Photo credit: Jeff Beutner
Original Melms Brewery, 1869
Melms Brewing Company announced on Facebook that they will hold a grand opening celebration at their new taproom (418 Merton Ave., Hartland) on Saturday, Mar. 17, from 4-11 p.m.
The festivities will include the official tapping of Blarney Stone Stout.
The brewery is a planned rebirth of one of Milwaukee's original brewing powerhouses, C.T. Melms Brewery. Founded by Franz Neukirch and his son-in-law, Charles T. "C.T." Melms, in 1854, the original brewery was on Virginia Street in Walker's Point. The partners built a state-of-the-art brewery complex and it opened as Menomonee Brewery, but ultimately was renamed to Melms Brewery.
By 1860, it had become the largest brewery in Milwaukee and C.T. Melms is widely considered to be the first Milwaukee "beer baron."
Melms passed away in 1869 and Pabst (then Best & Co.) bought the Walker's Point operation.
Funding for the new project began as an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign in 2014. From there, the small operation grew as a contract brewer through appearances at beer festivals in the state and limited availability at some outlets.
In June 2017, the brewery announced its plans to open the Hartland taproom. The taproom buildout happened over the winter months.
