The original Carleton Grange, a residence hall at the London Met, bears certain significance to Eric Ellsworth and Michael Rusch -- the two business partners opening an English-style pub and restaurant of the same name in St. Francis.
Once the place they and many other international travelers called home while studying at the London university, the Carleton Grange has recently been purchased by developers and will no longer be used as student housing.
Opening the Carleton Grange Pub at 3807 S. Packard Ave. is one way to keep their London memories alive in Milwaukee.
"The Carleton Grange holds a huge place in my heart and I'm hoping that by opening this pub here, I will be able to carry on its tradition in some way," says Ellsworth.
Set to be unveiled to the public Tuesday, May 16, the pub is hand-crafted to resemble the comfortable, warm environment that Ellsworth and Rusch experienced inside the numerous pubs of London.
"English pubs are places where the community comes to meet, like a local gathering place. It's the kind of place you can go to get a meal or a drink or anything -- they're really versatile. They're unique and have a different feel to them than what you typically find in this country."
Ellsworth says he was looking to create a very comfortable, living room-like feel for his pub, and, for the most part, he's achieved it. Absent are the neon beer signs, replaced instead by authentic, hand-painted traditional pub signs sent across seas from London's Young's Brewery. The entire southeast corner of the pub is occupied by a lounge area, which is enclosed on three sides by built-in -- and stocked -- bookshelves, and that opens up to face a stone fireplace.
Yet, among the many amenities they've included to give the pub an English feel, the beer selection stands out as most impressive.
"We've got 16 beers on tap -- all pretty much imports and a couple micro brews. And we've got a couple beers that have never been in Milwaukee before, which is something we're realty excited about."
After touring Young's Brewery in London last August, Ellsworth and Rusch established a relationship with the brewmaster, who then traveled to Milwaukee to check out their pub.
"We're offering Young's St. George's Ale, which will be the first time that specific beer is released in Wisconsin. It's only in about 15 cities in the U.S. right now."
Other temping tap selections include Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Kronenbourg (from France), Belhaven Scottish Ale and Stella Artois -- a Belgium beer very popular in Europe that has only recently become available in Milwaukee.
"Stella Artois can be found in bottles in Madison, but they've just released it to us on tap for the first time this week," he says.
Due to no coincidence, the pub's opening is happening just in time for the upcoming World Cup, during which the owners have planned a month-long (June 6-July 6) celebration of sorts. Ellsworth says there will be drink special, prize giveaways and, of course, a live showing of every soccer game.
"I'm a huge soccer fan -- it's the reason I chose to got to England to study. It's really big over there and I'd like the Carleton Grange to be just as dedicated to soccer as the real English pubs are."
As for the edibles, they're serving "standard English pub food," which translates to fish and chips, burgers, paninis -- or "English toasties" -- and wood-fired pizzas. In the warm months, the east-facing windows open up to a large outdoor beer garden, complete with pergola and ample seating.
Carleton Grange opens Tuesday, May 16. The address is 3807 S. Packard Ave., and the Web site is carletongrange.com.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
