> Sounds like I get the local Wisconsin brew if *I* lose.... Cotty, Being British you can be excused for your serene ignorance of Wisconsin's noble beer-brewing heritage ;-) ...the state was heavily settled by German immigrants (the official language of the Milwaukee public schools was German until two years after the end of the First World War!), and Wisconsin at one time had more breweries than any other state. Many of the best known national brands until a quarter of a century ago were Milwaukee-based--Schlitz, Pabst, Old Milwaukee, Heilmann's Old Style, Miller, etc. Even the local professional baseball team is called the Brewers. There are still many pubs in Milwaukee that brew their own beers on their premises.
This status is for the most part historical. The only major brewer still located here is Miller (the Brewers play in Miller Park). I don't know how Leinie's stacks up against the other better microbrews around the country, but when I was growing up it was a tiny one-brewery brand based in the far north--Chippewa Falls--and to find any you had to start in Milwaukee and drive north until you could find a bar that had it. As teenagers my friends and I endured epic late-night Leinie's runs that could last four hours and land us in god-forsaken little rural hamlets in central Wisconsin in the middle of the wee hours. All for a couple of six-packs of long-necks. Obviously, this was a monumental and incredibly pointless waste of time, and I have fond memories of the experiences and of the heady and deeply satisfying taste of the elusive elixir. Leinie's was founded in 1866 by Jacob Leinenkugel to quench the thirst of northwoods loggers. He rode his fame and success to rise to the office of Mayor of Chippewa Falls. The brewery is now owned by Miller but it's still run by guys named Leinenkugel--Jake, Dick, and John. Nowadays, following the lead of successfully marketed microbrews like Sam Adams, it has expanded to three breweries and extended its reach to Milwaukee and even further south. There is even a brewery in Phoenix, AZ! How northwoods is THAT? Doesn't seem like as much fun any more. <s> But unlike many of the national brands, it's a brew with a true northern Midwestern regional heritage. --Milwaukee Mike
