Dead Bird Brewing Company Taproom opened last month like rumor, turns out that the truth betrayed fiction. Yes, Milwaukee now has a place called Dead Bird Brewing. A self proclaimed nanobrewery, the space that houses this small batch brewing outfit has garage chic charm that only Milwaukee’s legacy of industry embedded in neighborhoods can provide.
Halyard Park’s Has A Brewery?
Dead Bird picked a spot on 5th street in Halyard Park, a low profile predominantly African-American enclave just North of downtown and just West of Brewer’s Hill. This subdivision was developed in the early 80’s to bring suburban planning and housing sensibilities of a place like Glendale into the heart of the city. Halyard Park now attracts upscale urbanist redevelopments like The Griot and City Place apartments which sits across the street from Dead Bird’s establishment.
Dead Bird will give fun-loving patrons an unpretentious setting to let the wild rumpus start. With just enough rustic detail in its interior design, Dead Bird sits a tier above single use light industrial. Maybe the social cycle has come full circle to call for spaces like this one, large rec halls that make their own brew and designer snack food so people can hang out. Let Milwaukee have Der Rathskeller revival!
A 90’s Act
To complete this venue’s curious attraction, a selection of vintage quarter-slot arcade games line Dead Bird’s walls, marking the signs of times. Those GenXs and Oregon Trailers have come of age and they’ve found out first hand they had a reason to revile authority and hold cynicism toward the system. Now in nostalgia, they just want a taste of those wondrous tween years again and can spare more than $2 on quarter games in a single visit. Dead Bird also plans to host sociables like game nights and a cribbage league.
You’ll find more than just IPA’s here. Dead Bird boasts a manageable and balanced selection of draught brews. The brew list has variety featuring local and regional brews and styles along side Dead Birds own batches.
With a peculiar name for such an auspicious place, apparently an experience with a dead bird really did inspire the name. A historical plaque will appear at some point to keep the team from having to tell the story over and over one hundred million times. Finding out the story for yourself can be your homework.
Dead Bird Brewing sits tucked back on a permeable driveway surface (a spectacle in and of itself for any sustainable landscape enthusiasts) just North of Walnut Street at 1726 North 5th Street in Milwaukee.
Local Trolley 
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