The Bomb Shelter

We miss you, Bomb Shelter!

So, the bomb shelter. I headed to this rustic bar after enjoying a beer at the Sugar Maple. Tried going to the Palm Tavern, which is a good place, but there was little room to be had at that bar. The Bomb Shelter is a vintage Wisconsin pub. Tons of Pabst, Schlitz, Hamms, Point Special memorabilia around the place. This sorta makes you feel like you’re at a northern Wisconsin dive bar in 1982. However, the extensive beer list is the highlight of this bar. I enjoyed a beer from Founders brewing and one from Half Acre, which typically doesn’t distribute north of Chicago. In a nutshell, the Bomb Shelter is a place with great, exclusive beer and a nice vintage feel to it. Unpretentious, but i diamond in the rough. I would give it a perfect 5 if it was a little bigger, but what are you gunna do?

A Wisconsin bar, no doubt — it’s got Packer carpeting! Went for a drink with a group on a Saturday night and grabbed a table in the back. Loved the décor, lots to look at and admire how long it may have been there.
300+ beers is pretty great and if you order a PBR or Schlitz, you get to drink it out of a chalice — classy!
We ordered soft pretzels with our beer and I was significantly impressed when we also got 8 types of mustard with the pretzels. Yum.
Heck yes, I’ll be back. Super fun!

Great beer, great old-​timey beer paraphernalia including Century Hall sign. Friendly, helpful bartenders.

By far the largest beer selection I’ve ever seen at a bar.
Quick tip — if you go on the Milwaukee Brewering Company tour, you’ll get a token for a free beer. You can redeem that here at the Bomb Shelter.
Around 10 – 15 seats at the bar and 10 or so tables.
Fast, friendly service. Enormous selection. Reasonable prices.
Highly recommended!

What can I say about this place except that you NEED TO TRY IT.
They have an INSANE number of beers and the bartenders are really knowledgeable and can give good recommendations. Wednesday night «Suds Club» is always a blast and they have great specials throughout the week. The décor is classic «neighborhood Milwaukee tavern» with tons of Schlitz memorabilia and the ubiquitous jars of pickled eggs and beefsticks behind the bar.

In the case of a nuclear attack, duck and cover will probably not be my first reaction. I would hope to be 2 – 3 beers in at The Bomb Shelter.
I know it’s not a real bomb shelter, but it’s equally as effective as shoving my head between my legs under some desk– I’ve seen the videos– those kids don’t stand a chance. I’d much rather wait for fallout to pass by reading a good book. Say, one with info on over 350 beers. Looking through this thing will take you a while. Prepare to get cozy here. While you sift through pages of well organized brew choices, you will more than likely be distracted by all the trinkets, thingamajigs, gadgets and doohickies that cover every square inch of this place. So much to look at! All awesome.
We felt right at home. The man behind the bar was super informative and helped us decide when we couldn’t. How anyone that works there keeps track of all that glorious beer-​ventory amazes me. Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any cooler, dude opens the floor and goes down into an underground beer dungeon! Can I live here please?
This will definitely be a stop to make every time I visit Milwaukee. Next time hopefully to find what those beer club punch cards are about and to sign up for a beer tasting event.

The «350+ Beer List» sign on the outside of this bar sparked my interest enough to venture into The Bomb Shelter a few months ago.
Now it’s one of my favorite bars in Milwaukee.
I love ordering a beer and watching the bartender open the trap door in the floor and go spelunking into the beer cave to find what I ordered. Well, I’m sure it’s just a basement storage area, but I like to dream. :)
Besides the fun of selecting a new beer or an old favorite from the extensive «beer list» novel, I especially enjoy the randomness of unplanned entertainment at this bar. This past Saturday night (Oct. 15^th) at 1:30AM, I was enjoying a post-​Sweetest Day Southern Tier Pumpking ale with my boyfriend when suddenly the bar was serenaded by the impromptu solo of a tenor saxophonist. He had stopped by after playing at Caroline’s Jazz Club. Unexpected music… I love it! And another night I was here, someone was playing the sousaphone. And I got a high-​five from the sousaphonist because I knew his instrument was actually a sousaphone! Everyone else just thought it was a big tuba.
Far from being pretentious, The Bomb Shelter is like having a party with friends in the rec room of your parents’ basement. The vintage beer memorabilia like the Pabst lantern light fixtures and the Schlitz signs are super dope and gives you plenty to look at – if paging through the beer book isn’t enough for you. I’ve walked in this bar in a dress and heels, or jeans and a t-​shirt after work. No one cares. Everyone is welcome as long as you enjoy beer.
There are always new beers on the list, so it’s a place to hit up often to sample new brews.

