Most of the time I talk about beers to drink in this column, but seeing as this is the first one of the new semester and there are more and more people turning 21, I thought I would do something different. I am going to reveal some of my favorite places to go and drink beer.

I want to begin with the disclaimer that some of these recommendations are based on selection and others on pure atmosphere. To lead us off, the Lakefront brewery Friday night fish fry is a great place to start a weekend. The food is affordable and the beer is delicious as usual. You can also turn this good dinner into a really fun brewery tour. It only costs five bucks and at the end you’re given a collectible pint glass to take home.

If you were looking to get out to Water Street after the tour there is one location that has a down right impressive selection of beer. Bar Louis, which doubles as both a restaurant and bar, has a staggering number of beers on tap for anyone to try. Some of them are brews you would recognize from any liquor store, others are truly rare micro-brews that you can’t find on tap anywhere else.

One place that I recommend for a fun time and a very lively sociable atmosphere is Lucille’s. Located on the north end of Third Street, it is one of the most original places to drink in town. It has a double piano setup whose players take requests and play just about anything. Well they play anything you might imagine a bunch of Guiness drinking forty-year-olds would know.

Another place that has a very unique atmosphere but not an amazing beer selection is the Safe House. Most people know it as the spy themed restaurant but come nighttime it turns into a really fun bar. It has numerous specialty drinks that come in collectible glasses, but they are pretty expensive. My favorite part about the place is the blackjack table that you can play for free drinks. If you don’t know how to play, the very nice dealer will help you out with every hand and it’s not nearly serious enough for you to be made fun of. All in all Milwaukee has some awesome places to try out your new drivers license and if you are already 21, I hope you learned of a cool new place.

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