Lakefront Brewery

The Lakefront Brewery is a Milwaukee institution, creating popular craft brews in Beer City since 1987. Despite its name, Lakefront is actually located on the west bank of the Milwaukee River a few minutes north of downtown. In normal times, they offer daily tours, lasting 45 minutes, for $10 ($12 on the weekends) where attendees learn about the process, sample four different beers and receive a souvenir pint glass. During this trip, I was more interested in visiting the Beer Hall which is where the food is served. 

Lakefront has won many awards for its eats, including being rated Milwaukee’s #1 cheese curd producer by Milwaukee Magazine. The dining area is an enormous, high-ceilinged space with two rows of long tables where customers can sit and eat while taking in live Polka performances on a small stage. I am sad to report that I did not have the fortune of witnessing one while I was there. It is a casual setting, with separate counters for ordering drinks and food, and the service is very efficient. The $9.55 order of curds is served in a plastic basket, lined with waxed paper, and a side of garlic ranch.

Lakefront’s curds were nearly uniform in size – small nuggets with rounded edges – like delightful, dairy Cadberry creme eggs. The batter was a pleasing color: golden brown with darker reddish speckles that hinted at glowing embers. The light coating was crisp with an enjoyable texture but seemed to be lacking in signature flavor – I couldn’t find any mention of Lakefront using their own beers to create the batter. The gooey, white cheese on the other hand was bursting with a deep, greasy richness that filled the taste void left by the batter. The overall product is high quality; consistent and satisfying. Lakefront Brewery is a must visit for any self-respecting cheese curd fan that finds themselves in the Milwaukee area. 

4.4 curds out of 5.0

Cheesy Fact of the Day:

Credem Bank, in Italy, will hold Parmesan cheese in exchange for loans with interest rates between 3-5% (and a fee ensuring the cheese matures properly). The cheese is stored in bank vaults and can be sold if the loan defaults. Approximately 430,000 Parmesan wheels, with a value of more than $200 million, are stored at Credem Bank.

What’s O’Curd to Me:

Envision this scenario: your heart rockets straight down into the pit of your stomach as quickly as the imaginary lightning bolt that has just struck your soul, setting your senses abuzz. Your eyes rescan the six numbers on the small orangish piece of receipt paper in your hands. In an instant, the buzzing and chills are replaced by euphoria as your entire body explodes with adrenaline – you’ve confirmed those five numerals, plus the all-important last one, match the Powerball numbers on your screen. You have just won more money than you could spend in a dozen lifetimes. 

Let’s fast forward a few months, or years: the ecstasy has worn off and you’ve settled into your new lifestyle. Let’s assume you’ve taken care of your loved ones in the way you only dreamed was possible, bought all the ridiculous things you ever wished to have, poured resources into the causes you’ve always believed are making the greatest positive impact for those less fortunate, and set up your future generations with a nest egg. You are on top of the world, and yet, like a single fly buzzing around a room – landing on your face or feet while you attempt to sleep – a question torments you: now what? 

You are still young and have your whole life left to live. You’ve always been driven but haven’t been able to help noticing this life of comfort has dulled your edge, and you HATE it. You have enjoyed the extended R&R but it is apparent that an existence of pure leisure will leave you unsatisfied. Luckily, you have an abundance of two extremely valuable resources, time and money. You have the ability to take on any project that sparks your curiosity or piques your interest or awakens your passion. What do you love to do? What are you great at? How can you combine those things in a way that fulfills you and contributes to a society in desperate need of more passionate, hardworking, ethical and talented people to tackle the world’s problems?  

In the words of the IRS agent about to break the news to Happy Gilmore that his grandmother’s house is going to be repossessed, “Now you’re really gonna be mad.” It is with great sorrow that I have to remind you that the previous paragraphs were fictional and, as far as I know, you didn’t actually win the lottery. But, should that unfortunate detail invalidate the answers to the last few questions?

While you mull that over, allow me to share a little bit about one of my all-time favorite pastimes. In high school, I built a ping pong table with my dad and would play for hours on end. I developed the most obvious of strategies, relentlessly return everything, but it was effective. I enjoy the rhythm of the volley and the sounds that give the game it’s name; PING. PONG. PING. PONG. I am content to continuously paddle the ball back and forth, safely onto the middle of the table, but usually my opponent doesn’t feel the same way. I try to avoid screwing up until they either lose focus and make a mistake or attempt a low percentage kill shot. 

For many people, life can be like my ping pong style – a predictable routine, with familiar beats, where they bounce from task to task as time elapses around them. This is soothing for lots of folks while others struggle to free themselves from the gravitational pull of the status quo. In order to get the most out of life, some individuals need to work up the courage to leave their comfort zone; take aim at the corner of the table and swing hard. We can get so paralyzed by what could go wrong that we neglect to consider what might go right.

Failures happen and 2020 is a shining example that there are no guarantees on any path. If you take a risk in an effort to reach your goals what is the worst that can happen? Most of us build up the possibility, and cost, of being letdown in our minds way beyond what they would be in reality. There is a lot of pressure to zero in on a career path and plow ahead until retirement with any deviation viewed as a disappointment, but many successful people have taken unorthodox paths to get where they are. In fact, trying lots of things, and following interests or passions, can help build a diverse knowledge base while injecting perspective into our life experience. These are assets that can help an “outsider” solve problems differently than people entrenched in fields who are unable to think outside of that particular box.

Instead of running like crazy, without making progress, step off of the treadmill and walk in the direction you want to go. Or, as Tim advised Dawn in The Office (U.K.), “It’s better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than halfway up one you don’t.” It isn’t necessary to be a Powerball winner to create a happy existence but making some decisions as if you were could be the key to unlocking your golden handcuffs.