Former Packers Doing Podcast at Bay View Brewery
Torzala Brewing is recording site of LeRoy Butler and Gary Ellerson's podcast, 'Leap 36.'
The Brew Dock at Torzala Brewing Co., 2018 S. 1st St. Photo taken Sept. 11, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
Brewery, taproom, festival host and now recording studio — Torzala Brewing Co. really does it all.
The Bay View brewery, 2018 S. 1st St., recently partnered with LeRoy Butler and Gary Ellerson, offering up a space for the NFL alums to record their weekly podcast, “Leap 36.”
The partnership, facilitated by a customer, was a natural fit for founders Tricia and Jeff Torzala, Jake Palubicki, Renee Martinez and Brian Michalak, whose enthusiasm for beer is matched only by their devotion to the Green Bay Packers.
“I felt an immediate connection with the founders and owners of Torzala,” said Butler, a former Packers safety who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022, in a statement. “Not only are they passionate Packers fans, they work hard to promote the culture and history of Milwaukee with everything they do, and I respect that.”
Butler co-hosts “Leap 36′ with Ellerson, a former running back for the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. The pair record the weekly podcast inside Torzala’s taproom, giving listeners their insider, expert takes on the Packers, the NFL and a slew of other topics.
The first episode of the partnership aired Sept. 7, featuring a brief cameo from Jeff Torzala. Before moving on discussing the Wisconsin Badgers recent game and the Packers vs. Bears Opening Day faceoff, Butler and Ellerson bantered with the brewery’s co-owner about family history, beer names and the correct pronunciation of Torzala.
The brewery itself draws inspiration from its owners’ Polish and Mexican heritage, while creating beers that reflect Milwaukee’s history. The result is both hyper-local and globally-influenced — a quality that Tricia Torzala said she’s looking forward to sharing with the podcasters.
“When LeRoy and Gary first came to Torzala Brewing Company to check out our space as a possible site for hosting and recording their podcast, we were all starstruck,” Tricia Torzala said in a statement. “We are so honored and humbled that these two NFL greats chose to team up with us to give their show the grassroots, local vibe we all value.”
Torzala Brewing Co. is located on the second floor of Lincoln Warehouse. The family-run brewery launched in 2021 and opened its taproom the following summer in June 2022. One of three breweries currently operating in the Bay View building, Torzala prides itself on being women- and minority-owned.
A current tap list for the brewery features a dozen options including the ever-popular Papabräu, a classic German lager; South Side Crusher, a cream ale with hints of vanilla, honey and orange; and Dinámica Dolores, a hatch chile-infused homage to labor and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta.
Torzala Brewing Co. is open Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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