Menu guide fall

What’s on the

Your guide to restaurants in the Southern Lakes area

• Pizza for dinner?

• Beer with that?

• Mexican maybe?

A Southern Lakes Newspapers publication Fall 2016

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MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

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Healthy eating tips

FILE PHOTO What’s on the Menu?

Restaurant operators are increasingly committed to providing healthful meals for kids, and offer options to help parents select tasty, wholesome foods for their families.

for kids when dining out tips to help parents find more healthful kids’ meals:

Seek out high-quality ingredients Look for options that are made with unprocessed ingredients and have a flavor profile kids will love. Give salmon kabobs or grilled chicken strips a try.

Opt for more fresh veggies and fruit When a meal includes fresh produce, kids not only get more nutrients, but also enjoy a rainbow of tantalizing colors. Look for kids’ meals that include salads, dippable sliced fruit or steamed vegetables.

Go for creativity Kids have sophisticated palates so give them the opportunity to try new things. Look for menus featuring creative kids’ meals.

From bento boxes and kid-friendly sushi to turkey sliders and creative noodle bowls, chefs are thinking beyond the traditional to create fun and memorable items.

Look for lean proteins, whole grains To ensure that kids feel full and satisfied after eating their meals, choose options made with lean proteins and whole grains.

Use a trusted resource The National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell program showcases restaurants that meet strict nutritional criteria for children’s foods. Find Kids LiveWell restaurants at www.healthydiningfinder. com or download the mobile app for quick (BPT) reference on the go.

What’s on the Menu?

FALL 2016

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MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

Whether they’re traveling, celebrating a special occasion or simply spending quality time together, families across the country enjoy going to restaurants and dining out together. As consumers become more sophisticated in their tastes and diets, restaurateurs are re-engineering their menus to accommodate those needs.

“Many restaurants are updating their menus so children have more nutritious choices when they dine out,” says Annika Stensson, the National Restaurant Association’s director of research communications. “More kids’ menus feature fresh ingredients that are cooked creatively and make eating out not only healthful, but fun.”

National Restaurant Association data confirms that chefs and consumers are on the same page when it comes to offering better nutrition for kids at restaurants. Healthful children’s meals have become a top culinary trend.

Even though there are more nutritious choices available for children, it can sometimes be confusing for parents to figure out the better options from the more indulgent ones. Healthy Dining founder Anita JonesMueller, MPH, has provided five simple

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The Finch offers a new dining concept Lake Geneva bar features authentic street food

by Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

The Finch Tavern and Taqueria recently opened at N2062 South Lake Shore Drive, Lake Geneva, on the property that was previously the home of Corleone Restaurant.

This new venture is the work of owners Tim Casey and Marty Healy.

Casey, Healy, their manager Scott Van Dyke, and their chef Isaac Magana discussed the new business in a recent interview.

New tables crafted from long planks of wood are stained in a natural hue making a sleek, neutral statement. The understated colors of the tables make the multi-colored walls pop. Most of the tables seat at least eight customers and are meant to be shared in an easy and friendly way.

The concept for this establishment was

the work of Casey and Healy, who have a background in bar and restaurant work.

Having previously owned and worked in bars in Chicago, they learned what a friendly neighborhood bar brings to the area. Their restaurant experience includes owning and running the Lauderdale Landing, a lakefront restaurant in Elkhorn.

“When we heard this property was available,” said Casey, “we knew it was the perfect place to open this new concept business.”

A fresh idea

The idea, Casey went on to explain, was not to open “just another Lake Geneva restaurant, but to provide an entirely new concept.”

When it comes to Lake Geneva dining options, whether it’s a high-end restaurant, a

place for a casual salad or sandwich, or just a bar to sit down and have a drink, the choices are many.

“We are working on a different concept,” Casey said. “We are a bar, not a restaurant, but we will serve some street food. And that food will be tacos. Not burritos, not enchiladas, just tacos that are easily held and really good.”

The focus is on authentic street food.

“There will be small servings of other street foods that are easily held such as ceviche, oyster shooters, and guacamole,” said Van Dyke, the manager.

For those unfamiliar with the term street food, Magana explained that in the larger cities – where people are in a hurry – they often purchase items from a street vendor that

See THE FINCH, Page 6

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WHETHER TRADITIONAL OR FRESHLY CONCEIVED…

Mexican Cuisine …IS A FORCE IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

New Mexican restaurant touts authenticity

by Jason Arndt STAFF WRITER

JASON ARNDT What’s on the Menu?

