"Twenty-one years with Miller Brewing Co., so brewing business is about all I know other than coaching my kids in some sports," says Jeff Garwood, co-founder and managing director of Big Bay Brewing, when asked why he started the Shorewood-based craft-beer business.
"I decided to not move to Chicago with the Miller/Coors merger and believed that my background gave me the potential to be a pretty good brewery operator. Big plus: I love beer."
Big Bay has hit the ground running with a line of hand-crafted brews that will be available to beer lovers across the state. Garwood and company recently got their brewing licenses and are ready to launch a pair of beers -- Wave Hopper Kolsch Style Ale and Boatilla Amber Ale.
The beer is brewed at Milwaukee Brewing, but Big Bay will open a shop and tasting room at 4517 N. Oakland Ave. in February.
"My challenge has always been finding that perfect beer or two that suited being by or near the water," says Garwood. "The two styles we have introduced work well with this ideal."
Garwood says he's been working on these two beers for over a year now and got a little help from his outstate friends.
"We had the bones of the recipes about a year and half ago, and then refined with two test batches," he recalls.
"The good guys at Stone Cellar Brew Pub in Appleton did the initial test batches, and then we tweaked and worked with Bert Morton at Milwaukee Brewing Co. to deliver our final products."
Wave Hopper is a lighter-bodied ale with a clean finish and subtle hoppiness and malt overtones. A bit of wheat is added to compliment the zing of Perle and Hersbrucker hops.
Meanwhile, Boatilla Amber has a deep amber color that comes from a mix of Pale 2 Row and Cara Munch malts. It is bolder than the Wave Hopper with the malt and hop flavors front and center.
There will be a tasting of the beers Saturday, Dec. 11 at North Star Bistro, 4518 N. Oakland Ave.
Garwood says both brews -- developed with technical assistance from brewer Jim Lueders -- will be available at bars, restaurants and retail outlets across the state. Recommended retail is $8.49 for six packs of 12-ounce bottles. Capitol Distributing is carrying the beer in the Milwaukee area.
He said Big Bay is also developing a line of premium sodas for launch in the future.
"Things seem to be progressing well so far," says Garwood of life as a craft brewer in one of Milwaukee's oldest suburbs. So, why did he choose Shorewood, you ask?
"Shorewood and the North Shore in general fit with our view that your life is a little better by the water, whether it is a vacation or where you live -- if you're lucky," quips Garwood.
"The villages along the North Shore have a family and friend orientation, too. So it fits with the things that make us happy and what we are trying to convey as a company. We also had to look at where we could get some traffic from local people and visitors to help build awareness of the beers."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
