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Faklandia Brewing has launched a month-long Kickstarter campaign in an effort to raise $10,000 for its new brewery and taproom, according to brewmaster and co-founder Nate Fakler.
After plans to open a facility in an industrial building at 2525 E. Crawford Ave. in St. Francis fell through, Fakler and his partner Ben Mantay jumped at the opportunity to take over the recently closed 42 Ale House, at 3807 S. Packard Ave., also in St. Francis.
"(The Kickstarter is) for building repairs, furniture, ingredients, and some additional permitting," says Fakler. "Our stretch goal is $25,000 and we plan on doing something special with our backers when we hit that."
Fakler says they expect to have a soft opening in April, and are, "aiming at June for the real deal."
The two still plan to buy the six-barrel system from Colorado Brewing that they expected to install on Crawford Avenue. However, it will go into a much more turn-key space – they can even use the old Ale House tables and chairs – in a much more visible, higher-profile location.
"There is less work to do," says Fakler. "The bar is there, all the taps are in. There is a kitchen. And the neighborhood is really welcoming."
They will utilize the kitchen – something they hadn’t planned for the previous location – to become more brewpub than straight brewery.
Fakler and Mantay say they’ll keep the 42 Ale House’s "geek culture," meaning the gaming aspect, which is a good fit anyway for the brewery, which is rooted in fantasy game culture.
Two previous Kickstarter campaigns last year did not reach their funding goals, but hopefully the third time’s the charm for Faklandia.
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.
