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September 19, 2016 Dan Murphy  Milwaukee Magazine

Brew City: Third Space Brewing’s Debut

A much-anticipated micro-brewery in the Menomonee Valley, the beer of the week and much more.

Third Space Opening
I was excited to see how this summer’s brewery boom was going to play out. I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far, and a preview of Third Space Brewing (1505 W. St. Paul Ave.) last Thursday night continued the trend. I’ve been expecting big things from brew master Kevin Wright, who has earned his brewing chops with an education at the Master Brewing Program at UC-Davis and a long stint at Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands, California.

“We are extremely excited to finally be open,” says Wright. “It was a long and eye-opening process going through our construction and build-out but watching people enjoy our beer and our space this weekend really made it all worth it.”

At the opening night, four Third Space brews were on tap. I really liked both the hoppy Upward Spiral IPA and the citrusy Happy Place Pale Ale. Acres Edge was fairly light and crisp for an oatmeal stout (in a good way), and That’s Gold! Kolsch was a nice take on the style.

I’m a firm believer that new breweries need to do more than one thing right to make an impression in the growing Milwaukee brewery scene. Good City Brewing (whose head brewer Andy Jones was in attendance at Third Space) does this extremely well with its combination of good beer, good food and a great atmosphere. Third Space doesn’t serve food but it earns props with the interior design. Several wooden tables, ample lighting and garage doors that oversee a large outdoor beer garden combine to make the large warehouse space extremely inviting.

Tap room hours: Thurs 4-9 p.m.; Fri 2-9 p.m.; Sat 12-9 p.m.; Sun 12-7 p.m.

Third Space has done things right, and when City Lights Brewing opens a few blocks away later this year, the Menomonee Valley should become a destination for beer lovers.

“It’s really awesome to see what is going on in Milwaukee and to be part of it,” adds Wright. “It’s such a great city with a great brewing history, and this new boom of startups will add another great chapter to that legacy. Not many cities in the country can boast to having the beer culture that Milwaukee has. Combining our brewing heritage [Miller, Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz], the pioneering craft brewers [Lakefront, Sprecher, MKE Brewing] and now the new startups will make Milwaukee a brewing town like no other. We are humbled and excited to be a part of the brewing history of Milwaukee.”