Wisconsin-type food and drink in the Rockies?

November 13, 2009 3:12 PM

Looking for some great food and drink to provide to some former Wisconsiners next weekend. Suggestions?

We're having some friends over next weekend to watch their beloved Packers of Green Bay take on the 49ers of San Francisco, and wanted to provide some Green Bay/Wisconson-type fare. We're going to do cheeses from the area and brauts, but I'm looking for something more specific to the region.

Ideally, we'd want to provide a regional beer (if we can find it in Denver) and any regional fare that they would have found back home.

BTW, the friends in question are from central Wisonsin.

Thanks in advance!

posted by Jim T to food & drink (27 comments total)

Do you have a yard? Do you like open flame?

If so, host a Door County Fish Boil!
posted by spinifex23 at 3:21 PM on November 13, 2009

(Oh, and we are Wisconsinites.)
posted by spinifex23 at 3:21 PM on November 13, 2009

Wisconsin beer: Leinenkugel (the beloved "Leinie's")
Wisconsin food: Bratwurst (the beloved "brat on a bun", pronounced "brot")
posted by exphysicist345 at 3:22 PM on November 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Cheese curds & Leinenkugel.
posted by torquemaniac at 3:23 PM on November 13, 2009

Nthing Leinenkugel. It isn't good, but it beats the beast.
posted by Lutoslawski at 3:27 PM on November 13, 2009

I agree second brats and Leinenkugels. Fried cheese curds are also awesome.

If you can, try to find Johnsonville brats, grill them, and then simmer in beer and onions until they're ready to be served. Split in half, serve on a kaiser roll with mustard and onions (no ketchup!).
posted by thebestsophist at 3:56 PM on November 13, 2009

Leinenkugel? No way. Point! Or Huber (Huber Bock, especially), although that may be touchy because it was bought by a Canadian.

If they're beer snobs, New Glarus.
posted by hydrophonic at 4:07 PM on November 13, 2009 [2 favorites]

Also, have some Korbel brandy on hand to make old fashioneds.
posted by hydrophonic at 4:11 PM on November 13, 2009

If from central Wisconsin, then Point Beer is brewed in about as central Wisconsin as you can get (Stevens Point), and is very well known.
posted by SpacemanStix at 4:26 PM on November 13, 2009

I don't know if they're expecting it or not, but I would be plum crazy if I came all the way to Denver, the land of a million awesome microbreweries, and had to drink what I could drink at home.
posted by General Malaise at 4:49 PM on November 13, 2009

General Malaise, I get the idea that they're from Wisconsin but live in Denver now. They might be homesick, so this isn't a bad idea at all. I lived in Montana for four years and always liked finding Leinie's in the grocery store.
posted by desjardins at 5:07 PM on November 13, 2009

Cheese curds for sure. Do they like bad beer? Then you need Blatz.
One of my friends from Wisconsin said they always smuggled in schnapps to drink at the Green Bay games, but I'm not sure if that is a WI thing or just his thing. (Actually after a little googling I think it might be a legitimate thing.)
posted by grapesaresour at 5:47 PM on November 13, 2009

Schnapps is indeed popular in Wisconsin. Also, Wisconsin is the #1 state in brandy consumption.
posted by desjardins at 6:22 PM on November 13, 2009

Problem is you're not going to find New Glarus outside of Wisconsin, I doubt you'll find Point anywhere outside either.
posted by thebestsophist at 6:29 PM on November 13, 2009

Usinger's Sausage is an old Milwaukee tradition, and similar sausage places abound in Wisconsin. They mail order. I am somewhat partial to The Feast -- the cheese isn't all that good, but it is shaped like Wisconsin! My dad used to send me one of these every year...

Brats are always a good choice, and a fish fry is another good idea.

Actually, in downtown Denver there is a pretty good little German restaurant on 14th Ave -- I think it is Cafe Berlin. They make a decent schnitzel, so it would be someplace you could go.
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:34 PM on November 13, 2009

I'm from Racine, about 2 and a half hours south of Green Bay.

My family doesn't and can't party without Kringle from O&H Danish Bakery. My family mails them a few times a year, and Mrs. Benson, an Iowa native, has grown to love them.
posted by elmer benson at 6:48 PM on November 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh hell yes to the kringle. I'd recommend Larsen's. Pecan keeps best.
posted by Stewriffic at 7:16 AM on November 14, 2009

Crap. Not that Larsen's. THIS Larsen's!
posted by Stewriffic at 7:19 AM on November 14, 2009

You absolutely cannot have a Wisconsin themed party with out Beer Broiled Brats. Also, you can't go wrong with Neuske's bacon/sausage!

I'm a Wisconsinite living on the east coast, and I brought up spinach and artichoke dip recently, and I got crazy looks from everyone around me. I don't know if that's a Wisconsin/midwest thing, but I can tell you that every tailgate and family gathering I've ever been to included some version of spinach dip.
posted by allymusiqua at 8:28 AM on November 14, 2009

Another (former) Wisconsinite here...if time allows I would recommend ordering the award winning packer brat from Louie's Meat Market in Cumberland, WI. It is stuffed with sauerkraut and cheddar cheese. It doesn't get much more Wisconsin than that!
posted by koselig at 8:39 AM on November 14, 2009

Brandy Manhattans
posted by hwyengr at 1:05 PM on November 14, 2009

Herring. Although my grandparents owned a fish market, so maybe that's just our family.
posted by desjardins at 8:09 AM on November 15, 2009

Stewriffic, I totally crush on anyone who supports kringle fanaticism, but I will fight you and get all GRAR GRAR on you if you suggest Larsen's kringle is better than O&H kringle.
posted by elmer benson at 10:38 AM on November 16, 2009

elmer benson, you can get grar grar with me and fight, but let me clarify that my last (racine) kringle was probably in the early 1990s (SOB!). I will admit I don't know how the two places compare. Moved from Racine at age 5 in 1976, but got mail order kringles several times a year from the faux-grandma.

So: as to kringle recommendations, go with elmer benson's. I don't want him to be mean to me, especially considering that I am already kringle-deficient.

Now let me finish up my beer-cheese soup.
posted by Stewriffic at 3:29 PM on November 17, 2009

Thanks for all of the posts, everyone! Our Northern friends have told us they're bringing the beer, and I ordered some of the Packer brats from Louie's, as mentioned by koselig.

On a side note, I saw one Louie's website that all orders placed from outside Wisconsin had to use UPS Air shipping, so I selected it when I made my order online. Someone from Louie's called me the next day and told me that because the brats were smoked, they could in turn ship them to me via Ground and save me some cash. That's kind of behavior is above and beyond the typical customer service expected from any retailer, and it's the type that makes people loyal customers.

Thanks again for the suggestion, koselig!
posted by Jim T at 3:00 PM on November 18, 2009

OK, it's going to beer and brats, then. Excellent choices.
Now for the details.
You'll want to put out dill pickle spears. It would be a shame to disgrace your imported brats with yellow French's mustard — buy a German Dusseldorf mustard or make do with Country Style Dijon. Potato salad is a good side dish in Wisconsin, either German style or American. Ask your Wisconsin friends whether they like sauerkraut or diced onions with their brats (if they don't, you can skip them). And you can put out a bottle of ketchup, but don't be surprised if they don't use any on their brats — it's frowned upon in many Wisconsin circles. Guten Appetit!
posted by exphysicist345 at 4:57 PM on November 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

I hope you enjoy the brats Jim T! Now I am very jealous and planning my next order. I have always found Louie's to be exceptional in the customer service realm. Their products are also delicious. It's a win-win. Glad to help!
posted by koselig at 7:44 PM on November 18, 2009