*This is the one-hundred and forty-sixth post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
Vennture Brew Co
5519 W North Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53208
(414) 856-4321
Visit date: 05/18/2019
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
10 on tap, 3 in cans. Brewed about 42 total since opening.
2) How long operational?
*Looks at watch*: “10 months, 8 days.”
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
All founders live in the neighborhood (Washington Heights / Uptown Crossing). A joke about opening a coffee shop morphed in a brewery & coffee combination.
4) Distribution?
Crowlers to go. On tap at a few local bars. Expansion happening this week.
5) What sets you apart?
Community spot. More communal than a coffee shop, more airy than a bar. 70% of clientele are women.
6) How did you get your name?
A venn diagram: Coffee/Beer/Community. Founders also used to go on “beer-ventures” (beer adventures) that turned into “coffee-ventures” as well.
Simon, Jake, and Rob: the three founders of Vennture Brew Co in Washington Heights, Milwaukee. All photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd.
Full disclosure: Rob (brewer and one of the founders of Vennture) is my cousin.
Fuller disclosure: he and his partners (Simon and Jake) make objectively great beer (and coffee).
Walk up to this former cobbler shop (where Rob’s own step-mother used to come as a child) along North Avenue and you’ll see some interesting things. First, a popular pocket park has overtaken a desolate and abandoned corner next door.
Second, this formerly dead stretch of North just east of Tosa is buzzing with foot traffic and new businesses. Third, it’s hard to tell if the fresh wood paneling, new planter/benches, or big glass garage doors belie a trendy coffee shop, a hip brewery, or something in between. And that’s before walking inside and trying the beer.
Hjeff Hefeweizen
A thirst-quencher; a wheaty-banana gusher.
Beercation Dark Coffee Lager
A caramel-y cold-brew, but easier to pound back than coffee.
Blackberry Bruv Berliner Weisse
A fruity take on one of their flagship beers, this looks and tastes like a freshly squeezed juice. Though it is tarter than it smells.
Paisley Heights Cocktail Sour
This Prince-ly collaboration with neighbors Bittercube is like nothing else: definitely a beer, but its heavy tastes, including clove and grapefruit and lavender, could fool anyone into believing it a cocktail.
Taste Buds NE IPA
Don’t be fooled by their other non-standard styles; Vennture can make a crowd-pleasing NEIPA with the best of them. Their heavy-hitting Taste Buds is hop and froth-forward, with a logo design by local artist Bigshot Robot (of Bucks-wall fame).
Grass Roots NE IPA
My personal preference between their two IPA choices, Grass Roots’ earthy body relaxes on the back of your tongue. Prepare for its satisfying, quick end, begging for the next sip.
6AM sees people ordering beer alongside their coffee. 9PM sees patrons chasing their pint with a pour-over.
But more than the artisan-crafted drinks, the vibe of Vennture is about being a space for the local community. The guys expected to bring in food trucks to the street, local bands to the stage, and friends to the game nights (and 1980’s bowling on TV). They even had plans to partner with deserving local organizations, like the $4000+ they’ve raised for Washington Park Wednesdays through the sale of their Bandshell Beer (sold out when we came, natch).
What was unexpected was the way the community embraced them so quickly, and in ways no one could’ve foreseen. Their most popular recurring event? A Monday evening knitting group, “Knit At Night“, started by patrons. Their clientele on many days is mostly women, drinking both beer and coffee. Kids bounce around the room.
Vennture Brew Co is not its individual parts: it’s a delicious brewery, an impressive coffee roaster, and a dedicated community partner and gathering place. Combined, they make a whole so much different and impactful than any one portion could be.
Plus: it was our daughter’s first brewery! She’s just a micro brew.