Who would have thought that the World’s Largest Can of Beer would be near where I was camped?
Just a few miles up the river was the little town of Potosi, one of Wisconsin’s early mining communities. Although it was named after the silver mining city of Potosi in Bolivia, the mineral that came out of the St. John Mine was lead.
It was located on the mouth of the Grant River, which fed into the Mississippi. Although Grant River was no Mississippi, it was a leading shipping port for lead ore and a supplier for the inland miners. The village was incorporated in 1841, and for a time it was one of the largest communities in the Wisconsin Territory. Its early boom was short-lived. By the late 1840s, the port filled with river silt. The California gold rush drew many of the miners away.
In spite of the population and industry decline, Gabriel Hall built the Potosi Brewery in 1852, and it remained an important industry until it finally emptied its tanks for the final time in 1972.
They re-founded the Potosi Brewing Company in 2008, and today they craft their beer in small batches and without compromise, according to their website. They have a brew pub, and lunch was what I was after.
I decided to have a “Good Old Potosi” while I waited.
A big ol’ cheeseburger, a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a beer – how much more “Wisconsin” can you get?
I was pleased to see this in the hallway. Good planning! You can just about hear the arteries slamming shut.
I like the decor in the restroom.
Beer everywhere you look!
And, that makes sense, as this is also the National Brewery Museum. I would have expected it to be in a more populous area, but no, it’s here is quaint little Potosi.
I can’t tell you about the museum, because I was feeling cheap and didn’t want to pay to see it. It was a reasonable fee, I just wasn’t in the mood for a museum on such a bright, sunny day.
I strolled about and noticed the local Masonic Temple.
I am always amazed by how the Masons are in so many small places.
And they have been going on for so long.
Speaking of “so long,” it was about time to head back to Flo.
Oh, were you wondering how large the can of beer was?
