PBS Wisconsin Documentaries

Bottoms Up: Wisconsin's Historic Bars and Breweries

Special | 56m 47s  | Video has closed captioning.

Take a trip through Wisconsin’s bar and brewing history. Starting with the first stagecoach taverns, see the evolution of the saloon, the growth of big brewing, the effects of prohibition and the rise of theme bars and craft brewers. Visits to historic taverns show the relationship between bars and breweries, and how cultural traditions paved the way for Wisconsin to become a “tavern state.”