Dive into the World of Wisconsin Beer

The Potosi Brewing Company keeps brewing tradition alive

If you love beer—or even just like it—you need to stop at the Potosi Brewing Company, located along the Mississippi River and the Wisconsin Great River Road. The Potosi Brewing Company was founded in 1852. This small brewery thrived for more than a century, due in part to its location along the river, which enabled the brewery to ship its products far and wide. Unlike many small breweries of its time, the Potosi Brewery sold its beer throughout the United States, allowing it to survive into the 1970s, long after most of Wisconsin's small breweries had disappeared. Today, the Potosi Brewing Company has been brought back to life, now serving as both a place to appreciate good beer and learn about brewing history.

What to see
The Potosi Brewing Company is designated as a Great River Road Interpretive Center. The brewery complex includes two outstanding museums: the Potosi Brewing Company Transportation Museum and the National Brewery Museum. The transportation museum tells the story of brewery through the transportation methods used to transport beer to market. You'll learn about shipping on the Mississippi River, the nearby rail lines and America's roadways. The National Brewery Museum uses brewery advertising and memorabilia to tell the history of brewing through the centuries. You'll leave with lots of tales to tell your friends over your next frosty mug.

What to taste
Perhaps the most enticing feature of the Potosi Brewing Company is the Potosi Brewery Restaurant and Brew Pub. The restaurant is a museum in and of itself. The walls are the original sandstone of the old brewery. The tables are made of cypress wood from the old brewery vats. Natural springs can be seen through the glass floor. All this beauty shouldn't distract you from your most important task: tasting the beer. Drink a "Good Old Potosi," or savor some "Potosi Pure Malt Cave Ale" or "Snake Hollow India Pale Ale." To accompany your libations, there is a full restaurant menu.

What to remember
The museums are open Sunday through Friday from 11am to 9pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 9pm. The restaurant is open daily from 11am to 9pm. The Potosi Brewing Company is located right in the heart of Potosi—you can't miss it.