Best Place for your wedding

At the historicPabst Brewery.

Book a showing Book a tour

Sign the guest book.

Something to celebrate?
Find your room on the next page.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A few familiar names.

Sternewirt

1844 · Jacob Best, from Darmstadt
1880 · the headquarters goes up
1893 · Pabst Select becomes Blue Ribbon
1934 · first pints poured in this room
2001 · Jim & Karen Haertel, $50,000 down

A pint, a party, a name on the page.
There’s room for yours.

Since 1934, everybody signs the book.Take a look around ↓

Weddings & private events

Good company.
Extraordinary rooms.

Original stained glass, hand-carved wood, and room for your favorite people. Pick a hall. We’ll show you around.

Blue Ribbon Hall set for a reception, beneath its fresco murals and iron chandeliers

Blue Ribbon Hall& Captain’s Courtyard

The brewery’s former VIP center still knows how to host. German beer hall style, hand-painted frescoes, and a second-story balcony above the celebration.

150guests

2,250square feet

14′ceiling

45′ × 50′ room25′ × 25′ dance floorHead table: 12 max

See it in person

Original stained glass and ornate woodwork in the Great Hall, set for a wedding reception — The original corporate headquarters, built 1880

The headquarters, with a party downstairs

The Great Hall& Speakeasy

Frederick Pabst’s office, cream city brick, and the original stained glass. Then slip downstairs to the prohibition-themed Speakeasy.

250guests

4,800square feet

16′ceiling

60′ × 80′ room25′ × 25′ dance floorHead table: 16 max

Book a walk through

A smaller gathering, in the old tap room

The Guest Center& King’s Courtyard

Originally “The Sternewirt.” Pints have been poured here since 1934, beside a wood-burning fireplace and beneath exposed beams. King Gambrinus watches over the courtyard.

25guests

600square feet

16′ceiling

20′ × 30′ room · Private events

Ask about the Guest Center

The historic Guest Center tap room with carved wood, exposed beams, and intimate tables — Have a pint. Leave your name.

Included with every event Room cleaning, event staff, tables and chairs.

Jim & Karen Haertel
Preserving the Best legacy

$11 million asking.
$50,000 down.
One year. 28 buildings.

Jim Haertel raising a Pabst Blue Ribbon beside the King Gambrinus statue — Jim Haertel, with King Gambrinus in good company.

“I wanted to save it to preserve it and share it with people.”

Jim Haertel, co-owner

In 2001, Jim and Karen put $50,000 down on the brewery’s 28 buildings. They had one year to raise the rest. Days before the deadline, a local utility company joined the effort.

Best Place brings people back into the 1880 headquarters, the 1858 schoolhouse, and the gift shop and tasting room built in 1934.

“I support Jim’s crazy ideas!”

Karen Haertel, co-owner & CFO

Remarkable Milwaukeean AwardHistoric Milwaukee · February 23, 2017Preservation Advocacy AwardMilwaukee Historic Preservation Commission · 2017

Read their story

Beer history tours

History with a pint.

Gemütlichkeit

German for friendliness and good cheer.

Historic illustration of the Pabst brewery complex, titled The Great Pabst Plant of Today — From Jacob Best’s lager to America’s largest brewery by 1874.

60minutes

$14adult ticket

1 pintbeer or soda included

75people max

$12 for seniors 60+, military, and students with ID. Kids under 13 are free. You must be 21+ to drink alcohol.

Beer History Tour times
Monday	Noon, 2 & 4 pm
Tuesday	11 am & 1 pm
Thursday	Noon, 2 & 4 pm
Friday	Noon, 2 & 4 pm
Saturday	11 am, noon, 2 & 4 pm
Sunday	Noon, 2 & 4 pm

Walking Tour: Friday & Saturday at 1 & 3 pm. Three beers included. $25 adults, $23 seniors 60+, military & students with ID.
Tall Boy Tuesday: 11 am & 1 pm on select dates.

Book a tour on etix

Open year-roundADA compliant & wheelchair accessibleFriendly dogs welcome on a leashWalk-in spots held on every tour

Special events can affect tour times. Check etix for available dates.

While you’re here.

“A bar is a bar, but a tavern...
now that’s history.”

Best Place Coffee and Spirits, with tall windows, wood beams, and coffee seating — Morning coffee in the old brewery.

Pabst, Schlitz, and Blatz merchandise and vintage beer signs in the Best Place gift shop — A little brewery history to take home.

A few more names in the book

Guests say it best.

“Only thing better than the venue is the staff!”
DAVID P. · TRIP ADVISOR REVIEW

“The inside is like walking into a time machine.”
MARTY M. · GOOGLE REVIEWS

“Our tour guide, Mike, was so knowledgeable and funny.”
LAURA S. · YELP REVIEWS

“I love that the statue of King Gambrinus looks pleasantly buzzed.”
ZANNA H. · YELP REVIEWS

“Best Place was perfect for our ceremony and reception. Guests were mesmerized by the beauty and history of the venue.”
GUEST REVIEW ON THE BEST PLACE HOME PAGE

At the historicPabst Brewery.

Sign the guest book.

A few familiar names.

Good company.
Extraordinary rooms.

Blue Ribbon Hall& Captain’s Courtyard

The Great Hall& Speakeasy

The Guest Center& King’s Courtyard

$11 million asking.
$50,000 down.
One year. 28 buildings.

History with a pint.

While you’re here.

The taverns

Coffee & spirits

The gift shop

Guests say it best.

At the historicPabst Brewery.

Sign the guest book.

A few familiar names.

Good company.Extraordinary rooms.

Blue Ribbon Hall& Captain’s Courtyard

The Great Hall& Speakeasy

The Guest Center& King’s Courtyard

$11 million asking.$50,000 down.One year. 28 buildings.

History with a pint.

While you’re here.

The taverns

Coffee & spirits

The gift shop

Guests say it best.

Good company.
Extraordinary rooms.

$11 million asking.
$50,000 down.
One year. 28 buildings.