Torzala Brewing and Wizard Works will unveil a new collaboration brew, “Prost, Mathilde!” Altbier, on Saturday, July 13. The party starts at noon at Wizard Works in the Third Ward and continued at Torzala Brewing in Bay View at 3 p.m.
In addition to being a collab by women brewers, the label design is by a woman artist and the beer is brewed with hops that were grown with compost generated from sexist beer posters!
The beer is collab between Renee Martinez and Tricia Torzala of Torzala Brewing in the Lincoln Warehouse, 2018 S. 1st St., and Jenny Higgins of Wizard Works, 231 E. Buffalo St. The three women brewery owners were Inspired by Milwaukee’s Mathilde Anneke, a Prussian immigrant who was a social and political reformer, educator, writer and newspaper editor who started the first feminist journal in the country to be published by a woman, Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung.
Anneke collaborated with the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and she worked to gain women the right to vote – helping to start the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association – which was something she didn’t live to see.
“With today’s version of the RNC stopping by soon and with women’s rights being under attack, this collaboration was seen as a moment to encourage and empower women who are seeing their own personal liberties being taken away from them,” reads a statement issued by the brewers.
“Embracing Mathilde’s spirit, character, even-temperament and robust leadership style while fighting for women’s rights, inspired the design of the beer. In honor of her memory, and to be an inspiration to others today, this beer was solely designed, brewed and branded by women.”
The beer is being released on the eve of the arrival of the RNC in Milwaukee.
Prost, Mathilde! Is an altbier with 6.3 percent ABV, and the brewers say to, “expect a traditional altbier with a toasty aroma, a flavor profile that is malty and slightly roasty, a balanced bitterness, and a slightly hazy appearance. Anticipate it being balanced and smooth.”
As noted earlier the beer was brewed with Idaho Gem hops from Idaho’s woman-owned Gooding Farms.
According to the brewers, “Miller Brewing collected old, sexist beer posters and turned them into compost used by Gooding Farms. This compost was ... given out to female brewers, mainly through the Pink Boots Society.”
The 16-ounce cans in which the beer is packaged – on Wednesday – has artwork designed by Amy Marczewski.
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.
