When Eagle Park Brewing and Distilling bought the brands of the closed Milwaukee Brewing Company in September 2022, co-owner Jake Schinker told us that he and his partners planned a taproom focused on the brand. Now that's happening.
The taproom will open in May in the former Tonic Tavern, 2335 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., which closed in February.
"The choice of Bay View, known for its community spirit and bustling social scene, mirrors Eagle Park's first location, which opened in this same neighborhood in 2017," notes a press released issued by Schinker Tuesday.
Eagle Park's first location was in the Lincoln Warehouse.
"This choice reinforces the brand's commitment to Milwaukee's heritage of corner bars and the communal enjoyment of locally crafted beverages."
The release says that, "The MKE taproom is envisioned as a central gathering spot, embodying everything beloved about Milwaukee's nightlife. Scheduled to open in May, just two months from now, the venue will host events like live music, cribbage leagues, and a myriad of activities that highlight the communal ethos of the city. The aim is to create an inclusive space where friends, families and beer and spirit aficionados can come together to celebrate the craft of brewing, distilling and the joys of community."
The facility will not have a brew house.
"Just a taproom featuring all MKE (Brewing Co.) beers, spirits and more. Production will remain at the Muskego facility," Schinker says. "We want this space to really speak to the culture of Milwaukee with its corner bar legacy."
A grand opening event will be announced soon, according to Schinker.
Watch the website for more.
Milwaukee Brewing Company opened in 1997. It closed its Brewery District taproom in August 2022 and sold the business and facility to Pilot Project Brewing.
Eagle Park has taprooms on Milwaukee's East Side and in Muskego, where it operates its production facility.
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.
