Representatives of the five Riverwest craft breweries got together on Friday at Black Husby Brewing, 909 E. Locust St., to brew the seventh collaborative beer made by the Riverwest Brewing Syndicate.
This year’s beer is a toasted hemp seed beer that will be released on Oct. 25 at The Gig, 1132 E. Wright St. in an event that will also include a performance by Grateful Dead cover band Another One.
The syndicate – which also operates the free Riverwest Five Three Brew One Two shuttle bus – includes Amorphic Beer, Black Husky Brewing, Company Brewing, Lakefront Brewery and Gathering Place Brewing.
The syndicate got its start in 2017 when Black Husky’s Toni Eichinger and Company’s George Bregar launched it as an effort to focus more attention on the brewing scene in the neighborhood.
In addition the collab brews and the shuttle, the RBS has also organized tap takeover events.
“Sam Engel, brewer at Black Husky, and I collaborated on the recipe which contained hemps seeds that I toasted on our wood stove in Pembine,” says Black Husky head brewer and co-owner Tim Eichinger.
“The beer is named ‘Toasted’ Hemp Pale Ale.”
Representatives from Cheba Hut cannabis-themed sub shop were on hand at the brew day to provide sustenance and inspiration.
Gathering Place head brewer Matt Cisz was joined by his assistant Nick Salo and his brewery’s owner Joe Yeado at the brew day.
Lakefront’s head brewer Luther Paul was also there with his colleagues Nolan McKenzie and Mike Walker. Chris Geick was on hand from Company, and Black Husky's Eichingers and Engel hosted.
In addition to around 15 pounds of toasted hemp seeds, the beer – which should clock in at around 8 percent ABV – used Malteurop malt and Experimental Hop 522.
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.