The best place to get any beer you could ever want in Milwaukee. With over 400 beers to choose from you will never get bored. Bomb has a knowledgable, friendly and fun staff who are always ready to suggest a good beer. They have something different going on each night of the week so its NEVER a dull moment! Try it, you’ll like it.

Let’s start this off right, noting that they have over 300 beers — ready to be served! Wow, don’t believe me, go in and see for yourself. I’ve gotten lost in their beer directory too many times to count. Not only do they have the beers, but their bartenders are very knowledgeable and able to assist you in finding a beer that fits your taste pallet.
The décor in the bar covers a wide variety of beer, with many vintage beer bottles/​cans and brand marketing items. I’m a sucker for all the Hamm’s swag on the walls… I really want the waterfall Hamm’s sign (jealous)!
Another great thing about the Bomb Shelter is that Greg is on top of what’s new. He introduced me to CREAM… the alcohol-​infused whipped cream, wow. Plus, he makes the Pumpkin Old Fashioned (with the seasonal Pumpkin Spirits from the local Great Lakes Distillery) with the rock candy as a stir stick. Now, you can’t buy the rock candy alone, it comes with the cocktail — you won’t be disappointed.
There are plenty of reasons to head into the Bomb Shelter, try a new beer, taste the Pumpkin Old Fashioned in the Fall or to see what else is new when it comes to alcohol!

Talk about Milwaukee KITSCH at it’s BEST!
I LOVE this place and go often! I love taking newbies there for the peep show or just to witness all of Greg’s collecting glory! :)
Their sampling nights cannot be beat! Stop in SOON and see Gwenn and Whispering Jeff!

Where can I even start with the Bomb Shelter?
My boss told me about the place a few months ago. He said they have quite a few beers. What an understatement that was! They have every beer you need and then some. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with the «list» that I just order a PBR or Schlitz to have more time to weigh my options.
Everyone has different tastes in beers so I will only recommend (1) out of 340+ in this review. Get yourself an Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy, so named for it’s high octane 10.5% alcohol content. The rest of your night will shape up perfectly. I will warn you, this beer isn’t for the faint of heart, it packs a punch and it’s DARK.
The atmosphere is wonderful, completely different from anything you’ll find on Water street. I don’t want to say this place is a dive bar or a corner bar, it has a little bit of that vibe but when you walk in not everyone turns and looks. I’ve seen just about every type of individual at the Bomb Shelter, except maybe the suits.
Looking through the rest of the reviews I saw a few complaints about the staff… I can’t speak for the rest of the week but Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all have great bartenders. Most of the time the owner is in there, sometimes working behind the bar and sometimes just having a beer. We do a happy hour on Thursday nights and we’ve only being going to the Shelter a few weeks but the bartender already knows what to recommend or pour when she sees us walk in.
If I had to ding them for something it’s that sometimes they don’t always have all the beers on the list. While I realize it’s difficult to stock all those beers perhaps refreshing the lists every week might be a good option? Either that or work on your inventory system. A lot of the bartenders don’t necessarily know where the beers are. I don’t dock them a star though because they always come back with a good recommendation. I’ve had a bunch of great beers because I’ve ordered something they were out of.
One last piece of advice — don’t order beers without looking at the list and/​or asking how much the tap price is. They have some that are $ 8 on tape and $ 22+ in the bottle.
My favorite bar in Milwaukee so far!

I love this place. old fashioneds served with a bunch of fruit and a rock candy swizzle stick, casual, ‘up north’ style décor with a nod to the good old days with a vintage beer can and signage collection and just one bad bartender. 4 stars because there’s *seriously* brash and obnoxious tattooed woman who is just 100% unpleasantness all around and if she’s working, I don’t go in.
otherwise this place is a true gem.

