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Craft beer venues have many ways to distinguish themselves, but the future Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden – whose owner (and main builder), Chase Jaffray, is a mechanical engineer at Harley-Davidson – is blazing its own trail.
Literally.
The new place, which could open at 5840 N. 60th St., in December – but should definitely be online in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Jaffray says – will have its own trail loop that runs through five acres of forest located behind the warehouse complex that will house the new beer hall.
Just a few meters away, across a school bus parking lot, is the edge of the 237-acre Havenwoods State Forest, Wisconsin's only urban state forest. It makes perfect sense, then, that the neighborhood’s only craft beer venue should have its own nature trail.
“There's five acres of wooded forest that's been generally unused,” Jaffray says, adding that there are some pretty old growth trees in the woods.
“That's part of the landlord's property, and so we're taking advantage of that and putting in about a quarter-mile trail through there.
“We're going to be dog-friendly, family-friendly, and most likely have some disc golf (on the trail), as well.”
There will be a stage out back in the beer garden, as well as one inside the taproom for live music (likely just acoustic music inside), plus a “food truck alley” that can probably accommodate three or four food vendors, and 50 parking spots, but the star at Havenwoods will be the beer.
A container bar on the patio – which has picnic table seating, and will add festoon lighting – will sell cans and have perhaps a couple kegerators, and another container bar may be added at the back, closer to the beer garden (where Jaffray is also adding a set of restrooms).
Inside, at the main bar, Jaffray expects to have between 13 and 20 taps – he’s still deciding – which will have very short tap lines, being located on the other side of the wall from the keg cooler.
“We’ll have a little of everything,” Jaffray says. “We’re planning to do local, Wisconsin, national and maybe even some international beers.”
In addition to the bar inside, there will also be rail seating along the windows that face 60th Street, and a few booths. A cooler will stock beer for carry-out sales.
A presentation board that Jaffray created notes, “we plan to use this space to host public events like Fall harvest festivals, bike nights, Summer Solstice gatherings, tap takeovers and more. Along with live music and rotating food trucks, we aim to create a place for friends to meet up to enjoy our selection of craft beer.”
Jaffray applied for a liquor license from the City of Milwaukee earlier in the summer and he has met with Ald. Larresa Taylor, who he says has expressed support, and he’s having his hearing next week.
Jaffray says he’s also working with the Havenwoods Business Improvement District and Neighborhood Improvement District.
Assuming that goes well, he can seek his occupancy permit once the build-out is done. He’s done about 60 percent of the work himself so far, with some contractors, too.
“Just depends on when the work is done,” he says. “On the build-out, we're probably still six to eight weeks behind, so I will be waiting on that. I think that'll be the only holdup.”
Jaffray had expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year and he says he could still potentially open by mid-December.
“But worst case scenario,” he adds, “I think St. Patrick's Day next year. Ready to roll for the spring.”
In addition to the patio and parking out front, the food truck alley on the north side of the building and the beer garden and trail out back, Jaffray is leasing about 1,500 square feet inside a space that had been occupied by Pereles Bros. custom injection molding company.
The building is owned by Brew City craft beverage distribution company, which uses another part of the complex for warehousing, as do some other tenants. Jaffray says there is no connection between Brew City and Havenwoods other than the landlord-tenant relationship.
But the facility is perfect for his vision, Jaffray says.
“It really came down to this warehouse and all the opportunity comes with it,” he says. “The trail, the access to the five acres of the woods in the back, just the way the layout is.
"There's so much space, so much opportunity to do stuff. The parking lot could be used for flea markets on Saturdays next spring. Plenty of space to do food truck events. There’s so much space to do so much.”
Then there’s the fact that there are pretty much zero craft beer taprooms and beer gardens on this side of town.
“We are in a kind of desert area (for craft beer),” Jaffray says. “Hopefully people, if they don't want to make the drive all the way Downtown for another beer garden, they will stop here.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
