"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee is back! For the entire month of March, we're serving up fun articles on bars, clubs and beverages – including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews, the results of our Best of Bars poll and more. Follow along with the #DrinkOnMke hashtag too. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

The craft beer industry has experienced a proper explosion over the decade, going from 1,000 to 8,500 craft breweries in the U.S. With all the new growth in the industry, we sometimes forget the classic, Milwaukee-made staples when feeding our inner beer-lover.

You may not know this, but Sprecher Brewing Co. is actually Wisconsin’s oldest craft brewery. And having earned awards for 25 different beer types in renowned national and international competitions, their success comes with no surprise.

Recently, the award-winning craft brewery changed hands, and the new leadership is ready to take Sprecher to new heights with the goal of turning the brand into a craft beverage icon. With new goals in mind, they’re holding tight to Sprecher’s heart and soul – it’s what makes the products and the people behind it so great, after all.

"Don’t worry, we’re not touching the Black Bavarian," said Jim Kanter, one of three new co-owners of the brewery on this week’s episode of The GoGedders Podcast. 

By the numbers, it’d seem he’s right to let it be: The Black Bavarian is among Sprecher’s most award-winning beers, and his comment reflects his feelings throughout the episode about the entire lineup of great beers and sodas offered by Sprecher.

Though the tried-and-true brews and sodas aren’t going anywhere, Jim Kanter – along with Sharad Chadha and Andy Nunemaker, Sprecher’s other two new co-owners – see opportunity to expand the company’s offerings.

"That’s the surprising thing about Sprecher: We’re an innovation factory," said Sharad Chadha. Their bet is that they can hang with current market trends and make high-quality products that fit right in. Products like ciders, fruity and hazy IPAs, hard seltzer, sessionable beers, low alcohol products and more will appeal to a younger demographic, opening up new market opportunities. 

Sprecher is able to tackle these new trends because they’re geared to adapt quickly. A product can go production and hit the shelves just a few short months after the initial idea. 

According to the new ownership, that agility is the key component – and the reason why Wisconsin’s oldest craft brewery will be hanging around and making delicious new drinks for years to come.

Tune in to this week’s episode of The GoGedders Podcast below. In addition to what’s above, Richie, Sharad, Jim and Andy also cover marketing and distributing products, the ever-changing beverage industry and the Sprecher team’s goal to become a global brand.

If you’d like to submit a guest or topic suggestion, please feel free to contact the show’s host, Richie Burke, at richie@ggmm.io.

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gogedders-podcast/id1167642426

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2G8ekqRhttQLfXiReioqOD