Eagle Park Brewing Co. plans to move into the space previously occupied by Like Minds Brewing Co. at 823 E. Hamilton St. on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side.
Like Minds announced it would be closing its taproom in December in a Facebook post. The brewery said it would be relocating in Milwaukee as part of an expansion, but hasn’t provided additional details.
The 5,000-square-foot facility is nearly five times the size of the Lincoln Warehouse space Eagle Park has been operating out of. The additional space will allow the company to bring production in-house with the addition of 10 fermentation tanks and a canning line, expand its beer portfolio and begin a barrel aging program.
“We are more than just a little excited about our plans for expansion,” said Max Borgardt, Eagle Park owner. “We have been incubating our brews and business for some time now, and are ready to take the next step in expanding our brand. Having our own in-house production facility with a canning line will allow us expand the distribution of our core beers while adding new beers to our lineup.”
In addition to expanding beer production, Eagle Park plans to serve a full-food menu with chef Nathan Heck, who previously worked at Braise restaurant and then founded his own company, Factotum Custom Catering.
“We came to know Nathan while we were both tenants at the Lincoln Warehouse, and we share a mutual love of music, food and beer, so it was a perfect fit for us,” Max Borgardt said.
Eagle Park was founded by brothers Jack and Max Borgardt and Jake Schinker in 2015. The brewery’s restaurant application with the city also lists Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics chairman, president and chief executive officer, as a 23 percent owner.
The brewery is hoping to open in its new space by the end of March, but will keep its Lincoln Warehouse taproom open for the time being.
“Our goal is to recreate the warm and welcoming vibe that people have come to expect of our current taproom,” Max Borgardt said.
