Milwaukee Brewers: Cheddar Beer Bratwurst On Deck at MLB Food Fest

Attention ballpark foodies!  MLB FoodFest is scheduled for April 21^st and 22^nd in New York.  A ticket to #MLBFOODFEST will get you a taste of each of the 30 dishes – one presented by each ballpark – without having to crisscross the country.

Caitlin Moyer has a great overview of MLB FoodFest on her blog Cait Covers the Bases.  As evidenced in her post, it’s obvious from the dishes selected by each team for Food Fest, vegetarians are not the audience they’re trying to feed. As a pescatarian myself, if there are no seafood choices, I go vegetarian. The old-timey ballpark food left me with peanuts and Cracker Jack as options for dinner at the ballpark – which works in a pinch.

The one meatless option comes from the Dodgers. Their new Cheeto-Lote is corn covered with chipotle mayo, parmesan, tajin seasoning, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

The Milwaukee Brewers selection is, of course, a sausage that combines the three things Wisconsin is most famous for:  The Cheddar Beer Bratwurst.  It shouldn’t be any other way!  (Well, maybe if they had a Soyrizo!)

Pescatarians will fare better, as there are some nice seafood options at a few of the MLB ballparks.  Boston has the Lobster Roll, San Francisco with a crab sandwich, and Washington’s Crab Grilled Cheese all sound yummy to this pescatarian.  Please note that the Toasted Grasshoppers offered by the A’s does NOT count as an option for the non-meat eaters.

Reading Caitlin’s post about #MLBFOODFEST, has me thinking about what to wish for food-wise at Miller Park this coming 2018 season.

Are there meatless options at Miller Park?

While the Milwaukee Brewers have taken baby steps in the past few seasons to “beef up” options for non-meat eaters, they have strides to go to cover their bases.  Sorry vegans, but they’re still working on more options for you!

2017 gave us Miller Park’s version of Food & Beverage Reimagined.  Apparently, they couldn’t imagine a black bean burger. A great addition to the 2017 food reinvention was the J. Agave’s Tacos.  The Roasted Mushroom & Sweet Corn taco became my new go-to last season.  Three types of Mac & Cheese are offered as well.  I only tried the Roasted Mushroom and Onion Mac & Cheese, and I personally found it to be unlike the Wisconsin mac & cheese I would make, but more of a mac & “cheese-food” type product.  The Sargento Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds are a standard must-have at Miller Park.  Vegetarians can also opt for the Classic Baked Potato, Bavarian Pretzel, and Nachos and cheese sauce – similar to the cheese contained in the mac & cheese.

What other options could the Brewers provide?

One of the best adjustments the Brewers made for vegetarians and vegans was partnering with the Smoke Shack and AJ Bombers. Back in 2016, both were located under a tent outside the right field concourse. Smoke Shack offered a delicious vegan BBQ seitan sandwich. AJ Bombers had a Housemade Black Bean Burger that was, well, the bomb. It was also available as a vegan option.

As part of the $20 million concession upgrade that occurred last season, the tent went away.  AJ Bomber’s took a more mainstream role with a prime location near home plate. The issue I have is that, with the move, AJ Bombers did away with their yummy black bean burger. The black bean burger, along with their awesome tots, had been my dinner for nearly every game at Miller Park. The tots stayed, but the black bean burger didn’t return.

Another meal I’d like to see at Miller Park is a Friday Fish Fry. Milwaukeeans know that Friday is Fish Fry Night. The closest event to a fish fry that the Milwaukee Brewers have offered is a version of Van de Kamp’s. Not, in my opinion, a “real” fish fry.  Some nice breaded lake perch or a beer battered cod would fit the bill nicely here.

Next: Who is the Opening Day starter for the Milwaukee Brewers?

I know that if all else fails, and I really can’t find a thing to nosh on, I can drink my dinner at the wonderful “Local Brews” beer stand on the 200 level. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!