Finally a reason to work myself into a patriotic lather. You travel around to enough beer nations and you realize, they all have one, sometimes more than one. I’m talking about beer museums. We have an American Hop Museum in Toppenish, Washington (in the Yakima Valley), and there’s at least one Beer Can Museum, if not more. And the Milwaukee Beer Museum will most likely also open next month, not to mention that a good friend of mine is working hard to get a Portland Beer Museum off the ground. But there’s been no National Beer Museum … until now.

It’s a joint project of the American Breweriana Association and the Potosi Brewery Foundation in the small town of Potosi, Wisconsin. The National Brewery Museum, which will also include a library and a brewpub, is located in the building that formerly housed the Potosi Brewery, which was founded in 1852. The museum, restaurant and gift shop opened on June 19, but the official grand opening will be held July 5.

The Madison Capital Times has a story about the museum’s opening. Looks like a trip to Wisconsin in the near future is in order.

Outside the National Brewery Museum in Potosi, Wisconsin.

Inside the museum.