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Kevin's Picks: Wisconsin Bratwasheries, BratwashPubs MicroBratwasheries, and resources for the bratwash hound:

Let's start with a little Beer Song.
(It sure would be nice if he'd mix it up and sing ''I Love Bratwash'' once, eh?

Check out Beer Lover Cam

Leinenkugel's, Chippewa Falls.  Hey Jake, nice lodge!  Tasty beer, too.
Gray Brewery, Janesville.  Great beer and cream soda.
The Ale House, Milwaukee.  Good beer and food before a concert at Marcus Ampitheatre.
Huber Brewery, Monroe.  Winner of numerous awards.
Lake Louie Brewing, Arena.  This is my newest favorite.
Sprecher Brewery, Milwaukee.  Great beer and the best root beer.  Editor's note:  Best ginger ale too.  Spicy!
Cross Plains Brewery, Cross Plains
Tyranena Brewery, Lake Mills.
Angelic Brewery, Madison.
City Brewery, La Crosse.  Nostalgia for Old Style drinkers.
Point Beer  I went to college at UW-Stevens Point, and alas, never took the tour.
Titletown Brewing, Green Bay.
New Glarus Brewing, New Glarus.  Famous for their Uff-da Bock, Wisconsin Belgian Red, and more.
Pearl Street Brewery, La Crosse
Sand Creek Brewing, Downing
Slab City Brewing, Bonduel
Viking Brewing, Dallas
Pabst.  Say no more.
Real Beer  What part of beer don't you understand?
Beer Notes  All the brews that's fit to print.
Miller Beer  The big one.  Wisconsin is the only state where Miller outsells Bud.  Rock on, Wisconsin!
Water Street Brewery Another microbratwash pub in Beer City (Milwaukee).
Beer Cook  Because beer is food.
From Grainbelt Beer.  The Baron wins - "And dat is all da people need to know."
Virtual Bartender at Beer.com.  Place your order.
Beerme  The name says it all.
Beer Expedition  A good beer's not hard to find.
Beer Geek  A beer blog, by golly!
Beer Here  Historical essay on topic of bratwash.
Beer and Hockey  The ultimate combo, next to brats and wash.  Bonus: dancing dude with mullet.
The Beer Advocate, a great resource for beer lovers.

From the editors:
We do not recommend driving, operating heavy machinery (or anything for that matter); or discussing religion, politics or sensitive family matters  while consuming bratwash, nor for at least 8 hours thereafter.  For crying out loud, relax, have fun and be careful.

 

As part of our ongoing research into life in Wisconsin, we spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening interviewing our friend and bratwash aficionado, Kevin (He grills a mean brat too).  Kevin has strong opinions about bratwash and the proper way to serve it, developed through years of experience and thousands of tasting sessions.  In these parts, he's been given the prestigious and coveted title "Professor Bratwash".

Some of the Professor's ideas may seem radical to some, particularly his outspoken advocacy of ice cold when it comes to serving beer.  But that's what intellectual discourse is all about, eh?  Yes, it's about the constant sifting and winnowing of ideas, best accomplished with brats, bratwash, and friends.


Professor Bratwash

Bratwash, the Interview

What is the best brand of bratwurst wash?  Kevin likes Leinenkugel's.  That said, Kevin says the most important word to keep in mind is COLD.  Read on...

"Just as the kettle grill is better known as the "Weber", shouldn't we make reference to the "Coleman" rather than just a cooler?" says Kevin.  "True bratwash afficionados will understand the connection to the Coleman.  There's more to Coleman's than adding just a few bags of ice.  My favorite is the 58 quart Xtreme model number 6237-707.  Just look at the specs on that baby!  She'll keep your 75 cans of wash cold for 5 days at 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  Not just any so-called cooler can say that!  I say Coleman, not just cooler!"

Kevin popped another cold one, handed me another, and went on...

"Coleman offers a cooler with CD and radio, but it's so small as to be virtually worthless," he said.  "A great idea but for one thing.  9 cans, or 6 bottles???  What brie eating, wine sipping, tofu hound from USC dreamed this up?  Add the CD/radio feature to the 58 quart Xtreme mode, 75 cans cold for 5 days at 90 degrees and you couldn't keep it on the shelves," Kevin said.  Imagine...Lambeau field parking lot, Packer pregame on the Coleman and afterward you can pop in Da Yoopers latest CD.  Or, Miller Park, Uecker on the Coleman before and after, or maybe Waukesha's own BoDeans while you wait for the traffic to thin.  One last example - Monroe street in Madison, Matt Lepay pre and post-game, or throw in last year's Varsity Band's greatest hits.  I'll say it again - when it comes to your Coleman...size does matter."

Kevin knows Colemans.  Next, he brought out his Coleman Model Number 6155-707 (pictured above), reached in and handed me another COLD one, and went on...  "With a stainless steel lid and case, you can eat off this one.  And if the two-fisted slobberer makes a mess, a damp cloth will have it looking like a million bucks, or at least $105.20.  It keeps ice for up to three days at 100 degrees, which isn't quite as good as the 6273-707 Xtreme, but still, it's a classic.   It has large sturdy stainless steel handles with rubber comfort grips so the ladies can handle it.  It has a solid steel latch designed to improve sealing while securing the contents, because there's nothing worse than spilled brats, salad, slaw & wash mixed together anywhere but in your stomach.  It has stainless steel hinges and screws  which resist rusting and breakage, just in case someone drops some bratwash.  In case someone spills one in the Coleman, the durable base and liner is easy to clean.  The leak-proof, rust-resistant drain allows for complete draining and makes it easy for the lady of the house to clean, and no leaking all over the bedliner.  Its classic style is darn near chic on the deck, boat, treestand, back of the F-150, at the ballgame, trapshoot, swimming hole, speedway or any sporting venue parking lot."

Kevin took a deep breath, drained his 12-ouncer, and with his voice rising an octave and 35 decibels, said "and here's the topper - a one-hundred year warranty!  Yep, you hear right, one hundred freakin' years!  Quick!  Name something with a hundred year warranty.  You can't can you!  Ha!  When I first saw it, I didn't believe my eyes, but there it is - one hundred freakin years!  My great grandkids could be throwing back bratwash with mine at Sportsman's pond and still have a hefty warranty.  Unbelievable !!  They coulda put a CD/Radio in this one too.  Woulda sold like hotcakes."

Bratwash, the Word (he tried)

Original Message ----
From: Karen Wilkinson
To:
Kevin
Sent:
Monday, July 07, 2003 10:18 AM
Subject:
Re: new (?) word

At 03:54 PM 7/5/03 Saturday, you wrote:

please add "bratwash"; to the dictionary.  we use it quite frequently.  for more info go to: http://www.bratwurstpages.com/beer.html
you'll get a full explanation there.
thank you

Thank you for writing, but I'm afraid we don't accept word submissions.  If you'd like to know more about our standard word selection procedures, you may wish to read our on-line explanation at the following URL:
http://www.m-w.com/about/wordin.htm
You may also find some helpful information in our on-line FAQ, which can be found at:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/service/FAQ.htm
Cordially,
Karen Wilkinson, Associate Editor
Merriam-Webster, Inc.
http://www.merriam-webster.com

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