Milwaukee’s best: Neighborhood bars that have been around the block

Landmark 1850 Inn, made of locally manufactured cream-city brick, is the oldest tavern in Milwaukee.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

A neighborhood tavern across from Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee has a bowler-loving claim to fame.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

Pins are set by hand at the basement bowling lanes of Holler House.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

Dozens of bras, most autographed, hang from the ceiling at Holler House.   ( Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

Much about Wolski’s interior has stayed the same over the years. Flags from around the world are tacked onto the ceiling.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

Bragging rights come in the form of bumper stickers at Wolski’s Tavern and Puddler’s Hall in Milwaukee.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

Milwaukee Guitar Club members come to Puddler’s Hall for their weekly jam session on Tuesday nights.   ( Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

A mix of professional musicians and hobbyists play at weekly polka jams at Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

An old photo shows some of the earlier patrons at Holler House, where tenpins have flown since 1910.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

Historic Puddler’s Hall is in a neighborhood where Milwaukee Iron Company laborers used to live and work.   ( Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

The Valley Bomber, shredded beef and cheese on grilled garlic French bread, arrives with a steak knife standing in it at Valley Inn.   ( Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )

The neighborhood known as Piggsville, under the Wisconsin Avenue viaduct, is prone to flooding. Valley Inn is on the right in this snapshot from the 1990s.   (Mary Bergin/Chicago Tribune )