The Milwaukee craft brewery grew 23% in 2020 with plans for continued growth in 2021 with new and existing brands.
MILWAUKEE – Third Space Brewing took delivery of two new ninety-barrel fermentation tanks this month, increasing the four-year-old craft brewery’s brewing capacity to 18,000 barrels per year. The new tanks will help Third Space meet the growing demand for its existing beers like its best-selling Happy Place Midwest Pale Ale, while also making room for a new style of beer joining the year-round lineup in 2021: a Hazy IPA.
The new beer is called Heavenly Haze. It is 6.2% ABV and 20 IBU and will be sold in six packs of 12-ounce cans. It is the first Hazy IPA to receive a full-scale release from Third Space Brewing. Third Space will release Heavenly Haze on tap and in six packs at its tap room at 1505 W. St. Paul Avenue in Milwaukee Friday February 26. The beer will then hit widespread distribution everywhere Third Space Brewing is carried.
Third Space Brewing’s Co-Founder and Brewmaster, Kevin Wright, explained the move: “while we have been known for flavor-packed beers since our opening, we have taken our time in joining the ‘haze craze’ because we wanted to adapt the style in a way that meets our strict quality standards and overall brewing philosophy of flavorful and balanced. Heavenly Haze does exactly that, using three different Cryo Hops to create intense juicy fruit hop flavors but with a balance not always found in a hazy IPA.”
Third Space Brewing’s Co-Founder and President, Andy Gehl, added: “We believe the package size, price point, and consistency of this year-round Hazy IPA will be attractive to consumers who love the style and are looking for a go-to Hazy IPA that delivers every time.”
Heavenly Haze will take its place in a growing list of year-round and new seasonal offerings from Third Space as the brewery continues to expand sales and production in 2021. In addition to Heavenly Haze, the year-round lineup includes Happy Place, Upward Spiral IPA, 3-time GABF medal-winner, Unite the Clans Scottish Ale, Light It Up Craft Lager, and Frog Weiss Fruited Sour.
In 2020, Third Space added a new brew kettle to keep up with the popularity of Frog Weiss and its other seasonal sour beers. Despite a drastic decline in draft beer sales in 2020 due to the global pandemic, Third Space Brewing sold 10,695 barrels of beer, up 23% from 2019. This growth was due in part to expansion into new territories but mostly due to growth in packaged beer sales in existing markets.
With its brewing capacity now at 18,000 barrels, Third Space Brewing is poised for continued growth in 2021 in its existing territories, with an eye towards eventual state-wide distribution of its brands.
More About Third Space Brewing
Third Space prides itself on brewing high-quality, flavorful, and perfectly balanced craft beer in Milwaukee’s historic Menomonee River Valley. Co-founders Kevin Wright and Andy Gehl are long-time friends who have reunited in their hometown to create a craft brewery that welcomes everyone into the craft beer world – you have your home, you have your work, but everyone needs a Third Space.
They focus on quality in every step, from ingredients and brewing equipment, all the way to packaging and monitoring on-shelf times to ensure the absolute best product.
Third Space opened in September 2016 and has already won several awards. Third Space has won 4 Great American Beer Festival medals, was named Best New Brewer in Wisconsin by Rate Beer in 2017 and was voted Best Microbrewery in Milwaukee three years in a row in the Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee competition (2017- 2019). In 2018 Third Space was named one of the 50 fastest growing craft breweries in the country by the Brewers Association after growing 140% from the previous year. Third Space Brewing grew another 64% in 2019.
Third Space beers are currently distributed in 31 counties in the state of Wisconsin including the Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Appleton, and Door County areas.