3 new craft breweries set to open in April
Drink your green beer if you must. But know that Milwaukee is only a couple weeks away from a new round of craft brewery openings.
Broken Bat Brewing Co., 231 E. Buffalo St., expects to pour its first beer the weekend of April 7 — in time for the start of baseball season.
“We are obsessed with beer and we are obsessed with baseball,” co-owner Tim Pauly said when they announced the new brewery. “Those are two things that get us up in the morning, besides family and friends.”
Pabst Milwaukee Brewery, 1037 W. Juneau Ave., will open April 14. The date is tied to Milwaukee Day, so named because it falls on 4/14.
Westallion Brewing, 1825 S. 72nd St., West Allis, is thisclose to a proper opening. Gathering Place, 811 E. Vienna St., is on track for a late May or June opening.
At the same time, Good City Brewing, 2108 N. Farwell Ave., wants to add seating and maybe a rooftop bar.
These beer events will keep you going until then:
Friday: Look for special events at Third Space and City Lights Brewing. City Lights Brewing, 2200 W. Mount Vernon Ave., opens at 6 a.m. for St. Patrick’s Day, with live Celtic bagpipe music and the release of its special Irish Red Ale. One dollar from each Irish Red Ale sold will be donated to the Milwaukee County Boys & Girls Clubs. Third Space, 1505 W. St. Paul Ave., opens at 9 a.m. to celebrate both its six-month anniversary and St. Patrick’s Day. Third Space calls the Double IPA a “green” beer because it’s stuffed with hops.
Saturday: Stillmank Brewing of Green Bay takes over the taps at MobCraft Brewing, 505 S. 5th St., from 6 to midnight. Beers on tap will include Wisco Disco, Perky Porter. Awesome Sauce and 6252-Simcoe Red IPA, according to the event page at Facebook. Meet the owners Erin and Brad Stillmank (Brad is also the brewer).
Sunday: Camp Bar Tosa, 6600 W. North Ave., will host the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission Pints for Pups from noon to 5 p.m. For each pint of Milwaukee Brewing beer sold, $1 will be donated to the cause.
Tuesday: Wolfgang Schäff of Kloster Andechs Monastery Brewery visits Cafe Bavaria, 7700 Harwood Ave., Wauwatosa, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to represent Kloster Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel, Pints of Dunkelweis and the rarely imported Bergbock Hell will be available.
Tuesday: Hear Tami Plourde, part owner of Pearl Street Brewery in La Crosse, talk about being a woman in a maledominated industry. She will share her story and recognize the other women who are opening doors for a new generation. She’ll talk at 6 p.m. at the Milwaukee Public Library East, 2320 N. Cramer St. Admission is free.
Thursday: Draft & Vessel, 4417 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood, hosts Another Beatrix Vegan Pop Up. That’s not exasperation; that’s the event’s name. The night features Beatrix Vegan foods and a discussion of all things vegan with Tracy Hurst, Wisconsin native, vegan and coowner of Metropolitan Brewing, a lager brewery in Chicago.
March 25: Good City Brewing releases its barrel aged Lord Lyon Scotch Ale starting at 10 a.m. at the brewery, 2108 N. Farwell Ave. Lord Lyon Scotch Ale will be available in 22-ounce bombers and on tap.
March 25: Wisconsin Harley-Davidson hosts its annual Bikes & Brews: A Beer Sampling Extravaganza from 5 to 9 p.m. at 1280 Blue Ribbon Drive in Oconomowoc. Ticket prices range from $15 for a designated drive to $69 for VIP entry.
March 25: Representative brews from Lakefront, Hofbrau, Sprecher, Capital, Milwaukee Brewing, Water Street Brewery, St. Francis, Enlightened, Bavarian Bierhaus, D14, Fermentorium, Urban Harvest, Hinterland, Stevens Point, Summit and Abita will be part of the Blessing of the Bock 2017 starting at 3 p.m. at Lee’s Luxury Lounge, 2988 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Admission is $15 or $10 with a donation of home-brewed Bock, Maibock, Doppelbock and Weissbock.
March 26: Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., talks Alaskan Brewery for its Brewery Series. Megan Kennedy will walk fans through a sampling flight. Admission is $15 for five samples. The series is followed by Bottle Sharing Is Caring, a benefit for The Women’s Center. Bring a bottle of your favorite beer to share. A $20 donation is suggested; get a plate from the Sugar Maple Hot Box Hacks and take advantage of $1 off all tap beer for the day.
March 29: Lowlands Bierklasse presents a Unibroue Bier dinner with four courses of classic French Canadian cooking and beer pairings from Quebec’s Unibroue Brewery at Cafe Centraal, 2306 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Tickets are $60. Dinner is served at 7 p.m.
March 31: It’s D14 owner Matt McCulloch’s birthday, and he’s hosting the party. The Brewmaster’s Birthday Bash kicks off at 7 p.m. at the brewery, 2273 S. Howell Ave. The party includes new beers and ’80s and ’90s music.
April 8: 3 Sheeps Brewing celebrates five years of brewing beer (first in an old sock factory and now in a former soda bottling plant) with a change of scenery for its labels and a new look for its bottles. Oh, and a huge party with a special bottle release of Bourbon Barrel Aged Paid Time Off Imperial Stout brewed with toasted coconut, walnuts and cocoa nibs and Bourbon Barrel Aged Uber Joe Imperial Stout brewed with coffee, cocoa nibs and vanilla. The high jinks begin at 11 a.m. at the taproom,1837 North Ave., Sheboygan.
April 23: Crafts and Drafts, the annual beer festival that benefits the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance, is set for American Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave. General-admission tickets are $55 in advance; $60 at the door. VIP tickets are $70 in advance and $75 at the door. VIP tickets get patrons in two hours early and include special beer tasting tickets.
You can reach Kathy at kathy.flanigan@jrn.com. Create your own tour of Wisconsin breweries with Beer Near, an interactive listing of the state’s beer producers.