America 250: Milwaukee brewing history celebrated in new exhibit

MILWAUKEE - As America celebrates its 250th birthday, one Milwaukee tour provides an experience to immerse yourself in beer and American history at the same time.

Best Place inside the historic Pabst Brewery is providing one-hour tours that include a stop in a special new exhibit which showcases a collection of model ships constructed by artist Ernesto Valles.

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America's 250th

What they're saying:

If you're looking to quench your thirst for some history, there may be no better place than Best Place. In the former halls of one of America's largest beer makers, owner Jim Haertel is leading tours through a special exhibit.

On the tour, Haertel shares beer stories about when the idea of America just started brewing. Those include tales of how beer may have played a role in the Pilgrims ending up on Plymouth Rock.

"The captain said, ‘Sorry, we’re running out of beer. So you’re getting off here, or you’re coming back with us,’" said Haertel.

Other stories talk about how our Founding Father's didn't just love beer, they brewed it.

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"Jefferson made beer, he learned from his wife how to brew beer. James Madison wanted to create a secretary of beer," explained Haertel.

For the next week or so, Haertel is tying the Pabst brewery history to America's. In many ways, the two are unexpected success stories. And for tales of inspiration, look no further than Milwaukee's beer barons.

Beer in Milwaukee

The backstory:

It seems the success of America and Milwaukee go hand in hand. In a land of opportunity, immigrants created companies that would soon become some of the most successful in the world.

"We were a big deal. As recently as the 1970s we had three of the four largest brewers in the country. Anheuser-Bush in St. Louis but we had Schlitz Miller and Pabst," said historian John Gurda.

Gurda pointed out innovations and a mastery of marketing have kept Milwaukee as the beer capitol of the world for a century.

"Beer goes back to the Egyptians or the Syrians. It goes way, way back there. But one thing that Milwaukee did give the world was light beer," said Gurda.

Best Place beer tour, exhibit

What you can do:

The special tour is expected to run through the Fourth of July weekend. It's a reminder as we get set to say cheers to 250 years of America, it may not have been possible without the success of Milwaukee.

"It’s a big part of it. It’s a big part of it," said Haertel.

The exhibit features many model ships constructed by Milwaukee muralist Ernesto Valles. Valles is speaking on several of the tours to explain his work and some of the other art that is on display as part of the special tour. For times and information head to the Best Place website.

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