Singer Blanca Tapia serenades Shelly Ericksen and Christine Sura at the June 17 grand opening of El Sinaloense in the Village of Twin Lakes.

service experience into the business that promises to deliver a menu inspired by his family’s roots in the Northern Pacific region of Mexico.

In addition to tacos, the menu touts seafood choices, including a wide array of fried fish and shrimp dishes.

The restaurant also features Mexicaninspired steak and pork chop entrees.

“Our family is from the city of Mazatlan, where seafood and pork has a history,” Osuna said.

Following the main meal, El Sinaloense offers fried ice cream, adding churros as an

option, to the mix as a dessert.

“It is a very unique menu choice, a lot of Mexican restaurants say they are authentic, but they are very Americanized,” Osuna said.

“It is like we are cooking at home, the way we cook at our house, is what we will serve here.”

While the restaurant just opened, Osuna stated the community has been supportive and expressed enthusiasm.

“We haven’t gotten anything but great vibes from the community about this restaurant,” Osuna said. “We have had people stop in, ask questions about it and are excited about it.”

Serrano agreed, noting the community has always been welcoming.

“I am very happy, it has been my dream for many years. It is a very nice town, and I lived here before,” said Serrano, who commutes from Racine.

Osuna acknowledged that while they cleared the first hurdle, opening the restaurant, the family has grand plans to add more services that include delivery.

The restaurant, open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., offers carryout and dine-in.

“Right now, we only do carryout and dine-in,” Osuna said. “But with time, once we settle in, and get in the groove, we hope to delivery.”

Serrano, a 1998 Wilmot Union High School graduate, attended Riverview School and has three children who attend Randall JASON ARNDT What’s on the Menu?

Five El Sinaloense staff members, including two owners, helped in the restaurant’s grand Consolidated School. opening June 17 in Twin Lakes. The are (from left) owner Hector Osuna; Osuna’s wife, Liz; His children are 11-year-old Allan, 7-yearOwner Luz Ma Serrano; staff member Jaime Reyes; and Serrano’s daughter, Janet Serrano. old Brandon and Joselyn, who is 4.

MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

Hector Osuna had a vision to open an authentic home-style Mexican restaurant for several years.

The vision coupled with a long vacant storefront in the heart of Twin Lakes brought the restaurant to reality in the June 17 grand opening of El Sinaloense.

Osuna and Luz Ma Serrano, his aunt and business partner, began developing the property at 201 E. Main St. eight months ago.

“We always thought this was a prime location. It is right in the middle of town, right in the middle of the fork,” Osuna said. “It is the main street of town and it was empty for so long and we finally had a chance to get it.”

Osuna, who raises a family in Twin Lakes, stated his father, Miguel, once thought it was an ideal spot a decade ago, but could not secure it.

“The dream has always been there, my wife, my aunt has always wanted to run a restaurant,” Osuna said. “My dad looked at this location about 10 years ago.”

Osuna’s wife, Liz, brings 14 years of food

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• The Finch

(Continued from page 4) can be carried and eaten with one hand as they continue on their way.

Mescal is one of the featured alcohols at This trend has led many bars to add this the The Finch. A variety of craft cocktails type of food to their menus and, according to with mezcal will be on the menu. For Van Dyke, they have been very successful. those unfamiliar with mezcal, Magana The success of the street foods lie in offered an explanation. Mescal is similar the preparation. According to Magana, the to tequila in that it comes from the agave meats are cooked at night then sold during plant, but it can be manufactured anywhere the day. Using techniques such as braising, unlike, regular tequila which can only be grilling, pan searing and slow roasting, the manufactured at five sites. meats are cooked to perfection and ready to The Finch will serve a variety of craft be transformed into a taco or other handheld cocktails. All fruits and juices used will be item. When using items such as fish in the prepared at the bar. Juices will be freshly taco, because it needs a shorter cooking time, squeezed and purees will be extracted from it is generally cooked to order. fresh fruit on site. Craft beer will also be “Street foods are also very simply available. prepared,” added Magana. “Only two or three ingredients are used and each of these items is high quality and fresh. Street food is The most remarkable feature of simplicity.” restaurant the site is the large outdoor While tacos will be the primary food deck facing the narrows of Geneva served there will be some variety in them as Lake. The best time of all to be there is tacos can be made with various ingredients.

