Milwaukee does Black Friday differently. Sure, wander the city and you'll find stores all over town offering discounts and deals on just about everything, but many locals line up for an even more exclusive release. On Thanksgiving night, or in the wee hours of Friday morning, many locals brave the early winter chill and gather outside of tap rooms and breweries for eagerly awaited Black Friday beer releases.
This annual tradition taps into local craft brewers' richest, most decadent creations, whipping beer connoisseurs city-wide into a frenzy to get their hands on these limited-edition brews waiting just behind the taproom doors. It's a Milwaukee badge of honor, a rite of passage and a fall staple that ages like an imperial stout in bourbon barrels.
Here's this year’s lineup of limited releases and one-day festivities, with each brewery showcasing their own story, their own fireside offering to the gods of malt and barrel.
Amorphic Beer
Amorphic treats Black Friday like a science experiment; one part tradition, one part mad genius. Their Major Particles stout, aged in bourbon-maple barrels, is so rich it reportedly “killed the yeast.” Meanwhile, WIMPs, a Czech-inspired black lager aged in bourbon-then-blackberry barrels, is the kind of oddity that makes Amorphic a local favorite. Both come in two-packs or mixed four-packs.
Beers
- Maple Syrup Barrel Major Particles (ABV 15%)
- Barrel-Aged WIMPs (ABV 9%)
Black Husky Brewing
A pre-Thanksgiving tradition for Black Husky Brewing, their annual “Ahead of the Pack” release once again beats the Black Friday rush. This Belgian IPA, big and boisterous, wears its strength with grace and has a moderate body, some sweetness and a hop profile sharp enough to cut through November’s fog.
Beer
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Ahead of the Pack (Belgian IPA) (ABV 15%)
Dead Bird Brewing
Dead Bird Brewing’s slate of Black Friday releases is a road trip through flavor. Their iconic Beanut Putter anchors the day, while collaborations with other Wisconsin brewers bring creativity and camaraderie to the taps. Doors open noon to 6 p.m., and stock is limited, so be sure to get yours before they're gone.
Beers
- Beanut Putter (10%): chocolate peanut butter imperial stout
- Classic English Barleywine (collab with Torzala Brewing)
- Belgian Witbier Winter Warmer (with North Pillar Brewing)
- Wild Shandy (with Titletown Brewing)
Eagle Park Brewing Company
Eagle Park's Black Friday is a celebration for fans who know great beer is worth showing up for. Doors open early (8 a.m. at Hamilton, 11 a.m. in Muskego), and the taplists read like a catalog of temptation. Their congress of fans will start lining up to pick up this release before the leftovers even cool, ready to sip this symphony of coffee, fruit and oak.
Beers
- STAVE: Blend 4 (14.17%): a multi-barrel blend aged 45–48 months.
- Fly By Night 2025: bourbon-barrel imperial stout with Colombian vanilla beans.
- Stir It Up 2025: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee imperial stout.
- Fuzz Lord 2025: barleywine aged in bourbon, then peach brandy barrels.
Plus three lighter releases: Bananas Foster Soft Serve, DDH Bowie’s Space Suit: Krush, and Dragonfruit Orange Mango Slush.
Faklandia BrewPub
The mythology runs deep at Faklandia. Here, brews heroes and villains, gods and lords, the stuff of lore, each with their own backstory. The villain (Mantaycore) returns for another year, joined by Progenitor, his wise and ancient foil. Both will be on tap and in cans starting the morning of Black Friday, brewed for the heroes who wake up early enough to drink them.
Beers
- Mantaycore: Imperial Stout with hazelnut, coconut and cinnamon. (Around 15% ABV)
- Progenitor: Imperial Stout with honey, molasses and agave. (Around 15% ABV)
Indeed Brewing Company
Indeed Brewing opens early at 10 a.m., with the first 30 guests getting a free pour of their decadent honey-apple ale. Preorders come with a free pilsner glass, the proper vessel for such golden richness. There’s Beer Brûlée from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a Cranberry Spruce Kölsch drop at 2 p.m. and later, 50% off THC sparkling beverages to close the night. It's basically a full-day beer fest.
Beer
- C.R.E.A.M. (Honey Apple Imperial Cream Ale) (ABV: 8%)
Lakefront Brewery
For fifteen years, Lakefront Brewery’s Black Friday™ has been the city’s grand gathering, celebrating the ritual of early rising, rare beers and braving the cold. Doors open at 8 a.m., but the line starts just after the last slice of pumpkin pie has been served at Thanksgiving dinner. You can warm up with burritos and coffee at dawn, awaiting the moment co-founders Russ and Jim Klisch swing open the gates to four barrel-aged marvels in 19.2-ounce cans.
