so I thought it was time to revisit the Mad Monk and his Russian Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing of Fort Bragg, California. This is a big, […]