The Pabst Brewing Co., Los Angeles, announced the official opening of Pabst Milwaukee Brewery, the company’s first craft brewery. A firkin keg tapping and blue ribbon-cutting ceremony took place April 12 with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, Pabst Chairman Eugene Kashper and Pabst Chief Executive Officer Simon Thorpe.
The Pabst Milwaukee Brewery will serve as a gathering place for local Milwaukee residents and a destination for Pabst fans across the country, the company says. The building features a craft brewery, outdoor beer garden, a mezzanine area and a gastropub-style restaurant serving locally sourced and sustainably produced foods.
The brewery is located in a historic 144-year-old building in the heart of the original Pabst Brewing complex in the former First German Methodist Church at 1037 W. Juneau Ave. It was purchased by Frederick Pabst in 1896 and used by the Pabst Brewing Co. through the 1970s as a ratskeller, or tavern, for Pabst employees.
Pabst will brew exclusive small-batch beers on-site, including some Pabst classics from the archives as well as new brews designed by Pabst Master Brewer Greg Deuhs and the Milwaukee Brewery’s head brewer John Kimes. Ten initial types of Pabst Milwaukee Brewery draft beers also will be available for off-premise consumption in 32-ounce growlers.
The brewery will serve as Pabst’s hub for innovation and new product ideas and will help develop the next generation of great beers in the Pabst family, the company says.
“We have invested in an amazing brewing system where we can use conventional brewing methods, but we also have the flexibility to perform varied techniques in each brew cycle, allowing us to create both classical beer styles as well as a new generation of forward-looking craft beers,” Deuhs said. “Our goal with our brews is to honor the Pabst legacy while remaining at the forefront of brewing innovation and technology. We are really excited to try new hops and malts from small, independent craft maltsters and to offer the people of Milwaukee some truly special beers.” BI
