Big Bay Expanding the Reach of Its Craft Beers

Last year Big Bay started shipping its slate of craft beers to the twin cities and is now exploring a southern expansion into the Chicago area.

As a beermaker, Jeff Garwood says it doesn't get much better than Wisconsin. Garwood's slate of Big Bay Brewing Company craft beers have been lining liquor and grocery selves and on tap at local taverns and the Shorewood tasting room for roughly two years now — with a four month gap between Big Bay debuting and the tasting room opening.  But recently, Garwood has expanded Big Bay's reach to Minnesota, shipping the craft beers to the twin cities. “The most important state to us is Wisconsin; it’s our home, it’s a great beer state,” said Garwood, co-founder of the brewing company.  Being a microbrewer, Garwood says Big Bay doesn't necessarily have a marketing budget, so the tasting room serves as a way to get Big Bay beer into people's hands…

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Longest Beer Run Ever?

It's more than 1,000 brewskis and counting for 30-year-old social media guru from Whitefish Bay who has made a habit of running and drinking a beer every single day for more than a year.

Vowing to run every single day for a year takes a special determination. In Tim Cigelske's case, that determination is partly fueled by beer. The Whitefish Bay man was looking to do something special for his 29th birthday, so he put a call out on Twitter looking for suggestions. One of his followers suggested he try running and drinking beer every day for the next year. He did that...and more. Now, more than 18 months later, Cigelske still hasn't broken his streak. In 2011, he ran 2011 miles, and he is averaging even higher mileage this year. He keeps things interesting by coming up with special routes on landmark dates, like tracing the number '100' on his 100th day or 250 on day 250. While some might wonder how he finds time to run every…

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Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

After Home Away from Home is Extinguished, Two British Friends Open Three Lions

Following fire at British-style tavern, the former pub's two managers and longtime friends realized their local slice of home in Three Lions Pub.

The English pub is homogeneous to a community hub, providing a venue for locals to come and expound on culture, David Price says. It's much more than just a place to grab a "pint and a bite." “It's a place to go watch soccer, a cozy little pub like back home, where you can come on your own and read a book or come with 20 people and have a party,” Price said. Price and longtime friend Christopher Tinker both grew up in small towns situated between Manchester and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, where they came to digest the paramountcy of the local pub to the English communities they serve. They made the journey to Milwaukee in early 2003, on scholarships to play soccer and study at Cardinal Stritch University, in a group of five. It was in…

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Bites Nearby: Harry's Bar and Grill Gives a Little Cuban Flavor

Modern atmosphere and a variety of menu options, with a far-from-boring side salad, earn extra points for Harry's.

Upbeat, modern music and chic artwork give a young vibe to Harry's Bar and Grill, located at 3549 N. Oakland Ave. in Shorewood.  Run the by same owners as the NSB Bar & Grill in Bayside, and The Knick in downtown Milwaukee, each has a similar standard of quality, but with its own unique twist. At Harry's, that twist is having downtown style class, tucked into the lower portion of the North Shore. The website even boasts the hot spot as "a friendly neighborhood gathering place." I would more describe it as an avant-garde Cheers, where everybody very well might know your name. There's a very modern theme here, but Harry's really doesn't overdo it. Framed artwork thoughout the restaurant and multiple television screens keep eyes busy if…

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Bob McBride

7:56 am on Friday, February 25, 2011

In order to get more restaurants in WFB the village would probably have to issue more than the current 3-4 liquor licenses it has available. There's been a lot of resistance to that in the past. Then we're dealing with a fairly small commercial district within which to locate a restaurant. It's been tried in the old Bay Liquor site a couple of times. However, City Market is opening soon and that …   more ›