How Common Is Bratwurst in the US?

[Brianstl]

Last year I had my first bratwurst in the best possible spot in America to have one.....Milwaukee. And while it was okay, I didn't love it the way I expected to. And I'm a sausage guy, so I'm wondering if it's the beer taste that turned me off? I'm not a drinker, so I'm thinking that's what did it. Is is blasphemous to NOT soak them in beer before grilling them?

I want to give bratwurst a second chance. But I'm not sure I'm ready to have my heart broken again.

It isn't blasphemous. The best brats shouldn't be all beered up. The beer ends up masking the flavor of really good sausage. If I have something like Johnsonville, they go in the beer. If have brats from a good local butcher or sausage maker they aren't getting the beer treatment.

 

[katherine52478]

I grew up in Brooklyn and then Central Jersey. We had hot dogs and Italian sausages but rarely brats or German items. I don’t think I knew about them until college? But now I live in Indiana and that are everywhere!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Grew up in NJ...NY Metro area and I have been eating bratwurst since I was a little kid. I know they were readily available in the supermarket since we'd sometimes have them for dinner or buy them for school language club cultural festivals. I even remember a few German restaurants. I lived in FL during my college years and didn't see them as much outside of grilling ideas, but now that I'm in Texas, they're very common.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

Lol. We are going to dinner tonight at a new bistro in town getting a lot of good buzz. I popped on their website to preview the menu and they have a brats section and sauerkraut side since it’s German inspired.
I laughed. I thought of this thread. Brats are definitely a thing out in the west, it’s not just an Eastern thing.
I will report later on the quality of said brats.

update: delicious!