Mezcal is a specialty

Dining al fresco

“

at sunset. Some of the most spectacular sunsets are seen from the deck, according to the staff.

The goal of the owners and the management team is to make this a welcoming and fun location – a place that will be the first choice for a casual evening out with friends.

“The Finch is the place to enjoy high quality beverages, fine street foods, and a great atmosphere at reasonable prices,” Van Dyke said, while the rest of the team nodded in agreement.

The Finch Tavern and Taqueria is at N2062 South Lake Shore Dr., Lake Geneva. It is just across the street from Big Foot Beach and customers have the option of arriving by boat. Contact by phone at (262) 203-5137 or visit them on Facebook. The Finch will open at 11 a.m. daily and the kitchen will remain open until 11 p.m., but bar service will continue later.

We are a bar, not a restaurant, but we will serve some street food. And that food will be tacos.

Not burritos, not enchiladas, just tacos that are easily held and really good.”

– Co-owner Tim Casey

B.J. Wentker’s

MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

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Ambitious expansion Toppers Pizza enters aggressive growth phase

by Christopher Bennett CORRESPONDENT

SUBMITTED PHOTO What’s on the Menu?

Toppers Pizza is expanding across the country and has a franchise in Whitewater at 325 W. Center St., which is owned by Scott Gittrich. Pictured here is the Wrigley, Chicago, restaurant.

opening 22 Toppers locations in Virginia and Maryland. Like Gittrich, McLaughlin was previously involved in national pizza with a different chain.

McLaughlin said he decided to work with Toppers to expand his family’s restaurant empire. McLaughlin and his wife own Triangle Restaurant Management and operate several Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

“Their approach to the pizza business is interesting,” McLaughlin said. “Give customers what they want – the options they have, from a toppings standpoint, and the Topperstix is just a great product.

“I think the fact that they’re making their dough in house leads to it being a better product.”

Toppers makes its dough fresh every day, and also uses real mozzarella cheese.

Its tomatoes are picked once a year in California. Gittrich said Toppers sets a high standard for what it puts in its food, and said the little things add up.

“The idea was that we would make our food from scratch in the restaurant and do it that way,” Gittrich said, “while still being a place that delivered and carried out pizza.”

Attention to detail in making pizza paired with a playful irreverence in marketing starts to – albeit barely – explains Toppers’ brands success.

Except where it doesn’t. Gittrich

admitted Topperstix – the thick, gooey, cheesy bread sticks that are almost mythic in the following they inspire – were created by happy accident.

Geatches casting his lot with Toppers did not come about by happy accident.

He visited 41 stores – more than half of the chain at the time – before investing.

Geatchers said Toppers stood out for its food, marketing and corporate acumen.

Geatches owns Denver-based Mountain Restaurant Management, which consists of several Taco John’s and other holdings. He is opening 13 Toppers stores in Colorado and Wyoming.

“We visited a couple of different pizza chains,” Geatches said. “It kind of seemed like the same old thing. There was nothing really new or exciting.

“The other thing that sold us on Toppers – they’re a very simple company, but they are truly set-up for success.”

Say what you want about pizza and cult following and the joy of eating Topperstix – Gittrich, McLaughlin and Geatches are in business. Gittrich’s genius, after making pizza everyone loves, is putting a framework in place that compels others like him to be part of his success.

“I think Scott is a visionary,” McLaughlin said. “When you look at their headquarters, you look at some of the initiatives they’re taking on – social media,

MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

The best pizza everyone’s ever tried is pushing closer to the coasts and expanding its reach as a national player in the franchise restaurant business.

Toppers Pizza, which is based in Whitewater, will soon establish locations out west in Colorado and Wyoming and along the eastern seaboard in Virginia and Maryland near the lucrative and pizzahungry Washington, D.C. and Baltimore area.

The deals in place for the two areas will add 35 stores to the Toppers’ empire.

Owner Scott Gittrich said the goal is to continue expansion, and stores at a rate of 25 percent more than in the previous year.

If Toppers opens 12 restaurants this year, it will open 16 next year, and so on.

Toppers currently numbers 75 stories in 13 states. Its Whitewater location is at 325 W. Center St. Gittrich said the goal is to be at 500 to 800 stores within 10 years.

