Milwaukee has been the Brew City for centuries. Now, there is a trail to match the name and a new way to experience everything that name represents.
Visit Milwaukee today announced the grand opening of the Brew City Trail presented by Miller High Life, a new regional experience connecting the breweries, beer gardens, historic sites and brewing-focused businesses that have shaped southeastern Wisconsin’s brewing culture. Central Standard Craft Distillery, Lakefront Brewery, and Ope! Brewing Co. join the initiative as sponsors.
But the Brew City Trail is about more than what is poured into a glass. It’s about the people behind the bar, the stories passed down through generations and the places where Milwaukeeans have gathered for more than a century. It is about pulling up a chair in a neighborhood taproom, spending an afternoon in a beer garden, discovering the history behind an iconic brewery or simply sharing a round with friends.
Together, those experiences tell the story of what it means to be Brew City.
"Milwaukee has earned the Brew City name through generations of brewing history, innovation and the people who have kept that spirit alive,” said Peggy Williams-Smith, President and CEO of Visit Milwaukee. “The Brew City Trail gives us a new way to celebrate that legacy while inviting visitors and residents alike to experience Milwaukee’s brewing culture as it exists today. We’re incredibly proud of the history that put us on the map, but what makes this trail so exciting is that Milwaukee’s brewing story is still being written."
Milwaukee’s connection to brewing runs deep. In the 19th century, Pabst, Schlitz, Miller and Blatz helped make Milwaukee the beer capital of the world. Generations later, pioneering local craft brewers helped fuel America’s early microbrewing movement. Today, that legacy continues through the brewers, bartenders, entrepreneurs, historians and local businesses creating new reasons for people to gather around Milwaukee’s brewing culture.
“Brew City Trail turns one of Milwaukee’s most recognizable identities into an experience people can make their own,” said Joshua Albrecht, chief marketing officer of Visit Milwaukee. “There’s no single way to experience Brew City. You can tour a historic brewery, discover a neighborhood taproom, spend an afternoon in a beer garden or simply gather with friends over a local pour. By bringing those experiences together, we’re giving visitors and residents a new reason to explore more of the region and discover what makes Milwaukee’s brewing culture so special.”
The Brew City Trail connects those chapters into a single experience for the first time, bringing Milwaukee’s brewing history together with the people and places carrying it forward.
Spanning the seven-county region, the trail features more than 50 participating destinations across Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties. Brew City Trail signage at participating locations will identify businesses as official trail stops, helping visitors know they’re in the right place as they travel along the trail. The experience extends beyond breweries to include public beer gardens, beer-related attractions, tour companies, historic sites and lodging establishments, creating opportunities to experience Brew City from a variety of perspectives. Visitors can explore the full trail at BrewCityTrail.com.
“Miller has been proud to call Milwaukee home for more than 170 years, helping the city cement the special title of Brew City,” said Meghann Barilla, Guest Relations Manager, Molson Coors Beverage Co. “The Brew City Trail is an exciting chance to celebrate the culture, craftsmanship and community that make Milwaukee's beer story so unique, a story that continues to shape our city today.”
The experience will grow with the launch of Brew Spotter, an interactive feature within the Brew City Trail’s digital map, powered by our partners at Map King, that gives visitors another way to explore the region’s brewing scene. Users can “spot” and rate beers along the trail, earn points and digital badges, climb the Liter Board and unlock opportunities for exclusive Brew City experiences. Special promotions, including rotating bonus-point opportunities at participating locations, will give visitors even more reasons to discover new stops and keep exploring the trail.
For visitors, the Trail creates a new way to experience southeastern Wisconsin through one of its most recognizable traditions. For residents, it offers a reason to explore their own backyard, support local businesses, discover a new gathering place and share what Brew City means to them.
The Brew City Trail is presented by Miller High Life, with Central Standard Craft Distillery, Lakefront Brewery, and Ope! Brewing Co. serving as sponsors. The launch is supported by a multifaceted Visit Milwaukee marketing campaign and promote the trail to local, regional and national audiences. The campaign will include a dedicated microsite, photo and video content, social media, itineraries, out-of-home marketing, geotargeted digital advertising, radio promotion and inclusion in the 2027 Official Visitors Guide. Visit Milwaukee will also support the trail through ongoing earned media efforts and hosted journalist and creator campaigns designed to share Milwaukee’s brewing story with audiences nationwide. Locally, the Brew City Trail Ambassador Program will partner with Milwaukee-based creators throughout the year to showcase seasonal experiences, participating businesses and new ways to explore the trail.
Brew City Trail will also keep beer lovers connected through The Milwaukee Brewsletter: Tales From the Brew City Trail, a new bimonthly newsletter featuring brewery news, upcoming events and beer releases, featured Trail stops, exclusive offers and stories from across Milwaukee’s brewing scene. Readers can sign up here.
The celebration will continue from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22 with sponsored happy hours at select Brew City Trail locations. At each location, Brew City Trail sponsors will host the first $1,000 in beer, limited to one beer per person while supplies last. Participating locations include Ope! Brewing Co., Lakefront Brewery and Central Standard Craft Distillery, with Molson Coors and Central Standard hosting.
The celebration at Ope! Brewing Co. will also feature a live show from the Pour Another Round podcast at 5 p.m. The event kicks off a year-long partnership between Brew City Trail and Pour Another Round, with the podcast continuing to spotlight the people, places and stories behind Milwaukee’s brewing culture throughout the year.
Access the Brew City Trail toolkit here and learn more at brewcitytrail.com.