Gathering Place Brewing has partnered with its East Tosa neighbor Maggio’s Wood Fired Pizza to create a new collab brew.
Good Neighbors, which will be released on Friday, Oct. 11 at Maggio’s, 7212 W. North Ave., is a golden ale made with figs and pizza crust cooked in the wood-fired oven at the pizzeria, which is located next door to Gathering Place’s Tosa taproom, 7208 W. North Ave.
The high temperature of the pizza oven, around 900 degrees fahrenheit, chars the sugars in the crust and fruit helping to create a beer with bready, caramel and dark fruit flavors, according to Matt Cisz, Gathering Place’s head brewer.
“Our logo is a fig leaf and I’m a huge fan of the way Matt incorporates fruit in his beers," said Maggio’s founder Jeremy Maggio.
“When we kicked around ideas and the possibility of using figs came up it all seemed to fall into place. I’m excited to share this beer with our guests.” .
“Our logo is a fig leaf and I’m a huge fan of the way Matt incorporates fruit in his beers. I’m excited to share this beer with our guests.”
Although Maggio’s has included Gathering Place brews on its beer list and the taproom has encouraged guests to order pizza from Maggio’s, the new ale is the first in-depth collaboration between the neighboring independent businesses.
“Collaborating with other local businesses you admire is pretty special,” said Cisz. “Jeremy and his team are becoming a neighborhood staple and for good reason. Anytime we can put a unique, fun, and thoughtful spin on a beer recipe using local ingredients it brings me joy.
“It was a no-brainer to use Maggio’s crust in the mash process to see if we could impart some wood fired bready flavors.”
“We love working with other local businesses and Maggio’s has been an incredible neighbor,” added Gathering Place founder Joe Yeado.
“Watching Jeremy and Andy build the restaurant brought back memories of me building the brewery and I so respect that hard work and drive to create something special.”
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.
