Vendor Spotlight: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery is one of the most historic venues in Milwaukee, reaching all the way back to the era when beer barons put this city on the map. Today it is an event space run by a team that is the perfect blend of laid back and detail oriented. This space, plucked from a different era, offers couples the opportunity to surround themselves in Milwaukee tradition while also adding to the legendary history of this building.
The Team
As the marketing coordinator at Best Place, Mark Bertieri is responsible for sharing the story of this venue with the world. It is a role he cherishes, as his answers to the following questions demonstrate:
Adult beverage of choice? If it’s beer – it’s Pabst. Other than that I like Whiskey.
Junk food of choice/guilty pleasure? Potato chips.
If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it? Tall Boy.
Favorite animal (can be a pet or just a type)? Dog.
Best trip you ever went on and why? Ireland – beautiful architecture and culture. When you’re looking at buildings from 1400, you appreciate things a little bit differently.
What musical genre makes up your favorite playlist? Jazz.
Can you tell us a little about the history of Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery?
The whole complex was the old Pabst headquarters and visitor center in the middle of 1800’s. There were offices, including the Captain Pabst office, which still exists in a corner of the Great Hall. The brewery grew up all around this complex. At one time it included over 28 buildings and 5000 employees. Everything stood on the hill and there were caves and tunnels underneath for beer refrigeration and storage.
Why are couples drawn to your space?
A lot of people drawn here because of the history. Everything here looks like it did originally – it’s historic. And, of course, many people have some type of association with Pabst, either their fiancee or father likes Pabst. There are generations of people – grandfathers and fathers alike, that were involved with the Pabst company. This legacy is a part of Milwaukee. Plus we are pretty open with events. You are not locked to one caterer, you can do your own setups. We are flexible and very helpful.
Fabulous features couples might not know about?
We have stained glass windows that date to when the building was built in 1880. The woodwork is all original to the room. The floor itself is reclaimed planks from the brewhouse. The back bar comes from Norway, MI and rumor has it that Thomas Edison and Henry Ford used to drink in that bar!
What services are available in-house?
We provide tables, chairs, we can set up a bar, provide staff at the bar, and you can have special drinks. C0uples are welcome to use our AV system for slideshows or music.
Catering – in-house or bring your own?
Bring your own. We have a list of 10 approved caterers. It could be anything from a six-course meal to burgers. They all have worked here before and know how to set up and use our facilities. They all are great.
Your favorite thing about weddings at your space?
Everybody has a good time! Weddings are always fun. But this place is historic and it kind of soaks into the event. People love to be here.
Favorite trend you are seeing for weddings this year?
We are kind of a unique venue and people trend toward to what they see here. Often they try to base to the look of the wedding on the venue. That could mean using Pabst colors – blue and white in decor – or beer related centerpieces, Pabst tall boys and buckets, things like that.
Before picking a venue, I suggest…
Work on your budget. We are not the most expensive venue in town, we are very reasonably priced. But it can get difficult if you don’t know how much you are ready to spend.
The Beauty
We have found so many wonderful ways to interpret couples within this space and in the area surrounding it that we had a hard time narrowing them down for this post! With this much history and detail at our disposal, the options are almost literally endless. And any season looks amazing!
The Details
Ballroom Capacities:
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Great Hall – 250 – 300 people
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Blue Ribbon hall – 125 – 200 people (with the courtyard)
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Captains Corner – 30 – 50 people
Visit their website at http://www.bestplacemilwaukee.com/
Contact the team by calling 414.630.1609
Don’t forget to follow them on social media!
Learn More!
You can always contact the Front Room Studios team to learn more about weddings at Pabst Best Place or our wedding photography and wedding videography.
Call us 414.294.0080
Email us at info@frphoto.com
