Lakefront Brewery on Commerce Street
The building at 1872 N. Commerce St. started its life as a coal-fired power plant that supplied Milwaukee's mega breweries with electricity but contaminated the riverbanks with heavy metals. Today it is home of Lakefront Brewery, a craft brewery that emphasizes green brewing practices and operates a beer hall and Friday night fish fry that hearkens back to Milwaukee's days as the German Athens.
Sample the Water Stories on this page featuring Lakefront co-founder Russ Klisch. Then explore more with the Water Story MKE app, a citywide scavenger hunt where you discover Milwaukee's water stories hidden in plain sight.
Mission
Explore the northwest bank of the Milwaukee River along Commerce Street, formerly dug as a canal. Get trivia right to earn points. Complete all trivia to earn the Lakefront Brewery badge. Along the way, enjoy historic view courtesy of the Milwaukee County Historical Society.
“Our friends said we should open up a brewery. And you kinda believe ‘em when you’re twenty-something years old.”
Bonus Trivia
Which Milwaukee city father dug an ill-fated canal from the former North Avenue Dam on the Milwaukee River, which today is the present-day path of Commerce Street?
