Fuel your love of Wisconsin’s classic consumables with these and other books from The Local Store.

BEER

Miller Beer Barons by Tim John • $22
Frederick Miller came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Germany 150 years ago and started a small brewery that would evolve into one of the world’s largest. In The Miller Beer Barons, author Tim John tells the complete story of the family that built a beer empire from the entrepreneurial days of brewers like Miller, Pabst, and Best, through the struggles of Prohibition to the corporate modern era.

Breweries of Wisconsin by Jerry Apps • $25
The story of the Dairy State’s other major industry – beer! From the immigrants who started brewing here during territorial days to the modern industrial giants, this is the history, the folklore, the architecture, the advertising, and the characters that made Wisconsin the nation’s brewing leader. Updated with the latest trends on the Wisconsin brewing scene.

Bottoms Up by Jim Draeger and Mark Speltz • $30
Bottoms Up celebrates Wisconsin’s taverns and the breweries that fueled them. Beginning with inns and saloons, the book explores the rise of taverns and breweries, the effects of temperance and Prohibition, and attitudes about gender, ethnicity, and morality. It traces the development of the megabreweries, dominance of the giants, and the emergence of microbreweries. Contemporary photographs of unusual and distinctive bars and breweries of all eras, historical photos, postcards, advertisements, and breweriana illustrate the story of how Wisconsin came to dominate brewing and the place that bars and beer hold in our social and cultural history.

Tavern League by Carl Corey • $30
In Tavern League, photographer Carl Corey documents a unique and important segment of the Wisconsin community. Our bars are unique micro-communities, offering patrons a sense of belonging. Many of these bars are the only public gathering place in the rural communities they serve. These simple taverns offer the individual the valuable opportunity for face-to-face conversation and camaraderie, particularly as people become more physically isolated through accelerated use of the Internet.

CHEESE

Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition by Jerry Apps • $19
This is a story of farmers, milk cows, dairy barns, and green pastures. It is the story of cheesemakers who work their magic and turn milk into cheese. Jerry Apps narrates the history of the cheese-making industry in Wisconsin from its inception in the 1940s to the present. In his compelling yet conversational style, Apps documents how the daily lives of the early cheesemakers and how Wisconsin became the nation’s No. 1 cheese producer.

The Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin by James Norton and Becca Dilley • $25
This book – beautifully photographed and engagingly written – introduces hardworking, resourceful men and women who represent an artisanal craft that has roots in Europe but has been a Wisconsin tradition since the 1850s. the book profiles of 43 active Master Cheesemakers, and includes a glossary of cheesemaking terms, suggestions of operations that welcome visitors for tours, tasting notes and suggested food pairings, and tasty nuggets (shall we say curds?) of information on everything to do with cheese.

Wisconsin Cheese by Martin Hintz and Pam Percy • $17
Breads, salads, pasta, fondue, quesadillas, pizza, and quiche are our favorite comfort foods. And all have something in common: They’re better with cheese! From the well-known cheddar, blue, and Swiss to little known artisanal cheeses, a breadth of flavors and varieties from our nation’s largest cheesemaking center are included in Wisconsin Cheese. Marketing campaigns and international awards have made Wisconsin cheese famous. That heritage is celebrated in this book that includes more than 100 recipes, cheesemaking (and eating) history and trivia, suggested wine pairings, a list of retailers, and much more.

The Cheeses of Wisconsin: A Culinary Travel Guide by Jeanette Hurt • $20
Wisconsin makes more specialty cheese than any other state, and this guide lists the best of the best cheesemakers and their cheeses. Connoisseur and food writer Jeanette Hurt embarks on a culinary tour throughout the state to find the most innovative and traditional artisans who lovingly and painstakingly cultivate numerous varieties of award-winning cow-, goat-, and sheep’s-milk cheeses. Also includes a map showing cheesemaker locations, where to buy Wisconsin cheese, resources for budding cheesemakers, recipes, wine and beer pairings, and travel advice.