Wisconsin State Fair's Milk House has new flavors and people love them

Maddie Koss
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Two new flavors, sea salt caramel and chocolate peanut butter, have been added to the lineup at Wisconsin State Fair's Milk House.

Since 1989, Wisconsin State Fair visitors have not only "got milk," they've enjoyed it in multiple flavors. Two refreshing new flavors introduced this year appear to be hits.

When the fair's 2017 edition opened Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks Milk House presented by Prairie Farms Dairy in the South Grandstand area resumed serving eight-ounce cups of flavored milk for just 50 cents.

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Alongside its popular chocolate, strawberry and root beer varieties, the Milk House is pouring two new flavors: chocolate peanut butter and sea salt caramel. Tasters Thursday praised both.

"They were really good," said Peggy Radder of Brookfield. "I would even mix them together." 

Milk drinkers loved the sea salt caramel flavor so much, they thought it should stay on the menu for next year's fair as well.

"It is definitely sea salt caramel's year," said Janet Scholl of Richfield. "It has a very good taste and is very distinctive."

One fairgoer described the chocolate peanut butter milk as a Reese's peanut butter cup in liquid form: It had the perfect amount of creamy chocolate with a hint of salty peanut butter.

"Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter together?" said Kristin Olson of Sussex.

Thirsty people visit Wisconsin State Fair's Milk House Thursday. The Milk House has added a pair of new flavors this year: sea salt caramel and chocolate peanut butter.

Stimulated by this year's new flavors, some milk drinkers offered suggestions for more new flavors, including cherry, truffle, chocolate raspberry and chocolate mint.

As for the original three flavors, some Milk House customers Thursday said they preferred strawberry and root beer over chocolate, as chocolate is a common flavor that could essentially be found anywhere.

The idea of milk on a hot summer day may seem outlandish to the uninitiated, but Wisconsinites love it. The Milk House sells more than 160,000 cups of milk every year.

"I come (to the State Fair) yearly and this is the first thing we grab," Scholl said. "Why not start a day with some protein and a tradition?"

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"It's been here so long it's just become one of those State Fair things," Scholl said. "Even if you think you'd rather have a beer or lemonade, you still have to go and get yourself a glass of milk."