Discourse Coffee opens their doors at Radio Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (March 14, 2024) – Discourse Coffee will open an all-day cafe, modeled after the iconic European sidewalk cafe, in the cafe space attached to Radio Milwaukee (158 S Barclay) this Sunday, March 17th at 7:00am. The new cafe will be serving coffee, cocktails, brunch, and pastry seven days a week from 7:00am-6:00pm.

Since soft opening to friends, family, and followers earlier this month, the new Discourse space has been buzzing with life, serving as both a source of nourishment, and a community gathering place.

“Our Walker’s Point home is an integral part of the way we build community. Having a place for folks to gather, connect and share ideas is the reason why we own and operate our own space,” said Radio Milwaukee Executive Director Maxie C. Jackson III.

The cafe at Radio Milwaukee, which was designed by the Discourse Coffee team and several close advisors, offers a second home to enjoy Discourse’s experiential offerings after their time operating the Milwaukee Art Museum’s cafe came to a close at the beginning of the month.

“This cafe is the truest expression of our brand to date, offering a funky yet sophisticated environment that breathes community, creativity, and curiosity” said Ryan Castelaz, Discourse Founder and CEO. “From the imposing tower speakers that look like they’re flying, to the terrarium tables, hand painted signage and custom ceramics, we’ve intentionally designed each and every detail of the cafe to speak to the heart of what we do as an organization: offering indelibly delicious experiences without posh or pretense.”

Drawing inspiration from the Japanese listening lounge, the space celebrates all things hi-fi, spinning a vinyl only soundtrack co-curated by the Radio Milwaukee and Discourse teams, on a rare 1970’s Micro Seiki turntable through Peach Tree amplification into vintage B&W speakers sourced by Brett Waterhouse, Facilitator of Joy. Lilliput Records, headquartered at the former Exclusive Company just off the corner of Farwell and Brady, has an outlet in the cafe as well, featuring hundreds of titles carefully curated for the Discourse audience of endlessly curious explorers.

To Drink

As with all Discourse locations, the menu ranges from classics like expertly prepared pour overs and cappuccinos to experimental concoctions like the Holy Mole from Alex Prevost, featuring sweet corn sous vide coffee, whole or oat milk, house made mole sauce, and buttered corn powder, then smoked immediately before service.

New to the stable of offerings at Discourse is a full cocktail menu developed by Ryan Castelaz and Anthony Valenti, bar industry veteran and Lead Bartender for Discourse at Radio Milwaukee. Perfect for daytime enjoyment, the menu focuses on bright and refreshing low ABV serves like Beach House, a tropical spritz composed of Heirloom Pineapple Amaro, Fruitful Guava Liqueur, and acid adjusted orange juice, topped with Prosecco. Offerings range from modern takes on classic frames like a low proof Black Manhattan with all the impact of its bigger brother, to off the wall creations like the Kind of Bleu, featuring blue cheese washed St George Pear Liqueur, grilled olive infused Dolin Dry, Lustau Amontillado Sherry, and charred lemon oil.

To Eat

An array of house made pastries from the in house duo of Pastry Chef Frankie Hartmann and Baker Rory Niemann ranges from a variety of flaky croissants (butter, zatar, and almond) to apricot miso scones, chocolate chunk cookies, and innovative patisserie blending classic technique with imaginative flavors. For the first time, Discourse has expanded its food offerings to include full cafe fare developed in tandem with consultant Alex Pawlak of Egg & Flour and Kitchen Lead Justin Huska.

In kind with the coffee, cocktails, and pastry, the food menu spans from elevated takes on cafe staples like the Beet’s By Dre, a marinated beet bahn mi, and the Giorgio, a modern caprese featuring house basil cream and balsamic glaze, to avant garde serves more akin to fine dining small plates then traditional cafe fare, like toast points with smoked carrot spread, thai tea, miso, and house salsa macha.

To Do

In addition to serving as a daytime cafe, Discourse at Radio Milwaukee will serve as an exciting new community gathering space, serving beer, wine, and cocktails for the incredible lineup of events curated by Radio Milwaukee such as State of Sound, Latest and Greatest Live, Amplifier, and members-only Studio Sessions, as well as offering an array of bar packages to those looking to book the Radio Milwaukee community room, performance space, or rooftop for private or public events.

Starting in May, the cafe will offer vinyl centric events like album listening parties co-led by 88Nine and Hyfin Music Directors Erin Wolf and Element Everest-Blanks, and community curation nights where guests are encouraged to bring their own record to spin.

Opening Soiree

To celebrate their official opening day, Discourse has planned an array of activities for Sunday, March 17th. Join the Discourse team from 7:00am to 6:00pm to be the first to try a selection of special offerings new to the cafe menu, and get groovy from 11:00am-2:00pm with vinyl DJ Jordan Lee, Radio Milwaukee’s Senior Program Director.

From 6:30pm to 10:30pm, you can help the Discourse crew welcome the team from Daync Academy for the kick off of RITMO, a new guided Latin dance series that will take place at the cafe on select Sundays throughout 2024. To fuel the fire, a curated menu of cocktails will be served alongside a plethora of taco offerings from Romero’s Food Truck.

Photos and press assets of Discourse at Radio Milwaukee can be found at: bit.ly/RMDiscourse

For more information or interview requests, please contact Chronda Higgins at chronda@athenacommunicationsllc.com or 414-460-6112

About Radio Milwaukee

Radio Milwaukee (WYMS-88.9FM) has been a positive force for Milwaukee on air, online and in the community since its 2007 launch. Through its creative programming and content, non-commercial Radio Milwaukee utilizes a multimedia platform for creating a better, more inclusive and engaged community. 88Nine broadcasts and streams a unique blend of musical styles, including at least one song by a Milwaukee artist each hour, and short Uniquely Milwaukee stories that foster engagement and positive change. On 88.9FM-HD2 and hyfin.org, the station operates an Urban Alternative channel, HYFIN, that focuses on connecting with young, diverse audiences through the full spectrum of Black music. The organization runs a 24/7 all-Milwaukee music channel at 414Music.fm online and 88.9FM-HD3 on-air. The award-winning station receives the great majority of its financial support from its 6,000 contributing members, more than 150 underwriters and 25 foundations. Learn more about Radio Milwaukee and stream the station at RadioMilwaukee.org or via the Radio Milwaukee mobile app.

About Discourse

Discourse Coffee is a motley crew of baristas, bartenders, artists, bakers, scientists, music nerds, and renegades out to forge the future of coffee. We pen liquid stories that celebrate the people, places, and things that occupy our hearts. We’re driven by a fervent desire to explore the unknown, with a focus on sustainability and seasonality.

Founded in 2017 in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, Discourse has grown to a team of over a dozen career drink makers, with genre-defining fourth wave cafes in the Milwaukee Art Museum and the heart of Downtown Milwaukee. In April 2023, Discourse Creative Director Ryan Castelaz published “The New Art of Coffee: From Morning Cup to Caffeine Cocktail” with Rizzoli, distributed internationally through Penguin Random House. Our work has been featured twice on the Emmy-Nominated program “Wisconsin Foodie”, and in print in Barista Magazine, Food & Wine, Daily Coffee News, Perfect Daily Grind, Plate, Punch Mag, and Growler Magazine amongst others.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.