MKE Brewing Beers Now Sold at Eagle Park

Eagle Park Brewing Company has officially tapped into its new role as owner of the Milwaukee Brewing Company brand.

The brewery and distilling company announced in September that it purchased MKE Brewing’s intellectual property, recipes and branding with plans to “ensure the future of Milwaukee’s third-oldest craft brewery.”

As of this week, a selection of MKE Brewing’s most popular beers are on tap at Eagle Park Brewing’s Lower East Side location, 823 E. Hamilton St.

The lineup includes several year-round releases including Louie’s Demise, a malty, medium-bodied amber ale; O-Gii, a wheat beer infused with Rishi Tea; Outboard Cream Ale, light, refreshing and brewed with a mixture of malted barley and corn grits; and MVP, a hop-forward IPA created to celebrate Wisconsin’s three recent MVP athletes — Christian Yelich, Aaron Rodgers and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

At the time of the sale, Eagle Park said it would continue to develop new seasonal and year-round recipes under the Milwaukee Brewing name.

Eagle Park opened in 2017, 20 years after MKE Brewing’s launch. Though the two brands now belong to the same parent company, Eagle Park and MKE Brewing will remain largely separate. Eagle Park intends to continue to create the innovative beers and spirits that have defined its brand, while the classic MKE Brewing recipes will remain as a stand-alone brand.

The company plans to eventually open a new taproom and production facility in Milwaukee, Jake Schinker, co-owner of Eagle Park Brewing, told Urban Milwaukee in September. The future Milwaukee facility would be used for limited releases and small-format brews, including the return of the Brewer’s Day Off series.

In the meantime, MKE production has been relocated to Eagle Park’s Muskego facility. Even after the company finds a new home in the city, a few taplines of MKE will likely remain at the Eagle Park locations.

The acquisition of Milwaukee Brewing’s intellectual property in September marked the end of the approximately six-month process of the company’s sale. The company announced in March that it would sell the production brewery at 1128 N. 9th St. as well as the Milwaukee Ale House brewpub, 233 N. Water St., and the Milwaukee Brewing Company brand.

Also in September, Pilot Project Brewing was announced as the buyer of Milwaukee Brewing’s production brewing facility and the attached Bottle House 42 restaurant. Pilot Project will open its new taproom to the public on Friday.

A representative of Eagle Park did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.