City Lights Brewing Co. is planning to open its craft brewery in the former Milwaukee Gas Light Co. red brick water tower in the Menomonee Valley by June.
The brewery is spending about $1 million on equipment and another $1 million to build out the five-story tower to use as a brew house and tasting room. City Lights will also occupy another 5,500-square-foot building just north of the tower for its production.
City Lights started in 2012 as 4 Brothers Blended Beer Co. in Waukesha, contract-brewing its beer at Sand Creek Brewing Co. in Black River Falls.
The long-term goal was to develop relationships with distributors and develop a financial history before starting a craft brewery of their own, said Jimmy Goshman, co-owner of City Lights.
City Lights is now working with St. Paul, Minn.-based Johnson Brothers Liquor Co. to distribute its beer.
Goshman anticipates brewing 7,000 barrels by the end of the first fiscal year and eventually brewing 15,000 barrels.
The Brewery will sell four different types of canned beer and another seven types in kegs. The kegged beer will also be distributed at local bars and restaurants, Goshman said.
City Lights submitted design plans to the City of Milwaukee last week. The City Council will review plans in mid-April. Milwaukee-based Rinka Chung Architecture is the design firm for the project.
