Jen Strunka brought the idea of a brewery residency to others at Havenwoods Taproom and Beer Garden (5840 N. 60th St.) before she even worked there. Strunka spent two years at Function, a spot in Portland, Ore., where different breweries set up shop for one-month stints. During Strunka’s interview for the general manager position at the brewery, she introduced the idea and got the job. Subsequently, Havenwoods began working with Function founder Casey Armstrong to materialize the idea in Milwaukee. The concept lets breweries who have no long-term distribution agreements bring their beers and their brand to Havenwoods.
“I thought there was total space for it here, for people to get a chance to try beers other than what we’re used to in Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general,” said Strunka. “The cool thing is breweries trust us with their beer and their brand to turn this space into theirs.”
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The Havenwoods brewery residency program kicks off on July 31 when Fonta Flora Brewery moves in. Highly regarded and based in Morganton, N.C., the brewery brings a sizable selection of wild and farmhouse ales, amongst other options.
The monthlong visit by Fonta Flora is much more than just a tap takeover. Havenwoods has Fonta Flora branded glassware and signage, and the taproom will rotate several new beers in each week. Customers can join a Residency Club for $30 each month that provides deals on pints, flights, to-go beer and merchandise. After 30 days, Fonta Flora moves out and another brewery moves in. The list of successors is still being ironed out.
“I’ve been talking about this entirely different way of entering markets for suppliers and breweries,” explained Armstrong, who started the residency model in 2021. “Havenwoods shares the same values, they like good beer and the space is cool, so let’s be innovative, I mean, hell, it’s just beer; let’s have fun with it and bring people back each month.”
A huge benefit from what Havenwoods is doing is that craft beer drinkers get to try a standout brewery that isn’t normally available in the area. Participating breweries benefit from exposure to a new audience without needing to sign long-term distribution agreements. Milwaukee’s Brew City Distribution is handling the logistics and providing short-term program-based distribution.
“Havenwoods is our first attempt to create these launching pads for breweries without having to commit to a long-term distributor, partnership and licensing agreements that kind of eliminate the brand rights from the brewery themselves,” added Armstrong. “Fonta Flora doesn’t have to sign a 10-year deal with a distributor in order to get into the city, they’ll send beer in through a distributor and that beer will end up at Havenwoods; breweries don’t have to just send beer into a city and then hope it ends up at cool places or it sells.
