Chris Johnson

Lakefront Brewery

On December 2, 1987, brothers Russ and Jim Klisch opened Lakefront Brewery and sold their first batch of beer to a neighborhood tavern in Milwaukee. Now, we're one of Wisconsin's largest craft breweries and on pace to produce over 50,000 barrels in 2016. We currently offer more than 20 different beers with distribution in over 30 states, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Ukraine. Our pioneering spirit has earned us numerous awards and created many industry firsts. Among these: Riverwest Stein winning Gold for American-Style Amber Lager at the 2016 L.A. International Beer Competition, the first certified organic beer (Organic E.S.B.), and the first gluten-free beer granted label approval by the U.S. Government (New Grist). Our tours are among the most popular in the U.S.; over 100,000 people tour the brewery each year. It's one of the first—if not the first—to offer beer at the beginning, during, and after the tour instead of requiring guests to wait until the end. We're down-to-earth, hard-working and brewed in Milwaukee for people who like beer.