“I never dreamed of that,” Gittrich said. “I did think we could build a great restaurant company, but I figured it would be a prize fight. It ended up to be something big, and more fun than that.”

A product worthy of the public’s trust must be available to fuel such ambitious expansion. There is a mystique to Toppers pizza that inspires cult-like devotion. Start a conversation about pizza with friends, mention Toppers, and the positive reaction will likely be instantaneous and intense.

“I can explain part of it, and part of it’s magic,” Gittrich said. “Part of it happened over time, and the mystique that surrounds the combination of what we sell and how we do it, along with just connecting with how people experience the brand.”

This is Gittrich’s attempt to explain the pizza and phenomenon that is convincing entrepreneurs to follow. Gittrich is a Pied Piper of pizza, and Mike McLaughlin and Todd Geatches are following the music.

McLaughlin and his wife, Helen, are

7

the ability to market online – their goal is to have close to 50 percent of their business from online ordering a mobile app.

That technology, having it in place in a company that has 75 stores, is really impressive to me.”

There is nothing covert or secret about Toppers’ strategy. It is spelled out in unfailingly plain language on its web site www.toppers.com.

Gittrich opened the first Toppers in Whitewater in 1993. The company decided to offer franchises in 1997, and a store opened in Eau Claire. The 15th store opened in 2007. Online ordering started in 2008.

In 2014 the chain celebrated 40 quarters of consecutive sales increases. In 2017 the 100th Toppers store is slated to open, and the chain brags that it will pass 700 stores in 2025.

McLaughlin and Geatches each went with Toppers over other national brands, and set the stage for additional expansion in adjoining areas. Every franchise that plants a flag enables another franchise to plant the flag by shortening the distance supplies must move, allowing for increased marketing efforts, and more.

The Toppers chain will spread one slice at a time, a communal food reaching communities in need of the best pizza they’ve yet to taste.

“One of the things I looked at when I came to Whitewater was to get a sense if they were operating like a 70-store chain or a chain that has SUBMITTED PHOTO What’s on the Menu? the ability to grow,” McLaughlin said. “They have Toppers Pizza owner Scott Gittrich said the goal of his Whitewater-based firm is to grow to between 500 and 800 franchise locations in the next 10 years. great infrastructure in place. They have people who Toppers currently has 73 stores in 13 states. understand the pizza business.”

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Passion FOR

pizza

Luisa’s makes the kind of pizza that has people going to great lengths

by Christopher Bennett CORRESPONDENT

Pizza Night means something different for a couple in Tennessee who fell in love with Luisa’s Pizza in Wheatland.

Owner Paul DeLuisa said the couple, who started frequenting the Wheatland restaurant when they lived in New Berlin, gets Luisa’s pizza sent to their home. The pizzas are made, frozen, packed in dry SUBMITTED PHOTO What’s on the Menu? ice and shipped south via UPS. Payton Taylor – granddaughter of Luisa’s owner Paul DeLu- DeLuisa said he figures the cost comes to about $40 per pizza. But isa’s – enjoys her namesake dish Payton’s Pasta Parade at the it might be worth it for the pizza voted Kenosha County’s best west of restaurant in Wheatland.

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Interstate 94 each year since 2011 by the readers of The Kenosha News.

DeLuisa’s formula for exceptional pizza is deceptively simple, and combines more than 30 years in the restaurant business with top-notch ingredients.

DeLuisa’s artistry earns accolades for its cheesy goodness. The restaurant’s Facebook page is filled with taste budapproved testimonials. Out of 197 reviews Luisa’s averages 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Here’s just a sample: “At nine months pregnant I have not been able to find anything that tastes good all week until tonight’s dinner from CHRISTOPHER BENNETT What’s on the Menu?

While comfortable, the dining room at Luisa’s plays second fiddle to the restaurant’s Luisia’s. Chicken (parmesan) with la food. The pizza is so good, one couple that moved from the area now has it delivered to rossa sauce. Baby and I are very full and Tennessee via UPS. happy!”

“Not only the best pizza, but their that helps make everything work when of the day. He admits paper work and the catered food and server were great at our the doors open for business and customers drudgery it entails are not his favorite parts party this past August. Everyone loved it!” hungry for his food file in. of his position. He makes pizza.

