After just four years up and running at 811 E. Vienna Ave. in Riverwest, Gathering Place Brewing Company has given its taproom a refresh.
The space, which opens to the adjacent brewhouse, has had an industrial chic vibe that was warmed by the great service and fabulous brews rooted in European (especially German) traditions, but with interesting touches.
Now, the taproom is even more inviting.
Plants have added a splash of green to the space, there’s new lower lounge seating and dartboards create more opportunities for fun in a taproom that already had some games and other activities.
STUMP, a new plant shop at 601 S. 6th St. in Walker’s Point, supplied the plants.
Milwaukee-area artists’ work will be featured in a monthly Gallery Night series that kicks off in December.
“A brewery taproom is so much more than just a space to drink beer, it’s somewhere for the community to come together with their family, friends, and peers,” said Joe Yeado, founder of Gathering Place Brewing.
“Customers can expect a brighter, more welcoming space to gather in.”
The taproom updates were completed in time for the brewery’s annual release of its Limb Shaker Belgian Style Tripel made with Door County Cherries. The beer was tapped last Saturday in an event that featured food trucks and live music at a biergarten out from on Vienna Avenue.
Gathering Place – which celebrated its fourth birthday with a bash in August – is planning a second location in the forthcoming Flour & Feed Food Hall in Bay View.
It hosted a popup beer garden this summer at that location.
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.
