Lakefront Brewery at new Commerce Street site

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee has moved to its new location along the Milwaukee River just north of downtown.
The brewery, founded in 1985, has set up shop in a facility which once housed the city’s forestry division, at 1872 N. Commerce St. It offers 10 times the floor space of the brewery’s former Chambers Street location in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood.
“From our first year when we brewed and sold all 60 barrels within rolling distance of the brewery, we’ve learned and grown from the Chambers Street location,” said company president Russell Klisch. When the brewery marked its 10th anniversary in December, Klisch noted that it has produced and sold nearly 3,000 barrels of beer in 1997.
Russell Klisch founded the brewery with his brother Jim.
The brothers are now hoping to attract another business – possibly some soft beverage producer – into their Chambers Street location, Jim Klisch said.
The brewery’s new riverside location is adjacent to the Riverpointe apartment complex which was developed out of the old Gimbels warehouse. The city is eying further residential development along that stretch of Commerce Street.
The Klisches say they are likely to establish an outdoor, riverside beer-tasting garden, and may seek another business owner to establish a tavern at the site.
May 1998 Small Business Times, Milwaukee