"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs -- including guides, the latest trends, rapid bar reviews and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!
The votes are in and the winners have been selected for OnMilwaukee's Best: Bars & Clubs, 2010. Find readers' results in 50 categories, including an editors' pick, in this series of articles that run daily in the Bars and Clubs section of OnMilwaukee.com.
It used to be simple.
If you owned a bar in Milwaukee, you could carry one or even a couple of the major local brews -- Miller, Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz -- and be sure that almost nobody would complain.
Today, though, bars have to put a lot of thought into their beer list. Miller may reign supreme, but discerning drinkers like options. Pabst and Schlitz have made a comeback. Customers might want to try a Bass Ale or a Beamish Irish Stout. They may ask for a round of Spotted Cow or Stella Artois.
Whether its an upscale pub with an on-premise brewmaster or a corner bar with a vintage Pabst sign outside, Milwaukee bars try to cultivate impressive beer lists. In the opinion of OnMilwaukee.com readers, the best list in town belongs to the Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave.
Co-owner Bruno Johnson's second bar (he also operates Palm Tavern with his wife, Adrienne Pierluissi), was a runner-up to Bomb Shelter in this category a year ago. Sugar Maple focuses on Midwest craft beers and eschews the city's megabrews, though Lakefront and Sprecher are represented among the more than 60 beers on the draft list.
In addition to regular specials and occasional live bands, the Sugar Maple offers an unofficial beer education. If you have questions about a beer, they'll be glad to help you find a selection you like.
OnMilwaukee.com editors' choice: Sugar Maple
Runners up:
2. Café Hollander
3. Bomb Shelter
4. Nomad World Pub
5. Von Trier
6. Café Centraal
7. Benno's
8. Palm Tavern
9. Romans Pub
10. Hi-Hat
11. Palomino
12. Lulu
13. Blackbird
14. Honey Pie
