On Thursday, Component Brewing Company announced the release of the first beer brewed in its new brewery on the first floor at the Lincoln Warehouse, 2018 S. 1st St., in Bay View.
Recently, the small brewer moved downstairs from its second-floor space formerly occupied by Enlightened Brewing to a 3,000-square-foot former gym that had recently served as an office for a construction project across the street.
Component has installed a seven-barrel brewhouse that used to belong to Raised Grain.
The first fruit of that new system is Tri-21 double IPA, an 8.2 percent hazy brewed with Citra, Sultana, Idaho 7 and Azacca cryo hops.
The brew, in 16-ounce four-packs, is a collaboration with GiGi's Playhouse and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to GiGi’s, which works to change the way the world views Down syndrome and to send a global message of acceptance for all.
The beer can be ordered at Component’s website and picked up at the brewery.
Also canned in 16-ounce four-packs, but not yet ready for sale, is a batch of the flagship Rose’s Sour.
When I stopped in on Friday morning, the air was rich with a gorgeous malt aroma as the brew team was brewing a dunkel for release in about a month.
Adjacent tanks held batches of other beers, including a hazy IPA and a stout. (I also couldn't help but notice a couple Central Standard barrels and Kowalske tells me there, "should be a nice stout sitting in them soon for Black Friday 2022.")
Meanwhile, workers – namely, co-owner DJ Kowalske’s father-in-law Mike Mueller and uncle-in-law Jim Pelletier – were busy at work on the taproom buildout, which Kowalske hopes will be ready to welcome guests by the end of January.
Visitors will enter the taproom from a raised, walled-for-privacy patio along the Becher Street side of the Lincoln Warehouse.
Entering, they’ll find the open brewhouse – you’ll get to enjoy those malty aromas, too! – on the left and a bar on the right.
The bartop is fashioned from stunning slices of sycamore and nearby tables are the unique industrial creations of a local artisan.
The bar will have 20 tap lines along the back along a wall shared with the cooler behind.
The new Component space shares a wall with New Barons Brewing Coop next door and right next to that is Brian Sammons’ Twisted Path Distillery, which recently released its first bourbon.
So ... order an Uber.
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.