This Place is the Bomb… Shelter. As you can tell by the name.
Hands down or up the best beer bar in Milwaukee. Sure I’ve probably not been to every single one, but after coming here I dont have to… They have a selection of over 300 bottles and that is really all you need to know. Obviously there is something for everyone even if you only drink Miller Chill or Becks. But if you do appreciate a good big boy beer then you will be in heaven. Im a totally hope head and I managed to find something that rivaled Bells Hopslam, that beer is called Lupulin Maximus. Its an imperial pale ale from Oso. It was amazing. Mine actually had a Hop flower in the bottle…
Just go here and drink. Now. And invite me along.

Right away when I heard of this place, I knew I had to visit. There is a downside to having over 300 beers, though. It took me forever to decide what beer to have. That’s the kind of problem I’m happy to deal with, though. The beer was a little expensive, but most weren’t too bad.
The décor in this bar is great. Lots of old beer ads and stuff. It’s a small place, so I’d bet it fills up, but it wasn’t when I was there. In terms of entertainment, they have a couple televisions, a pool table, and a plastic dartboard.

I am a beer geek and love this place. Been to Milwaukee 2 times and each visit I go here. Great selection of beer and great service. Last check they have 328 different beers. Always bringing in new beers for us beer geeks to try. You must check this bar out. Memorabilia everywhere, very quaint, great service and selection. Wednesdays they have Suds Club and worth the price plus.

After friends visiting us from San Francisco told us this place in our little home town of MKE was «cool» we had to check it out. Wow, I didn’t think a bar that has only been open for something like 2 years could look like it had been open for 100 years, but The Bomb Shelter does! More old classic beer advertising paraphernalia than any other bar I’ve ever been in! I’m talking the GOOD stuff: The Original Century Hall sign was casually propped again the back wall — The animated water Hamms Beer signs, Gettleman Cone top cans, Original Jarts stuck in the ceiling! This is a Temple to Beer and Fun, and once the word hits the «mainstream» this place is going to be packed! 300+ beers to choose from— from Schlitz to Delirium Tremons and everything in between. I’m glad I got to see this place before it hits the «Bigs» and I think it will.

GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO. First off, I am a beer snob/​fanatic, whatever you want to call me, that’s me. I resisted going to this place for a long time because it looks sketchy (near rockwell/​allen bradley towers), but holy crap. The 300 beers make this place truly a gem. The bartenders were awesome and knowledgeable and friendly. I mean, frankly, I ordered a blatz and started talking about IPAs, before I knew it dude had poured me like 6 samples. Jesus. SO cool, can’t wait to go back. HIGHLY recommend. Go.

This is my favorite bar in the world. I can’t believe there aren’t more reviews of it. You Milwaukee people don’t know how good you have it.
I’m a fan of beer. Not a beer snob, but a beer lover. Many places that have crazy beer selections are on the pretentious side. This place has a staggeringly huge selection of beer, but is totally unpretentious. If I had to die in a bar, I’d want it to be this one.
Sit down and the bartender hands you a paper catalog listing hundreds of beers (328 currently, they update it frequently). The list includes a nice description of each beer that gives the category, alcohol level, and place of origin… everything you might want to know. Prices are completely reasonable. Bartenders are always friendly and very knowledgeable about the available beers.
The place itself is small and cozy and there are vintage beer-​related trinkets and ads everywhere. People smoke (it’s Milwaukee, you can still smoke in bars) but it hasn’t been too smoky when I’ve been there. There is a sign on the jukebox that says «don’t play rap/​hip-​hop! we will skip these songs!» and I personally prefer when the bartenders play music off of their laptops. Random strangers inevitably chat me up and buy me shots and pickled eggs, which might be because I’m from out of town, or might be because people are pretty nice in Milwaukee.
I consistently leave the place happier when I walked out than when I walked in. What more can you ask for from a bar? It’s a great place to drink great beers.

Best beer selection in town. Pickled eggs too!