USA, WI: Central Waters Milwaukee Pilot Brewery and Taproom sets an October opening date

Central Waters Milwaukee Pilot Brewery and Taproom has set an October opening date, the brewing company announced on social media.

The Milwaukee brewery and taproom is located in the former Captain Pabst Pilot House, 1037 W. Juneau Ave., which is in a historic 145-year old building on the original Pabst Brewing complex. It plans to open at 11 a.m. Oct. 16.

This is Amherst-based Central Waters Brewing Co.'s second location.

"My first memory of beer was my father drinking Pabst," co-owner Anello Mollica said in a previous Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interview. He owns Central Waters with longtime friend Paul Graham.

Brews that Central Waters makes in Amherst will continue to be exclusively brewed there, and different styles will be made solely at the Milwaukee brewery. The locations will share offerings.

The crew is using the 10-barrel brewing system Pabst left behind and brewed on it for the first time last week. The first beer they made on it is called Ode, an American lager that pays "homage to the history of Pabst" and its former space, Mollica said.

Central Waters staples that will be available to Milwaukee patrons include its "No. 1 product" Mudpuppy Porter, Honey Blonde Ale, HHG Pale Ale, all of its "core brands," seasonals, a new monthly beer, and as many barrel-aged offerings as possible, Mollica said in a previous interview.

Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers is joining the Milwaukee operation, Mollica said, which serves burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, a Friday fish fry and more.

"They were recommended by quite a few other restaurant industry folks in the city that I respect very much," he said. "I went to their place, tried their food, it was fantastic."

Mollica said Dairyland's owners are also "really, really good people" and that's what's "most important."

Central Waters Milwaukee Pilot Brewery and Taproom will be open from 3 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to midnight Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Graham and Mollica met in the mid-'90s during their freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and began homebrewing beer in their dorm.

By the end of college, Mollica said they were throwing house parties with their homebrews on tap.

Both Graham and Mollica worked at Central Waters — founded in 1998 in Junction City by Mike McElwain and Jerome Ebel — before becoming its owners.

Graham became an owner in 2001. Mollica worked for other breweries after Central Waters but returned in 2006 to co-own it with Graham.

Also in 2006, Central Waters moved to Amherst, 351 Allen St., where they created a solar-powered brewery with an emphasis on sustainability.

In addition to Wisconsin, Central Waters' products are distributed to Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts. They're also exported to Canada, Mexico, Russia and Europe.

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