“I love (the) food and people that work He meets with a representative from DeLuisa started in the pizza business there! Always full of good energy and a Kenosha-based non-profit he’s helping at age 12 at Valeo’s Pizza in Kenosha. At cheer!” in a fundraising endeavor. He meets with some point each of his five siblings also “Excellent food, great service and good a representative from a western Kenosha worked at the Kenosha institution. prices.”

County elementary school – again, about a “At 12 years old, he trusted me to grind On a frigid February Thursday morning fundraiser. the cheese,” DeLuisa said. “He had me DeLuisa holds court in his restaurant, and There are suppliers in the house, and making dough.”

Southern Lakes Ad_winter16.pdf 1 10/14/2016 1:48:20 PM engages in the behind-the-scenes activity DeLuisa chats with staff about the tasks DeLuisa has worked other jobs in his

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past. He worked at a factory, at Menards, at a trucking company and even at a worm farm in Racine.

His heart is in the dough. DeLuisa will celebrate 20 years at Luisa’s this summer.

“I’ve always done pizza,” DeLuisa said.

“It’s pizza. It makes everyone happy. I like doing it.”

There is no deep, guarded secret to what makes DeLuisa’s pizza so tasty and worthy of public acclaim. The reputation of his food is larger than his restaurant, which is cozy and can be missed if one blinks at the wrong time.

The restaurant is located on the southwest corner of Highway 50 and 317th Avenue in Wheatland. It’s what they don’t do that distinguishes them from competitors.

“It’s really not hard,” DeLuisa said.

“One of my (employees) asked me, a long time ago – he’s a cop now – why our pizza is so good.

“I said, ‘We don’t buy crap.’”

DeLuisa is far more eloquent than his glib assessment of ingredients leads one to believe. In addition to starting with exceptional ingredients and consistently using the same ingredients, DeLuisa can deconstruct the process of putting together a pizza like an auto mechanic might deconstruct diagnosing fault in an engine.

DeLuisa recently bought a new bowl for mixing dough. The old one developed a hole on the bottom after being dragged across the floor of the restaurant for years.

The prior bowl featured a dimple in the bottom. Flour did not congregate in the bottom of the bowl due to the dimple.

The new bowl does not feature a dimple, and flour is gathering in the bottom of the bowl. This leads to the dough being wetter than it should, which throws off the delicate

Luisa’s Pizza Where: 6806 317th Avenue, Salem, WI 53168, (Southwest Corner of Highway 50 and 317th Avenue, Wheatland) Contact: (262) 537-4795; www.luisaspizza.co Hours: Monday – closed; Tuesday through Thursday – 4-9 p.m.; Friday through Saturday – 4-10 p.m.; Sunday – 4-9 p.m.

Lowdown: Owner Paul DeLuisa’s pizza has been voted the Best in Kenosha County west of Interstate 94 by the readers of the Kenosha News every year since 2011, but his favorite dish on the menu is Chicken Parmesan. DeLuisa is also a volunteer firefighter and a passionate fan of the Milwaukee Admirals and Nashville Predators hockey teams. chemical balance required for top-notch pizza.

DeLuisa can explain in great detail how he and his staff are working the issue and trying to figure out the idiosyncrasies of something as simple as a new bowl.

The food itself can also cause issues.

Luisa’s once used canned mushrooms, and switched to fresh mushroom after customers demanded as much.

They had to learn where to position the mushrooms in the pizza. They put the canned mushrooms below the cheese. That does not work with fresh mushrooms.

“The crust wasn’t cooking,” DeLuisa said. “All the juice was coming out of the mushroom. It was just something I had to learn.

“Everyone thinks you just throw stuff on a pizza. It doesn’t work that way.”

One must also learn the proper ratios of sauce and cheese. Excess sauce is as much of an issue as too little or too much cheese.

“The first half-dozen pizzas a night you can see where your cheese is going,” DeLuisa said. “You might have to pull it back so it runs out and goes right to the edge.”

Too much cheese and it also runs all over the oven. The oven also poses challenges of its own.

Like your home oven, the professional ovens used by Luisa’s have hot spots and cold spots, and often take on personalities of their own.

Expertise with pizza aside, ask DeLuisa his favorite dish at Luisa’s and the answer might come as a surprise.

“Chicken parmesan,” DeLuisa said.

