A Sudsy Heritage: Milwaukee’s Rise as Beer Capital of the World

Join me for a lively look back at the beverage that made Milwaukee famous. Good water, abundant ice, and a substantial German population made Milwaukee a logical center of the brewing trade. Within a generation of its founding, the city housed some of the largest brewers in America. Although beer was its most important product for only one year—1890—the “amber nectar” shaped Milwaukee’s character and cemented its image in the national consciousness. The program is part of MOWA’s “Art on Tap: Early Wisconsin Brewery Art and Advertising,” an exhibition that runs from July 9 to Sept. 25, 2016.