*This is the twenty-eighth post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
3 Sheeps Brewing Company. All photos by Joe Powell.
3 Sheeps Brewing Company
1327 Huron Ave
Sheboygan, WI 53081
(920) 395-3583
Visit date: 10/16/15
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
6 on tap, ~30 total made
2) How long operational?
since 2012
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
Co-owner was a homebrewer who happened across unused brewing equipment in current location.
4) Distribution?
3500 barrels in 2015; sold in bottles/bars in WI, Chicago, Twin Cities.
5) What sets you apart?
“We pride ourselves on originality and consistency.”
6) How did you get your name?
A play on the nautical term “3 sheets to the wind.”
Located at Hops Haven in Sheboygan.
3 Sheeps Brewing Company can be found in every other bar in Milwaukee, so we were surprised to find their Sheboygan home barely has their name on it: in fact, they’re only a small tenant of their building. The large sports bar, Hops Haven, owns the former factory and leases space to both 3 Sheeps and restaurant The Wicked Grille.
There’s a brewery in there somewhere.
3 Sheeps’ brewing operation is housed behind glass in cramped, but well-utilized, quarters. They only give tours on Fridays at 5PM, and the space limits the size to maybe 12 people max. Co-owner James kept us entertained on the tour, running through the history of the brewery and the brewing process. Their space also features a small lab where they brainstorm new ideas and a bottling line, which is located a level below the brew kettles.
Their fermentation tanks are nearly stacked on top of each other.
While not connected in any way but proximity, Hops Haven still featured 6 of 3 Sheeps’ beers on tap.
Baaad Boy Black Wheat Ale
Caramel wheat; smooth and easy going down.
Rebel Kent the First Amber Ale
Malty, leaning towards Belgian-style.
Really Cool Waterslides IPA
Solid IPA with approachable hops.
Seven Legged Cartwheel Wild Pale Ale
Odd first taste, creamy end.
Cashmere Hammer Rye Stout on Nitro
Creamy, nutty; like a delicious beer milkshake.
Autumnal Hoppiness Harvest Ale
Sharp, but attractive; like a bold Tripel.
James explaining the ins-and-outs of microbrewing.
I still can’t get over how impressively-small 3 Sheeps’ operation is, based on how ubiquitous they seem to be in the Milwaukee area and how fully-formed their beers are. Their beer is not just “unique but drinkable,” but they’re also obviously having fun with the whole venture. They admit to brewing near the capacity of their equipment, and I hope when they expand they’ll try to stay true to their “one-offs is normal” attitude.
