A Tale of Two Mikes

It was the best of beers. It was the worst of beers.

I have frequented Captain Mike's, located in downtown Kenosha near the harbor, for some time now. The beer selection features almost 200 different beers, mostly in bottles and features various craft breweries, imports and several macro beers. The tap selection consists of the the usual suspects, nothing exciting. The quality of the bottled beer is usually good, though I have occasionally gotten an old or skunky bottle. The bartenders are friendly and somewhat knowledgable of the various beers served. While I would like to see more variety on tap, Captain Mike's does have the largest selection in town.

Meanwhile, while I was sitting on a barstool at Captain Mike's, the owner was busy working on a new bar, Uncle Mike's. Uncle Mike's is located south of Kenosha in Pleasant Prairie, on Sheridan Road. I had heard that the beer selection was larger and included several interesting taps, so I finally made the trip. I wasn't expecting alot, since the last time I had visited the bar now known as Uncle Mike's it was a dive country and western bar. I was pleasantly surprised however, as the entire bar had been redecorated. Uncle Mike's features a nice bar area; roomy and well lit; plus an outside beer garden. The menu listed 400 beers in bottles and 8 beers on tap. The tap selection included Chimay, Delirium Tremens and Rogue. I tried the Rogue Honey Orange Wheat, however I found it to be too sweet and cloying, especially for a Rogue product. I followed that up with a Three Floyd's Dark Lord 2008. What a fantastic beer! Rich and complex, with hints of chocolate and currents and as thick as motor oil, Dark Lord was an experience worth a few dollars more than the average beer. However I am not sure if it was worth the $40 price at Uncle Mike's. I know that the price of everything is going up, beer included, however several of the prices at Uncle Mike's seemed a little high. Unfortunately, since no one else is meeting this demand in the Kenosha area, I don't expect the prices to drop any time soon.