Starkweather Brewing Company will open with in-house brews and a lot of collaboration beers

Starkweather Brewing partners, from left, Peter Schroder, Michael Chronister, Tom Gosse and Tom McVary.

The owners of Starkweather Brewing Company at 2439 Atwood Ave. (former home of Next Door Brewing Company) are readying to open in January. They are waiting on their final state permit, a local inspection, and a handful of equipment orders to arrive, like their glassware and custom tap handles. They will also be installing a new sign.

When the owners of Next Door Brewing decided to sell the brewpub last summer, a four-person local ownership team of Tom McVary, Michael Chronister, Tom Gosse and brewer Peter Schroder bought the building and its three-barrel brewing system. Since August they have made some modest changes to the interior decor, mostly changing the color scheme from orange accent walls to shades of blue. 

More important to local craft beer fans is what Schroder is planning to offer on the brewery’s 17 tap lines. His approach is all-encompassing: “I want to make a lot of styles of beer, a little something of everything throughout the year,” says Schroder.

To be ready as soon as the permits are secured and the pint glasses arrive, Schroder has been busy brewing. He has made a number of batches with former Next Door brewer Dave Hansen to become familiar with the brewing equipment. He’s also collaborated with more than a half-dozen other brewers in their breweries. 

The opening tap list from Starkweather is expected to include First and Foremost (a West Coast pale ale); Easy Street (cream ale); Boom Box (American lager); Sweet Heat Plum (first in an ongoing series of gose-style beers with different fruits and scorpion peppers); SASY (Belgian saison); Strongborn (a Scottish export ale); Black IPA; and Oat of my Mind (chocolate oatmeal stout). 

Several collaboration brews will also be on tap for the brewery’s opening, such as Musical Couches (rye brown ale) brewed with Adventure Club Brewing in Bayfield, Coffee Kolsch brewed at G5 Brewing Company in Beloit, You Put the Lime in the Pineapple (a fruited sour) with Swinging Bridge Brewing Company in River Falls, Marwood (a pale ale made with Wisconsin hops and grains) with Working Draft Beer Company, Starklandia (a Belgian single) brewed at Faklandia Brewing in St. Francis, and a West Coast double IPA made at Ooga Brewing Company in Beaver Dam.

Starkweather doesn’t plan to distribute. That means its beers will be available only at the brewery, and occasionally at those of collaborators. Special and limited releases down the road may have small package runs, but for now the beer is taproom-only. 

Schroder also has plans to work with nearby Olbrich Gardens to feature different locally grown botanicals and fruits in brews; however those are likely to appear as seasonal releases later in 2022.

To round out its beverage offerings, Starkweather will reserve taps for hard seltzer, gluten-free beers, and non-alcoholic beverages like hop water — that’s right, sparkling water infused with hops.

The brewery hasn’t made final decisions on its food offerings.

Specific opening plans will be announced on Starkweather’s Facebook page.

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