Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward will get a new brewery next spring, thanks to the efforts of business partners Tim Pauly and Dan McElwee.

The longtime friends are behind Broken Bat Brewing Company, a nano-brewery and taproom that’s currently under construction at 231 E. Buffalo St., just beneath the forthcoming nightclub, SITE 1A.

And yes folks, it’s going to have a baseball theme.

Although both partners are sports fans, Pauly says he eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. And the brewery’s moniker pays homage to that obsession.

"In baseball, when a bat breaks, it’s something unexpected," says Pauly. "And that’s essentially what our beer is going to be like, what the brewery is going to be: something different, unexpected."

The idea for Broken Bat, which is tentatively slated to open during the first week of baseball season next year, started percolating a number of years ago and took on steam after a casual remark sparked a serious interest.

"In March of 2012, we were listening to a Marquette NCAA tournament game," notes Pauly. "We were drinking some of Dan’s beer and barking about our desk jobs and other things. And he suggested we start a brewery."

"It was a crazy idea, but I was dead serious," notes McElwee, who says they started scouting out spaces not long after.

Their first goal was to be as close to Miller Park as possible. But when Tom Queoff, the father of a friend, offered up the basement space in the Third Ward, they took him up on it.

"It’s not a big old warehouse like some breweries," notes Pauly, "But it really works for what we’re looking to do. And the building itself has a lot of character, which we love."

Once finished, the brewery will house a seven-barrel brewing system along with a small tap room that is likely to accommodate between 20-30 guests.

McElwee, who has been brewing beer since the mid-2000s, says he started out making wine.

"But it didn’t take long before I grew impatient with the process," he says. "So I started experimenting with beer. I fell in love with it immediately, and from there, I really started reading and researching. And the more I did, the more I got good at it. And I realized I could make money doing it."

Eventually, he built a stainless steel frame to hold a home-brewing system made from beer kegs and began brewing more and more often, experimenting with different varieties and getting feedback from friends and family.

"I’ve always been drawn to West Coast-style beer," says McElwee. "But I also like experimenting with fruit and different herbs. So there will be a good variety of beer that we produce."

Pauly, who describes Broken Bat offerings as "tailgate beers," says accessibility is the name of the game for the brewery.

"I think the biggest thing we’d like to do is to capture both the educated craft beer fan and the more casual beer drinker," he says. "We want everyone to be comfortable in the space and with the beer."

Although there's already a sign on the building's exterior identifying the location of the brewery, the partners have a ways to go before they’ll see the taproom taking shape. But they say they envision a casual space where folks will want to hang out and spend time with friends while watching a sports broadcast.

"It will have a baseball theme," says Pauly. "We’ll have old photos and baseball paraphernalia. We’re both Brewers’ fans, but it’s not going to be a Brewers bar. It’s going to be a baseball bar."

Initially, McElwee says, the brewery will self-distribute its beer within a fairly tight radius. But the plan is to eventually expand distribution to baseball facilities across the state.

"We’d love to get in with some of the leagues," says Pauly. "And eventually, we’d like a kiosk in Miller Park."