Component Brewing’s old Lincoln Warehouse brewery space, something of a tiny incubator, will get yet another brewery.
Jeff and Trish Torzala will open Torzala Brewing in the spot on the second floor of the building, 2018 S. 1st St., on the western edge of Bay View. He is purchasing the brew system that Component is leaving behind.
Torzala is an alum of the Barley to Barrel brewing program and studied at Chicago’s Siebel Institute. He also worked at Spike Brewing in Riverwest, which manufactures brewing systems.
“(There’s) not a lot to tell just yet as plans are still in the works,” says Torzala. “I can tell you Torzala Brewing will be taking over that space and there will be beer!
“I’m more of a traditional style brewer," he adds. “I appreciate a true to style beer.”
Component, Eagle Park and Enlightened Brewing each got their start in the space and Component’s DJ Kowalske said that they’ve been tossing around the idea of doing a collaboration brew with all four breweries at some point.
In April, Component announced that it was moving to a larger space on the building’s first floor. It’s holding its final event in the old spot on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m.: A moving party.
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.
