Copper Turtle Brewery and Taverne
- Cru and Hannah
- Oct 17
- 6 min read
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Booze Rating (Beer Only): C+
Crusin’ Rating: A
This week, we are right in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. With summer temps and weather not quite ready to give up, we are checking out a brewery/cocktail bar - the first of this combination that we can recall. The Copper Turtle Brewery and Taverne is a stylish spot right next to the Third Ward’s Biergarten and in Catalano Square and kitty corner from a dog-friendly bar, Riley’s Social House. While we didn’t have the Frenchies with us today, the outdoor space is Frenchie friendly and we will definitely be back to check out the area with them when the weather cools down.
The Copper Turtle really, to us, is a cocktail bar first, and brewery second. They have a handful of local beers available on tap, with three of them being made on site. As such, our review is going to talk a little bit about the cocktails and the beer as both were a part of this experience. We will preface this and say that while the beer is made on site, the spirits are sourced from all over the place, not just Wisconsin. While brewery is in the name of the Copper Turtle - they are very far from a brewery in vibe and production, with perhaps a single barrel of each beer brewed at a time.
With giant garage doors that were open to the Sunday afternoon air, the Copper Turtle is definitely a space designed to hang out in, and very much reminiscent of something you might find in Chicago or New York - a vibe. A copper painted logo looks down over a 14 seat, L-shaped bar with copper tanks stacked high behind it. There’s a backlit shelf of spirits, hanging lantern lights, and dark metal overhead. A honeycomb bar top, marble tables, and moody lighting give the impression of a dim cabaret in a larger city. The space is well appointed and well maintained, immaculately clean from your first steps into the bathrooms in the back.
There was only one bartender on site when we visited, but not only was he the head of the cocktail program, but he was an immaculate host that checked in often, was quick with drinks, and was more than willing to answer any questions we had.
I will say though, and perhaps it’s par for the course in that area - that it is a spendy night you’re in for, even if sticking with their beer. Cocktails can run anywhere from $12 to a whopping $21 and beers made on sight can run from $8 to $17 for a tall (assumed 20 oz) pour. While not the most expensive beer we have tried, it can definitely sneak up on your wallet if you’re having a few!
We, of course, started with beer. Currently, there are only three available, but there are future plans to ramp up production to have 5-6 beers - with the majority of them rotating out seasonally.
Third Ward Hazy IPA (6.2% ABV) - This golden-hued, low clarity beer featured aromas of papaya, peach, guava, and long evergreen needles. This beer featured some juicy apricot and papaya up front, a little tartness in the middle that denoted grapefruit and green guava skin, then, a soft bit of resin to round it out.
Wisco Sipper Golden Ale (5.2% ABV) - This deep, warm gold offering featured a soapy white head with good retention and medium clarity. With a start of some crusty bread in the aroma, the nose gets quickly overtaken by hops - citrus, tropical fruit, and pine. Tasting ended up with very similar notes to the Hazy. In all, this style can trend toward something similar to a pale ale but I suspect that the hops used here were very similar, if not the same used in the hazy. I think a lot of people, outside of looking at the differences in color, would be hard pressed to tell you which was the hazy and which was the golden. They were so very similar in aroma and flavor that unless you picked up on that breadiness/biscuitiness that appeared in aroma and taste, respectively, you might think you wound up with the same beer. It wasn’t really a bad beer, but it was almost essentially, just a variation on the first beer we had.
La Tortuga (4.86% ABV) - “Tortuga” is Spanish for turtle. The brewery is named after a turtle. This beer is a Mexican Lager, the primary language of Mexico is Spanish - see what they did there?
Coy naming convention aside, this is the beer that we were told was the first brewed and most awarded at the Copper Turtle. Knowing Hannah’s love of limes in general and Mexican Lagers, this was what I most looked forward to trying. With a respectably low “sipper” ABV, this beer was golden with high clarity and medium carbonation. While this is labeled as a lime lager, I think I would technically call this a Mexican-style lager as I definitely picked up on some mellow sweetness in there that hinted at corn. The difference between a lime lager and a Mexican lager is not a well-defined difference that I could find, and unless there’s no amount of corn anywhere in the brewing process of Tortuga - I would say there’s no difference between the two.
Digression aside; I thought this was decent, with a strong note of lime skin, a light mouthfeel, and a balanced finish with floral but bitter hops. The aroma here was fresh limes carried on a breeze with a little biscuit maltiness and maybe a touch of perceived coriander. I did enjoy that it was not overly sweet with flaked corn as many are, and Hannah really enjoyed that this lime seemed to be genuine and not some fake imposter lime flavor.
We also decided to try and cocktail or two and toss our thoughts out there for those interested:
“Hangover in Florence” - Malfy Gin infused with lemon peel, sun dried tomato, pepper, basil, and black truffle oil
Hannah being our resident expert in bloodies, she enjoyed that the mix was homemade and stated that she would definitely reorder again - this was not a bad bloody and the gin worked well. She did say the garnishments were lacking and she always prefers her bloodies more on the spicy side. She didn’t pick up on all of the elements of the infusion, and wanted the black pepper and basil to be more prominent as well.
"Campfire Old Fashioned" - Elijah Craig, St. Elder Coffee Liqueur, Demerera, Licor 43, Chocolate Bitters and a Burnt Marshmallow.
This definitely would have been better in colder temps, lets get that out of the way. I enjoyed the coffee liqueur adding some depth and bitterness to the sweet vanilla of Licor 43. The burnt marshmallow, done upon ordering with a torch is always a nice little touch. The Amaro felt out of place here as the drink was already busy with some floral notes from the Licor 43. This was good, but I also think it toed the line of being a simple riff on a Carajillo (spirit, espresso, and commonly Licor 43).
We went on to have a few other cocktails, including a choose your own adventure espresso martini, and I had another of their original cocktails.
My perhaps only complaint is that the website for the Copper Turtle does not mention a lot about the beer brewed on site and I cannot find any list of the beers available at any given time available online. I made a phone call to see if they did brew their own beer. I wish that was more at the forefront and obvious - but we made the trip to confirm they do so you don’t have to!
In all - I think there’s a lot of promise here. The cocktail program is off to a strong start, stronger considering the competition in the area, but there’s definitely room for improvement. I also feel I really have to mention the price point - when you start getting into the 16-18 dollar range - you really need to be delivering absolute mind-blowing stuff here in Wisconsin. We’ve been all over the state, Madison, and Milwaukee and I think this is the most expensive cocktail we’ve had. Heck, we’ve even been to some celebrated places in other states that also would blush at the pricing here. The beer program is also showing some promise, I hope it grows in the future and continues to improve.
With its close proximity to Summer Fest, the Public Market, and the Third Ward in general, plus the friendly staff - I could easily see us wandering back here for a nightcap at some point in the future. The Copper Turtle is definitely a spot worth checking out when you are in downtown Milwaukee, or are traveling there for the myriad of festivals hosted on the Summerfest grounds.
Until next time, keep on Crusin’, don’t stop boozin’!
To learn more about Copper Turtle Brewery and Taverne, please visit their website at: thecopperturtle.com or on Facebook: @TheCopperTurtle or on Instagram: @TheCopperTurtelMKE
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