MILWAUKEE (May 20, 2025) – Celebrate the legacy of Riverwest Stein with Lakefront’s one-time-only throwback 12-pack! Lakefront Brewery co-founders Russ and Jim Klisch delivered the first keg of Riverwest Stein Amber Lager to the Gordon Park Pub on Weil Street for its official release on December 2nd, 1987. Now called Nessun Dorma, the brothers still celebrate annually at the Riverwest staple for the brewery’s anniversary.
Before the Gordon Park Pub beer release, Jim had taken a photo of Clarke Street looking east with St. Casimir Church in the background to produce table tents for the event. “A quintessential street view of Riverwest”, as Jim puts it, “I think a local artist who went by the name ‘Peggy Riverwest’ converted it into a line drawing which we used at its grand unveiling.”
“It wasn’t until 1990 that I built a one-headed filler so we could start to bottle”, said his brother Russ, Owner and President of Lakefront Brewery, “we had a family friend named Linda Goehre who used the design to create our 16 oz. bottle labels which is more or less what you’ll see on these cans”.
Lakefront is excited to offer this fun tribute to Milwaukee’s favorite craft beer in hopes that it will allow people to feel young again or just look really cool with one in hand. Longtime craft beer advocate Randy Mosher ended up redesigning the Stein label when it moved to 12 oz. bottles. More recently, it was reimagined by Lakefront’s late Brand Manager, Michael Stodola.
“I think back to when I first heard of arguments at bars about our Riverwest Stein being the best beer in town, that’s when I started to realize that we might have something special here,” says Owner Russ Klisch.
Grab a 12-pack of Retro Stein in the same spot you normally get your Riverwest Stein fix. Available one time only, while supplies last!
