Bay View's 1840 Brewing Company will open a new taproom in downtown West Bend mixed-use development called The District at Washington and Main Streets.
The 6,400-square-foot taproom is expected to open in the 177-unit luxury apartment complex by the end of the year. The District should be entirely complete by next spring.
"The West Bend location will be licensed as a brewery, however we will only be producing barrel-aged or barrel-fermented beer without an onsite brew system," says 1840 founder Kyle Vetter.
"Just like how we started in Bay View."
Unlike Bay View, this one will have other aspects you might not expect, says Vetter.
"This location will take our current taproom concept and expand upon it by adding a full-service coffee bar and a pizza restaurant," he adds.
"We will be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. until close. With river trail access and a 2,200-square-foot patio we hope to create a comfortable and welcoming space that can be enjoyed all day long, four seasons a year."
The move is not a terribly surprising one considering that 1840 has operated beer gardens in the West Bend area for a couple years now.
“We immediately fell in love with this location’s history as the former West Bend Lithia Brewing Company and its location on the Downtown Riverwalk,” says Vetter.
“We will take great pride in continuing the site’s craft brewing legacy and look forward to being a part of the West Bend community!”
Lithia opened in West Bend in 1848. 1840 Brewing opened in Bay View in 2017.
“We explored a number of Wisconsin breweries and 1840 is the perfect match for The District,” said Tyler Hawley, Principal at HKS Holdings, LLC, which is developing The District, in a statement.
“1840’s award-winning craft beer, trendy atmosphere, and collaborative events will be an amazing addition to the development and the downtown.”
The District was designed by Milwaukee's Engberg Anderson Architects.
This summer, 1840 Brewing Company is hosting four beer garden and music events in West Bend's Riverside Park, along with a Creepfunk Haze Release Party and Fundraiser at Regner Park in October.
“We hope you’ll slow down and enjoy every sip with us,” said Vetter.
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 can be heard weekly on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories.
