The Milwaukee Brewers today opened the menu of J. Lenienkugel’s Barrel Yard to the public, revealing a themed selection of offerings that leans into Leinie's original Northwoods location.
In the interest of total honesty, even as a proud Wisconsinite, the “up north” or “supper club” concept is really starting to wear on me. Putting that aside, the food itself sounds pretty darn good. Here are a few highlights from each of the menu’s sections:
Shareables
Most of the standard fare is here — chicken wings, Bavarian pretzel, cheese curds. But three other entries caught my eye, starting with the Nueske’s Hanging Bacon.
I’ll admit to knowing what each of those words mean separately. Deciphering their meaning when put together required a quick Google search, which turned up an item from Chicago Chop House that also uses Nueske’s bacon. I only hope it’s a reasonable representation of what we’ll get at the Barrel Yard.
Also of interest is the Wisconsin Meat and Cheese Board (a simple but oft-overlooked appetizer option) and Ma’s Buttermilk Biscuits. I’ll only permit myself to be cautiously optimistic about that last one considering how easy it is to foul up a biscuit. But the Brewers really touted it in their press release (“perfectly crumbly and warm), and I’ll trust that confidence.
Soup
Barrel Beer Cheese Soup is flying solo in this section, so we’ll keep things moving.
Salads
I have no expertise in this area. On the Barrel Yard menu, you’ve got your Cobb (pictured below), your side and what seems to be the star of the section: a Northwoods Salad that adds honeycrisp apples, dried cranberries and spiced pecans to your standard greens. Seems like a solid salad.
House Specialties
Two items fit for a group or one person who’s either particularly hungry or a participant in some ill-advised eating challenge. The Supper Club Crispy Chicken Dinner comes in two-, four- and eight-piece options “dredged in our signature spice blend and pressure fried just right.” What really got me is that you get to choose dark or light meat, and dark is somehow less expensive even though it’s vastly superior. There’s also The Best of the Wurst Platter featuring knackwurst, bierwurst, weisswurst and slab bacon with a bunch of sides.
Handhelds
A few standards start us off here, including two burgers — the Big Eddy with tomato jalapeno jam and the Euchre (Uecker?) with something called Barrel Sauce that I hope is some new version of Secret Stadium Sauce. Two other sandwiches seem a little more interesting: Pa’s Pastrami and Duncan Creek Roast Beef. I’m one of those weirdos who would ask for them with no Russian dressing or no horseradish, respectively, but the elevated deli approach is interesting.
Entrees
By far the most straightforward slice of the menu. A steak, beer-battered walleye, salmon, and mac and cheese. No judgment, but when all you have is words on a PDF, it’s hard to get too excited about anything here.
Sweets
More straightforwardness, although the Campsite Churro Donuts with cinnamon sugar and pecan maple caramel (presumably for dippin’) stood out. Can’t say for sure what makes it campsite-worthy unless eating it makes you wish you were someplace with indoor plumbing and climate control, but overall it sounds like a good sharing item to finish off your meal.
Specialty cocktails
You won’t find these listed in the online menu, but the Brewers were nice enough to provide a quick rundown of the drinkables that includes two brandy items (a slush and an old fashioned) and a Loaded Bloody Mary because of course.
The Dragon Fruit Margarita and Blood Orange Spritz both sound like they’d be just wonderful on a 130% humidity day. I’m also happy to see some nonalcoholic options, including a Blue Dream Lemonade “adorned with cotton candy” that my kid has already started begging for and a Rainbow Lemonade “topped with a unicorn lollipop.” Doesn’t feel like they’re going for the grown-up teetotaler, but still nice to have them on offer.
The team kept the beer list under wraps for now, noting that “more information on the uniquely brewed beers that will be available at the home opener … will be shared soon.” We’ll bring you that information when it’s available, and if the Brewers are looking for some testers before opening day, I’m happy to help the team however I can.
