‘Company’ is at the Heart of Company Brewing

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It’s fair to say Company Brewing (735 E. Center St.) is a Riverwest micro that considers everyone coming through their door as welcome company. I can almost hear co-owner and brewmaster George Bregar inviting people in and calling back to his wife Myrica Von Haselberg, their executive chef and co-owner, “Myrica, we’ve company.” “Company” is half of their name and a fundamental principle of business.

Bregar and Haselberg founded Company Brewing in 2015 having spent most of their lives in the food and beverage industries. Over the years Bregar perfected his basement recipes into award winning beers while bringing additional varieties online. There are almost 30 of his beers on tap. Likewise, Haselberg offers an inviting menu for brunch and dinner including fish fries on Friday. They also have vegetarian or vegan selections like Yuba Sandwich made with shredded yuba made from dried tofu skins; it’s a staple of Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Cheese curds, tofu sandwiches, salads, Impossible burgers, homemade pickles, and more are also on the menu as well as meat-based items.

I’ve been a home brewer for more than 50 years and this is the first time I’ve heard of gose beers. Gose beers, originally fermented in Goslar, Germany, are brewed with malted barley and malted wheat with the addition of coriander and salt. That’s for starters! Company has found other grains and spices that make each gose a new taste experience. Company Brewing has many variations on gose beers—you’ll be surprised!

I asked Chris Geick, Marketing Manager, about the changing trends in beer tastes. Here’s what he had to say:

“Predicting what's next, that's tough,” he says. “What's next will most likely blindside the industry just as it's always done. If we can expect that some portion of beer drinking trends work on the ‘20-year trend cycle,’ I'd think we'd start to see some of the early days of modern craft beer, beers—West Coast IPAs, clear, clean, and crisp pales, and lagers. But of course, that's only a guess, especially in a space where so many creative craft brewers are pushing to find the ‘next breakout style’ ... whatever that means, haha. Here at Company, we're happy continuing to craft more new and special one-off beers, alongside our already diverse list of year-round beers.”

Here’s what he had to say about his own favorites:

“I'm loving Comfy Brewhaus, our Oktoberfest, Platinum Barnacle, an Oyster Gose brewed with 20lbs of Blue Point whole oysters, will forever love our Mosaic IPA, and Space Whistle. This year's Black Friday beer, Holiday Party and its variant with Orange Peel and Chai, available November 25th, are also absolutely wonderful!”

Five Riverwest micros -- Lakefront, Company Brewing, Black Husky, Amorphic, and Gathering Place work with City Tours MKE providing a FIVE-THREE-BREW-ONE-TWO Brewery Shuttle that runs a 35–40-minute ride between these five micros on Saturdays between 2 and 7 p.m. Geick happily told me: “One other important note, we are running the FIVE-THREE-BREW-ONE-TWO shuttle on Black Friday, as well as Saturday. The Black Friday is going to be pretty fun for people who want to try out all of the Riverwest Brewery Syndicate Black Friday beers.”

Monday is trivia night and Sundays is of course football. Other programs are listed online either on their website or Facebook page. Please check for current entertainment. In the past they’ve hosted some of the city’s best bands, rappers, DJs. Their 200-capacity space and stage has played host to the likes of Shannon & The Clams, Astronautalis, Kikagaku Moyo, and comedian Joe Pera. The building has also housed installments of Riverwest FemFest, Milwaukee Psych Fest, and an array of private functions.

Bregar, his wife/business and Company Brewing’s staff create what Haselberg calls “A social mixing point whose goal is getting people together. Whether the beer brought you in, the concerts keep you coming, the food is your focal point, or you’re simply taken by the warm and accepting atmosphere of this neighborhood haunt, you’re cordially invited to be part of the Company.”

As part of that ethos Company Brewing is committed to the Milwaukee Community raising thousands of dollars annually for organizations like Milwaukee Women’s Center, WMSE, Pathfinders, area schools, and more. 

Further information can be found on their web site: companybrewing.com.