The beers range from whiskey-laced stouts to a brandy-aged wheatwine, and those who buy four or more take home a collectible Black Friday pint glass. You can also earn a Black Friday beer by donating a laundered, gently used coat that fits kids aged 3-14 to the Warm Hearts Community Coat Drive.
Beers
- Black Friday™ Imperial Stout: aged in Great Lakes Distillery’s Still & Oak Whiskey barrels
- Black Friday™ Triple Black IPA: dry-hopped with Cascade, Citra, Centennial, and Chinook
- Black Friday™ Wheatwine Ale: aged in brandy barrels
- Black Friday™ Imperial Coffee & Cacao Nib Stout: aged in Still & Oak Whiskey barrels
Layman Brewing
You want an official Red Ryder carbine-action two-hundred-shot range model air rifle? You'll shoot your rye out, kid! This turducken of a beer, as Layman calls it, is part Oktoberfest, part fruitcake and all the festive fun of the holidays wrapped into one. This hazy, full-bodied rye lager straddles the strange, sparkling purgatory between Thanksgiving and Christmas. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Layman will open just for growler fills and pints, pairing the release with a build-your-own mac and cheese menu.
Beer
- You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out (ABV 5.3%)
Release: Wednesday, November 26 (pre-Thanksgiving)
Lion’s Tail Brewing Co.
Crisp as the season’s first frost, this new IPA from Lion's Tail Brewing channels the Northwoods aesthetic with Green Bullet, Centennial and Chinook hops wrapped in cool confidence. The limited-edition puffer vest koozies are both a joke and a fashion statement that set this release apart from the rest. Pair it with their gift card and merch discounts and, boom, you've got your holiday shopping covered.
Beer
- Puffer Vest Cold IPA (ABV 7%)
New Barons Brewing Co-op
Cabin core, brewed into a crisp beer that will have you hearing the wind whip through the evergreens and the crunch of leaves under your feet. This beer by New Barons belongs beside a fire pit, boots thawing and pizza on the way. Brewed with maple syrup twice (once in the boil and again through bourbon and rye barrels), it’s a lager that somehow manages to feel both clean and indulgent. At 9 a.m., bottles and drafts go live, with coffee, pizza and a fire outside to complete the mood.
Beer
- Crispy Cabin Vibes Barrel-Aged Doppelbock (ABV 10%)
Ope! Brewing Co.
Set your alarm for 9 a.m. sharp to make it in time for Ope! Brewing Co. to open its doors with two versions of their Full Send Barleywine. Both brews clock in at 11.4% ABV and are priced to mix and match ($15 a can or $50 for a four-pack). Each spent a long winter in barrels, soaking up whiskey and warmth. The name says it all, on Black Friday, Ope! goes full send.
Beers
- Full Send 2025 (Apple Brandy & Maple Whiskey) (ABV 11.4%)
- Full Send 2025 (Rye Whiskey) (ABV 11.4%)
Raised Grain Brewing Co.
Raised Grain opens its vault with a once-in-a-decade stout collection, four years of bourbon barrel-aged memory in one box. Alongside are two versions of Doc’s Old-Fashioned, each nodding to Wisconsin’s most sacred cocktail, and Santa’s Sack, a warmly spiced ale that smells like the holidays themselves.
Beers
- Anniversary Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout 4-Pack (Years 7–10)
- Doc’s Old-Fashioned (Brandy or Bourbon Barrel variants)
- Santa’s Sack Christmas Ale (ABV 8.3%)
Third Space Brewing
From noon to 10 p.m., Third Space Brewing is spreading cheer and serving some seriously good beer all day long. They'll have live music from the Tavern Pedalers, food from Tots on the Street and a Christmas toy drive. There’s no presale, so it’s first-come, first-served for this liquid treasure.
Beers
- Barrel-Aged Eggnog Stout — brewed with nutmeg and vanilla bean, aged in bourbon barrels.
- Kara’s Holiday Punch — a fruited sour of cranberry, cherry, cinnamon, and clove.
Urban Harvest Brewing Co.
UHBC opens its doors at 11 a.m. to reveal what they call their space, a “Taproom Winter Wonderland.” Walk on in to revel in the festive atmosphere of over a thousand glass icicles and snowflakes hung from the rafters.
Taproom Releases
- (Yet-to-be-Named) Barleywine
- Serensified Sufficiencies (Belgian Tripel 2025)
Special Releases: A lineup from years past, including Imperial Chocolate Whiskey Stout (2023), WhiScotchsin (2023), Deux Stappen (2022) and others unearthed like treasures from the cellar.
Closing the Tap
In Milwaukee, Black Friday is about celebrating craft, community and the winter’s first true toast. So chase barrel-aged luxury. Seek out fruit-studded whimsy. Quench your thirst with a simple pint of rye-spiced warmth. There’s a tap handle waiting for you this Black Friday. Cheers!
