The Milwaukee Brewers are the hottest team in baseball, and they’re well on their way to winning the National League Central. They’ve just won their 12th game in a row, and their fans are thrilled – for reasons aside from baseball.
The Brewers’ 12-game winning streak has triggered a time-honored local tradition, as it means that restaurant George Webb will give customers free hamburgers.
Back in the 1940s, Webb himself said that he would give away free burgers if the local baseball team ever won 12 games in a row. At the time, that was either the minor-league Brewers or the major-league Milwaukee Braves.
The streak never happened for either team, and the promotion was put on hold when the Braves left for Atlanta. The Brewers were established as a major league team in 1970, and Webb’s son Jim put the promotion back into effect.
🎉 THEY DID IT!!! 🎉 You know what that means? FREE GEORGE WEBB BURGERS are coming! We’re buzzing with excitement and working hard to prepare. Please note: Burgers will NOT be ready right away. A special giveaway date will be announced tomorrow with all the details! Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/h4dQ26D0I6
— George Webb (@George_Webb) August 13, 2025
Everything came together for the first time in 1987, when the Brewers won 12 games in a row for the first time ever. Over 168,000 hamburgers were handed out three days after the streak was confirmed, going through 25,000 pounds of ground beef, more than 2,800 pounds of onions and more than 367,000 slices of pickles.
The Brewers wouldn’t pull off another 12-game winning streak until October 2018, when they confirmed the streak with a Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. That year, George Webb handed out 90,000 burgers and an additional 100,000 vouchers for fans to pick up burgers after the playoffs.
This is Milwaukee’s third winning streak of at least eight games this season, and they nearly put George Webb into action last month when they won 11 games in a row.
The Brewers pulled off their 12th straight win with a 12-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. William Contreras drove in four runs, while former National League MVP Christian Yelich drove in three.
Starter Brandon Woodruff pitched four scoreless innings, and Milwaukee now holds an eight-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.
“THEY DID IT!!! You know what that means? FREE GEORGE WEBB BURGERS are coming! We’re buzzing with excitement and working hard to prepare,” the restaurant said on social media Wednesday, just minutes after the game’s final out.
We’ll see when the customers are able to travel to restaurants all over Wisconsin to get their free burgers.
