October 15, 2016

Kenosha’s knights seek their holy grail at Mars Cheese Castle

The Knights of the Cheesehead? I imagine if Kenosha’s Mars Cheese Castle had a team of knights, they may consider that name. I do know that the castle has some great food, cheese and drink selections. Mars is a tourist attraction because the store’s building resembles a medieval castle. People shop there because it has a great selection of cheese, meats and drinks.

Mars Cheese Castle opened in 1947 and has been a hit with visitors for almost as long. The store was opened by Mario Ventura Sr., whose father-in-law suggested the castle theme. The store had to be relocated a few years ago because of interstate widening. The castle was redesigned and the store size about doubled. There are plans to add another 21,000 square feet to the current facility.

We enjoyed out visit to Mars Cheese Castle. The store has a giant selection of cheeses, including cheese curds.

The thing that jumped out at me was a sausage in the shape of a beer bottle. I was talking with the manager of the deli section and he asked if I had seen it. As soon as we stood in front of the meat section, that bottle of sausage jumped out.

The store’s section of adult beverages ran the gamut of traditional beers (such as Budweiser and Miller) to some interesting craft beers. Of course, Leinenkugel was available. The beer is brewed in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

The Deadworld brand caught my eye. What I originally thought was a craft beer turned out to be a craft soda. The Detroit-produced sodas come in 12 flavors, with unique names, such as Orange Roamer, Royal Rotter (black cherry), Brain Sap (crème soda) and Zeek Cocktail (cotton candy). The brand’s most popular flavor is its root beer, aka Twilight Shuffler. The brand is based on a comic series.

Mars Cheese castle is home to a lot of souvenirs – cheese related or Wisconsin based. Visitors can pick up foam cheeseheads, cheese hats, shorts, ball caps and post cards.