USA, WI: One Barrel Brewing Co. to close on of its locations in Madison

An East Side brewpub will close later this month in an effort to grow, the Wisconsin State Journal reported on July 7.

One Barrel Brewing Co. announced on July 7 that it will close its Atwood Avenue location so it can focus on finding a new spot for a “larger destination” taproom and beer garden in the Madison area.

Founder Peter Gentry said in 2019, when he opened a $1.5 million facility in the Door County community of Egg Harbor, that he was in the hunt for a site on which to build, or a building to buy, on Madison’s West Side and which would serve as a brewpub and larger-scale brewing facility.

The move would allow the company to reclassify the business as a brewpub, not a brewery, which means he would be able to open three additional locations under state law. Because One Barrel brews most of the beer on contract at Octopi in Waunakee, its operation is classified as a brewery and is only allowed two locations.

Besides Madison, the company wants to expand into Green Bay as well, according to Adam Ginsberg, who sent a letter on July 7 to the brewery’s mug members informing them that the last day of operations at the Atwood Avenue location would be July 22 as the “original spot no longer truly reflects our brand identity and future,” Ginsberg wrote.

“It is with a heavy dose of bittersweet news that I am reaching out to you all today,” Ginsberg said. “After lengthy discussions related to some unexpected recent offers, we have decided to say goodbye to our beloved Atwood Avenue home for 11 years. While recently starting to test the market for our food trailer, we found quite a bit of interest from purchasers on the entirety of our renovated space and equipment.”

One Barrel’s beers include Penguin Pale Ale, Up North Wisconsin Lager and Commuter Kolsch Style Ale, but the company has also expanded into hard ciders.

One Barrel got its start in 2012 after Gentry spent eight years home brewing and helped brew an award-winning commercial batch of Belgian Dark Strong beer at Grumpy Troll Brewing Co. in Mount Horeb. Gentry had considered becoming a firefighter but instead dove into the beer business by investing $100,000 in creating a 1,300-square-foot nanobrewery at the corner of Atwood Avenue and Winnebago Street with a one-barrel brewing system and 11 fermentation tanks, each holding 42 gallons. His father built the 20-stool maple bar, and a good friend with construction experience served as the general contractor.

For his second location, Gentry considered sites in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Dells, Milwaukee and Minocqua before choosing Egg Harbor. The project, located in what had been gallery and retail space, included a $190,000 community development initiative grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

Madison is flush with a variety of craft brewers. But while most are Downtown and on the East Side, options on the city’s West Side are limited to Vintage Brewing Co. on Whitney Way, Great Dane Brewing Co. at Hilldale Shopping Center and Capital Brewery in Middleton, which has a large outdoor beer garden and a small indoor taproom.

“This is beyond bittersweet. We are so excited for the future of One Barrel, but it will not be easy to say goodbye to the tiny nanobrewery that started it all,” the company wrote in a press release scheduled to be distributed next week. “While we will miss the brick walls and hand-built bar, it will undoubtedly be the people of our neighborhood that will be hardest to replace in our hearts. Without your support, we could never have made the jump from two keg batches to supplying beer and cider to the likes of Lambeau and Am Fam Field.”

And while it remains unclear where the new facility will be built, one possibility could be Verona, based solely on the last line of the One Barrel press release.

“Keep your eyes peeled for our grand opening party at the new location, it’s going to be EPIC,” the company wrote, with a possible reference to Verona-based Epic Systems Corp. “Cheers to 11 years, and 111 more.”

One Barrel's beers include Penguin Pale Ale, Up North Wisconsin Lager and Commuter Kolsch Style Ale.

09 July, 2023