There is no Ray, although there used to be. Ray's was founded in 1965, but has been owned by Rick Laev and Bill Siegel since 2002. Laev and Siegel grew up across the street from one another and Laev used to call on the store as a liquor wholesale rep for over 20 years. Ray was wanting to retire after 35 years of running the place, so Laev and Siegel bought the business. Actually, their beer selection isn't what Ray's is known for. They stock over 4500 different types of wine making it one of the largest wine stores in the Midwest. Laev and Siegel personally taste each wine to get an idea of what they're selling. Some days, they'll taste 20 to 25 different wines to get an impression of what they're like. And they do that 4 times a week. Hey, that's a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Ray's Wine and Spirits also has a great selection of Scotch whiskey and tequila. I was pretty amazed at the large selection of Scotch they had to offer. Jon Spelt at Ultra Fidelis is a Scotch connoisseur and has over 60 different types of Scotch at his house. "All but a few of them came from Ray's," he told me one time. Ray's is basically a no-frills shop. Every amount of available space is being used to showcase their wine, liquor or beer. Although I think other places in Milwaukee may have more selection of beers to choose from than Ray's, you can't overlook the different brands of beer they have to offer. I ended up getting a couple six packs of some different Wisconsin micro-breweries to try - a Central Waters Brewery Happy Heron Pale Ale, which wasn't too bad - and a Lake Louie Brewing Company Arena Premium, that was very hoppy and flavorful. I also picked up a four-pack of the Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner, a very, very intensely hopped up beer. Jon then said, "Hey, have you had breakfast yet?" I told him I had. He said, "Shoot. Well, next time you're out that way, you need to try John's Sandwich Shop which is right across the street from Ray's. They have great breakfasts, probably the best in Milwaukee." Well, I'm sure I'll be back at Ray's sometime when I get to traveling to Milwaukee again. And I'll make it a point to have breakfast at John's Sandwich Shop, so I can let you all know how good it is. On a recommendation from Jon Spelt, one of the owners of Ultra Fidelis in Milwaukee, I sought out and found Ray's Wine and Spirits on North Ave. in suburban Wauwautosa (see map). Jon said, "If you like to go beer hunting, Ray's is the place in Milwaukee. They've got a ton of beers to choose from."
I gave Jon a call after I left Ray's and thanked him for the tip on the place. Knowing that he really liked hoppy beers, as I do, I told him that he needed to go to Ray's that night and pick up a four-pack of the Imperial Pilsner. He said he would do just that. (He told me later on, "Man, I wish you hadn't turned me on to that stuff. Not only is it expensive, it's great!")
Comments