Visited: November 21, 2003

Opened: 2001

Manitowoc's Courthouse Pub is located at the corner of 8th and Washington, across the street from the courthouse, and in the shadow of the Anheuser-Busch malt works. There's been a restaurant of one kind or another on that site for more than 140 years, starting with F. Willinger's Beer Hall in 1860. For some reason, I had expected to find a "neighborhood bar" kind of place, along the lines of Rowland's Calumet Brewery. Instead, Courthouse Pub is an impressive upscale-yet-comfortable kind of place, with lots of dark wood trim, three dining rooms separate from the bar, and waitstaff decked out in pressed white shirts and ties. There's a full bar with an impressive array of top-notch Scotches, Whiskies, and Cognacs, and the only guest beer appears to be Guinness, with which they're happy to pour you a Black and Tan. The brewhouse is a four-barrel extract system with two fermenters. They had just run out of their Oktoberfest beer before my 2002 visit, and they had not yet tapped their Porter. The lunch menu consists of some fine appetizers - including a wonderful helping of smoked salmon - for $3-$12, salads ($6-$9), and sandwiches etc ($6-8).

Updated: January 23, 2008

• Canadian Light
  American-Style Lager
  • Date: October 23, 2002 (#4466)
    Package: draught
    Place: at the brewery
    Score: 14½ points
    Overall Impression (3)
    Bright pale golden, thick head. Grainy sweet malt aroma. Light body. Sweet grainy malt flavor and finish. Very low carbonation.