In my quest to “drink local,” Chris and I embarked on an interesting field trip yesterday. We went out in search of Milwaukee’s best liquor stores. Of course, by “best” we essentially meant they had to have a large Wisconsin craft beer selection. In addition, we were looking for a friendly, knowledgeable staff and a clean and organized environment.
Our trek took us from Bay View to Walker’s Point, up to Shorewood and over to Wauwatosa- with a pit stop in the Historic Third Ward for lunch on the patio at Milwaukee Ale House.
While we found some liquor stores that had some great selections and good prices- I failed to find the emphasis on Wisconsin craft beer for which I was looking. I was surprised to find the presence of Great Lakes Distillery at five out of the six stores we visited.
I’ll spare you the in depth analysis Chris and I shared after each store and just tell you which stores we visited and how we each ranked them.
Avenue Wine and Liquor
4075 S Howell Ave
Bayview
Fine Vineyard
601 S 1st St
Walker’s Point
Downer Wine & Spirits
2638 N Downer Ave
East Side
Otto’s Wine & Spirits
3476 N Oakland Ave
Shorewood
Ray’s Wine & Spirits
8930 W North Ave
Wauwatosa
Discount Liquor Inc
919 N Barstow St
Waukesha
Chris’ Favorites
1. Downer Wine & Spirits – He liked this place best because the atmosphere was built around the quality of the products, not the discounted prices. In fact, the Miller and Bud products were hidden in the back of a cooler that you actually had to walk into to get to them.
2. Ray’s Wine & Spirits
3. Otto’s Wine & Spirits
4. Discount Liquor Inc
5. Fine Vineyard
6. Avenue Wine and Liquor
My Favorites
1. Ray’s Wine & Spirits – Ray’s had almost everything I was looking for in a liquor store. While aesthetically needing an update, they still carried most of the products for which I was looking and in the most organized way. Not only was this the only place in which we were able to carry on a conversation with an employee about craft beer, it was the only place to have a section dedicated to Wisconsin craft beer.
2. Downer Wine & Spirits
3. Fine Vineyard
4. Discount Liquor Inc
5. Otto’s Wine & Spirits
6. Avenue Wine and Liquor
Okay, so it’s not your typical Milwaukee field trip, but it was a lot of fun and insightful. Best of all, we came away with a lot of beer to put in our fridge – almost all from Wisconsin of course.
Any thoughts? What are your favorite Milwaukee area liquor stores, and most importantly- why?
