USA, WI: Torzala Brewing Co. eyeing June opening

When Jeff Torzala was a kid, his dad would always bring home Miller shirts, hats, signs, cups and mirrors. He was a carpenter for the brewing company, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on May 24.

"I probably looked like a little brewery representative," Torzala laughed.

With brewing in his blood, Torzala dreamed of opening his own brewery for decades.

"I've been chasing this dream for probably 20-plus years," he said.

His dream will become a reality in June, when he and his wife, Tricia, open Torzala Brewing Co. on the second floor of the Lincoln Warehouse, 2018 S. First St., in Bay View.

The brewery will focus on "traditional beers" to honor Milwaukee's deep brewing history.

"I want to make sure that us, in our space, are able to pay homage to that era and to our roots," said Torzala, a Mukwonago resident.

Offerings will include pale ales, pilsners, stouts, lagers, porters and a Munich-style helles, he said.

Some brews were designed off recipes from "days gone by" and styles that used to be prevalent in the area, Torzala explained. Others were based off what family and friends enjoy.

The taproom will initially offer about five beers on tap, then expand to 10. For non-beer options, the brewery plans to offer sodas, tea, possibly hard seltzers and coffee in partnership with local roasters. Someday, Torzala wants to create his own sodas as well.

For food, the brewing company is looking to partner with local restaurants for delivery, as well as food trucks. Down the road, Torzala said, the taproom will offer in-house eats.

After studying electronics engineering at DeVry University in Arizona, Torzala worked around the country — and also Belgium — falling more in love with the craft beer industry everywhere he went.

"It wasn't just to me about brewing good beer," he said. "I also really enjoyed being around the people in the industry."

He started homebrewing in the late 1990s or early 2000s and developed a passion for it.

Knowing he eventually wanted to start his own brewery, Torzala got his MBA from Rollins College in Florida and took brewing classes at Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago.

After moving back to Wisconsin to care for his dad, Torzala participated in "Barley to Barrel," a 10-week craft brewery incubator program, where he learned about opening a brewery and networked with locals in the industry.

He worked in the aggregate mining industry but stepped away from that during the COVID-19 pandemic to teach his and Tricia's 5-year-old twin daughters and nephew 4K. Tricia is a psychotherapist.

Around the time he started looking at jobs again, he said, he came across a Facebook post that Component Brewing Co., which opened in the Lincoln Warehouse in 2018, was moving to a larger spot on the first floor of the building. Component debuted its new taproom earlier this year.

Torzala thought "this might be the opportunity to chase the dream." It was.

The space — which was also once home to Eagle Park Brewing — has a "modern rustic," comfortable and earthy feel, Torzala said.

The taproom — which has a max capacity of 49 — will feature an array of woods, warm lighting and tables handmade out of different species of trees.

A lot of family and friends have been helping get the brewery ready to launch, Torzala said, including his brother-in-law Jake Palubicki and lifelong friend Brian Michalak.

The brewery plans to open June 18.

It feels "surreal," Torzala said.

"When you know you have a passion for something, I think you just have to trust that instinct that you have and that passion and that gut feeling," he said. "Obviously, there are no guarantees in life, so give it a shot and make it happen."

While the taproom's hours aren't yet set in stone, the owners are thinking 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday; and during games.

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