“I love our chicken Parmesan – it’s all homemade. I love our stuffed pizza. I like a little meat and a lot of vegetables.”

DeLuisa freely admits he prefers a vegetable-heavy ratio so it feels as though one is eating healthier. Taste is the ultimate indicator of a pizza’s excellence, along with the power to bring folks together.

“I bought this to make pizza because I like making pizza,” DeLuisa said. “I can’t draw, I don’t sing, I’m not a guitarist. I can make pizza. That’s the one thing in the world I can do.”

MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

Luisa’s Pizzeria is on the southwest corner of Highway 50 and 317th Avenue in Wheatland.

Luisa’s pizza has been voted “Best of Kenosha County – west of I-94” for five straight years.

CHRISTOPHER BENNETT What’s on the Menu?

11

Restaurant taps into craft beer craze Large selection complements B.J. Wentker’s menu

by Jennifer Eisenbart STAFF WRITER

More than a century ago, B.J. Wentker’s in Burlington began when a piece of history moved to the small town.

A bar originally built for the 1896 World’s Fair, it was shipped in pieces to Burlington and officially opened Nov. 7, 1908.

Like many bars and restaurants over the years, Wentker’s has seen its share of history – and has changed with the times. Perhaps not surprisingly, the bar tries to keep up with those changes.

“We do not carry any traditional domestics,” said Jennifer Thomas, who is in charge of ordering the beer, wine and liquor at the bar.

As a result, the taps at Wentker’s look just a little different. Stella Artois, JENNIFER EISENBART What’s on the Menu?

B.J. Wentker’s employee Julie Alby draws Stella Artois Guinness, Hacker-Pschorr and Harp from the tap at the restaurant and bar in Burlington. Went- Lager are always on tap, but there is a variety for all sorts of tastes. ker’s maintains a large selection of craft beers on draft.

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MENU GUIDE • FALL 2016

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“Brewing beer has taken on such a change,” Thomas explained. There are the traditional India pale ales – both dark and pale – flavored beers, and even sour beers.

B.J. Wentker’s also carries microbrews and imports, and “a lot of Wisconsin breweries,” Thomas added.

Among those are Potosi, New Glarus and Lakefront.

While IPAs remain the most popular, there are variations on them.

Right now, Wentker’s “traditional” pale ale is Ale Asylum, which Thomas said is described as “hopalicious.”

The variety fits in at B.J. Wentker’s, which features a historic bar and more than a little variety in everything from the beers to the liquors. There are about 25-30 different vodkas and rums for signature martinis, as well as a lot of bourbons, whiskey and singlemalt scotch, and a “very nice wine collection,” Thomas said.

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The foamy rise of…

Craft Beer Second Salem Brewing carves a local niche

by Heather Ruenz STAFF WRITER

“From the age of 21, I was always looking at craft beers and at that time it was basically Leinenkugel’s. In my late 20s I got the idea to buy this place and make a craft brewery,” Christ Christon, owner and brewmaster of Second Salem Brewing Company in Whitewater said.

Christon, a Whitewater native, said he started brewing beer thanks to a group of friends who were already doing it, had the equipment needed and invited him to join them.

“Starting a brewery takes a lot of planning at both the state and federal levels, not to mention that the Wisconsin Craft Beer laws hinder business growth in this state, despite

what the welcome sign says,” Christon said.

Once the red tape had been dealt with, however, late in the summer of 2013, Second Salem Brewing Company was branded.

Owning a nano-brewery is challenging, according to Christon, because of “supply and demand and the occasional batch that turns. They say being a brewmaster is 20 percent brewing and 80 percent cleaning and that’s true because hygiene is so important.

Brewing is very technical but it’s also an art form. It’s not nearly as simple as some people think,” Christon said.

Brewing is a process that can’t be rushed.

According to Christon, a typical year-round brew, grain-to-glass is about a two-week process, IPA about three weeks, some have taken four months, “and we have one right now that will take six months because we’re aging it in a whiskey barrel – a very wet whiskey barrel,” he said.

Coming up with a name for the business wasn’t a simple process either. Christon said it came up unexpectedly during a deep discussion over a few beers, of course.

“We had already decided to focus on local history and began talking about the Beast of

Second Salem Brewing Company, on Cravath Lake in Whitewater, serves pub food described as “higher end” by owner Christ Christon.

Staff will recommend beer pairings for what guests order to eat.

