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How the ‘Best Burger’ in Wisconsin came to be
Brazen Head Pub in West Bend holds the honor of serving Wisconsin’s ‘Best Burger.’ Learn more about the award-winning dish.
The Wisconsin Beef Council has crowned Brazen Head’s signature creation—the Brazen Beer Cheese Burger—the winner of its 2025 Best Burger Contest. This is the second year the contest has been in operation. Last year, Brazen Head was also nominated and notched a spot among the Top 8 burgers in the state.
While the contest is put on by the Wisconsin Beef Council, winners are determined strictly by the voting public.
“That is the biggest honor of all,” says Brazen Head General Manager Megan Miller. “The contest is determined by everyday people who choose to spend their hard-earned bucks at our establishment. We don’t take that for granted. It’s an honor to be voted best by the people.”
Behind the award-winning burger
The brains behind the beef is Tyler Lloyd, Brazen Head’s Kitchen Manager. He came up with the recipe about two years ago, when the pub set out to revitalize its menu. Efficiency and sustainability played a big role in the burger’s creation. Lloyd, known for his savvy food utilization skills, wanted to come up with a burger that was streamlined, intentional – and, most importantly, delicious.
“We’re a beer-forward place, so a beer cheese burger made perfect sense,” he explains. “We slice all of our cheese in house, so I used scraps from our cheese blocks to make a special roux around Harp, our go-to lager.”
The result is a half pound of Angus beef, grilled to perfection and served on a pretzel roll. It’s topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, and onion rings, and then finished off with the trademark Harp Lager-beer cheese brew. The burger is served with a bed of crisp-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside fries on the side, and, in keeping with Brazen Head’s waste-conscience service, a pickle spear is available upon request at no extra charge.
Beyond the award-winning burger, the bar boasts a menu that further reflects their philosophy—grounded, thoughtful, and versatile. From the Brazen Melt to a stacked Reuben to a vast build-your-own-burger menu, the kitchen team takes pride in serving more than just pub food.
Cultivating a culture where people stick around
The Wisconsin Beef Council announced Brazen Head as its winner on May 1, 2025. Since then, pub staff have seen an influx of requests for their famous burger, with Lloyd averaging 8 gallons of beer cheese each week. The first weekend after the announcement, Miller says they sold 200 burgers in just one day—more than double(??) their typical amount.
“It’s been extra on everybody,” says Miller. “But we welcome the rush. The staff is incredibly dedicated. We couldn’t do it without everyone’s support.”
‘Everyone’ includes owners John and Jaydee Fellenz. The couple has operated the bar for over 22 years, which makes Brazen Head the oldest independently owned and operated bar in West Bend. And the owners’ staying power is matched by a kitchen staff dedicated to their establishment.
“We have five employees who’ve been here a decade or more,” says Miller. “People stick around here, and that’s special. You don’t find that in this industry.”
For Lloyd, the camaraderie makes the win all-the-more special.
“At the core, this bar is what it is because of the people,” he says. “This win is validation for the culture we’ve created here.”
Try it yourself
Brazen Head is located in West Bend’s thriving historic downtown. Its kitchen is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Learn more by visiting Brazenhead’s website and click below to plan your visit to Downtown West Bend.