"We’re very pleased to be far ahead of the growth of microbreweries nationally, and to even outstrip the average growth of imported beer," said Russ Klisch, president of the Milwaukee-based Lakefront Brewery. "There’s no question that we have the "hot" brands right now. We attribute this continued growth to successfully developing new brands that are based on classic styles of beer and to working closely with our distributor, Beer Capitol, in the promotion of our beers."
In 2001, Lakefront Brewery introduced several new beers including Big Easy around Mardi Gras and Belgian White in late spring into summer. The brewery produces regular and seasonal beers, and is distributed throughout the eastern half of Wisconsin including Madison, Chicago and Ohio in the Midwest, and Denver.
Lakefront Brewery was founded in 1987 by brothers Russ and Jim Klisch. The original brewery was housed in an old bakery on Chambers Street in the Riverwest district. The Klisch brothers made 50 barrels of beer in the brewery’s first year and sold their product to taverns within rolling distance of the brewery. The brewery is now at 1872 N. Commerce St., just north of downtown Milwaukee along the Milwaukee River.
February 15, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