Craft beer… by the numbers According to the Brewers Association, out of the overall beer market sales of $105.9 billion nationally, the craft beer market accounted for $22.3 billion.

Statistics for the same year in Wisconsin showed there were 121 craft breweries that contributed to an overall impact of $1.75 million in the state.

For figures on the impact on jobs nationally, the latest numbers available are from 2014. That year, the craft brewing industry contributed approximately 424,000 jobs, more than 115,000 of them directly at breweries and brewpubs, including serving staff, with the remainder falling into the categories of wholesale and retail.

Craft brewers are small brewers, according to the association with the hallmark of their business being innovation – they often interpret historic styles with unique twists and develop new styles that have no precedent.

The majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewer whose owners tend to be very involved in their communities through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism and sponsorship of events, the association reported.

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SUBMITTED PHOTO What’s on the Menu?

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Bray Road. In that discussion, someone brought up the fact that Whitewater is known as the Second Salem because it was home to the Morris Pratt Institute,” Christon said. “As soon as Second Salem was said out loud, we knew that should be the name of the brewery.”

The Morris Pratt Institute, which operated between 1889 and the 1930s, according to an article on the Whitewater Historical Society website, was a school for studying spiritualism that included psychic research, comparative religion and evolution.

More than just a name The Beast of Bray Road, a creature first reported in the 1930s on Bray Road outside of Elkhorn, is another bit of historical lore tied into Second Salem. It is also the name of it’s flagship beer.

The best seller at Second Salem is Old Main Golden Ale, not surprising, according to Christon, because it’s the lightest beer he brews and is touted as a bridge between light beer and craft beer. It’s named after the original name of the University of WisconsinWhitewater.

Bone Orchard IPA references activity reported in the area among the three cemeteries in Whitewater.

“If you draw lines connecting

the three cemeteries it makes a triangle where ghosts and spirits have reportedly been seen. Bone Orchard means cemetery and there are three cemeteries in Whitewater so we use three different hops in that beer,” Christon said.

The craft beer at Second Salem with the deepest historical connection to Whitewater is its pale wheat offering, The Reaper.

“It represents the Esterly reaper, the first machine used to harvest wheat and it was manufactured in Whitewater,” Christon said.

Spreading their wings Currently, Second Salem only serves its beers in-house, usually six or seven of Christon’s brews are on tap at any given time though he also offers enough variety to draw customers who aren’t fans of craft beer.

“One person in a group who doesn’t like craft beer can keep the entire group from coming here, so we serve Wisconsin guest taps that are unique and not in direct competition to anything I serve along with some bottled beer,” Christon said.

He said there have been plans since SUBMITTED PHOTO What’s on the Menu?

The label on The Beast of Bray Road, the flagship opening a few years agofitzgeraldsoctagonhouse to distribute ktfitz@charter.net beer for Second Salem Brewing Company in WhitewaSecond Salem but that goal seemed a ter, portrays the creature reportedly seen in the counlong ways off. However, the process tryside near Elkhorn.

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SUBMITTED PHOTO What’s on the Menu?

was sped up earlier this year when The Beast of Bray Road won a bronze medal in the American Amber Ale/Red Ale category at the 2016 World Cup Beer event in Boulder, Colo., an event that featured nearly 6,600 entries from 55 countries.

“That was huge for us, placing third at the World Beer Cup for our flagship amber ale, The Beast of Bray Road. The award drew a lot of interest and attention from potential investors which should speed up the process of us getting into distribution,” Christon said.

A flight of beer featuring Second Salem Brewing Company’s craft brews is displayed on the bar at the brew pub in Whitewater.

There are also plans to expand the brewery at Second Salem, which doesn’t offer tours but does include tours and presentations for some special parties it hosts.

The food offered at Second Salem isn’t typical bar food, according to Christon, but is higher end pub food featuring specialty breads and sauces that are regularly made using in-house craft beers.

Christon recommends anyone new to Second Salem begin the first visit by

requesting a free taster before ordering a full beer.

“Not everyone will like our craft beers but we try to have something for everyone. And our Old Main Golden Ale is something many typical light beer drinkers enjoy,” he said.

Second Salem Brewing Company is located at 111 W. Whitewater St., Whitewater. For more information call (262) 473-2920, visit Second Salem Brewing Company on Facebook or secondsalem.com.

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