Bay View’s Supermoon Beer Co., 3145 S. Howell Ave., has announced its two new beer releases for December, which are available for pre-order now.
But tucked away in the email blast for the new brews – details of which can be found below, along with ordering info – is this note about the microbrewer’s 1902 home in a former grocery store.
“We have officially closed on a construction loan to begin the buildout of our taproom, and you can bet your ears there are more details to come on that,” wrote owner Rob Brennan.
The taproom will occupy the former storefront and the production takes place downstairs.
“Our building ... started as a general store, and has since been all sorts of things from a cobbler, to a candy shop, to a law firm and recently a seamstress,” Brennan told me last year. “But honestly, the most interesting stuff in the building is its bones."
“During the demo phase I was able to see the results of some pretty impressive manual labor and building materials. All of the beams, posts and studs are old growth lumber. ... The front of our building is literally supported by two old growth tree trunks.”
Brennan gave the building’s exterior a facelift last year.
The taproom plan calls for about 35-40 seats.
“We’re signing our scope of work contract with our general contractor this afternoon,” Brennan says. “That starts a 4-6 week logistical org period to line up subcontractors.”
Once those are all in place, demolition will begin, says Brennan.
“There will be a 16-week buildout putting us potentially opening for Memorial Day, if all goes well.”
Stay tuned for more information on the taproom.
In the meantime, 13 months after selling his first beer and kicking off his series of (roughly) monthly releases, Brennan has two new beers.
Cellargeist is a gin barrel blended saison dry-hopped with Grüngeist hops that’s available in 750ml bottles conditioned with Champagne yeast.
“We’ve been super stoked and invigorated by what gin barrels have brought to our blending program,” Brennan wrote of this one. “Gin botanicals go off script in a mixed fermentation setting to bring an incredible, and sort of underexplored compliment to Saison that’s far less about the spirit and way more about the complex bill of botanicals that make the spirit."
“Roses. Creamsicle. Honey. Pine. Somehow on point for a winter holiday run, and also the middle of summer? This beer is way fun.”
The second release is Gloe, a mixed fermentation saison fermented in French Oak and refermented with LaCrescent White Wine Grapes.
This one is available in 375ml and 750ml bottles conditioned with Champagne yeast.
“Gloe was a nine-month mixed fermentation saison we racked from a 500ml French Oak puncheon onto several hundred pounds of freshly harvested LaCrescent White Wine grapes,” wrote Brennan. “This varietal was grown and harvested by the UW Madison Agricultural Research Center in their continuing study of cold weather, hearty wine grape hybrids."
“The base Saison was a perfect canvas for these grapes to referment on to impart a surprisingly accurate representation of what the fruit actually tasted like off the vine. We don’t typically expect such literal translation to happen with fruit refermentation, but the beer brings authentic white grape, and totally fake purple grape candy aromatics, with a vibrant kick of lemony acidity and wet vinous earth.”
Pre-order the beers at supermoonbeer.square.site.
Pickup will be Saturday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 19 from noon until 7 p.m. at Supermoon.
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.
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