Looking through the enormous sliding windows of Hacienda Beer Co.’s North Avenue taproom in Milwaukee, I can see everyone is enjoying the Lush Vibes. I stand outside, taco truck at my back, waiting for some al pastor while Pale Ales and Stouts are pouring from the brand-spankin’ new flow-control faucets.
The chatter about the transformation is not hard to overhear. The dimly lit bar and grill that once stood on site has been gutted and stripped, and has given way to Hacienda’s terrarium-like second location. Soaking up the natural light, hanging vines line the windows until they meet the stage at the back of the room. As much as this is a taproom, it has, on occasion, transformed into an intimate venue for live performances by acts like The National, Ra Ra Riot, and The Head and The Heart.
At the bar there’s a resurgence of your grandmother’s salmon-toned tile work, and the benches along the windows might have been skinned from your grandfather’s favorite green plaid recliner. (I know he loved that chair, but it’s in a better place now.) The snow has started coming down and this greenhouse of beer will be my oasis around the corner until summer returns.
