Third Space Brewing is Coming to Madison

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – February 13, 2019 – After establishing an enthusiastic fan base and a reputation for innovative and high-quality craft beer in southeastern Wisconsin, Third Space Brewing has confirmed plans to head west and expand distribution to Madison and the surrounding area.

Beginning Monday, February 18, Madison residents will find the full Third Space portfolio at retail accounts as well as bars and restaurants in and around the city and surrounding suburbs. Third Space Brewing’s line-up is highlighted by fan favorites Happy Place Midwest Pale Ale, Upward Spiral IPA and the Great American Beer Festival® 2017 gold and 2018 silver medal winning beer in the Rye Beer category, Unite the Clans Scottish Ale.

To celebrate the expansion, Third Space will be hosting a series of events to share its incredible craft brews with the capitol city, all free for the public to attend. A complete calendar of events can be found on the Brewery’s Website. Highlights include several launch parties, that will each include tastings of Third Space favorites, a chance to meet the brewery’s founders and a special Third Space brew at each event:

• Wednesday, February 20 – Launch Party at Hop Cat from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Thursday, February 21 – Launch Party at The Coopers Tavern from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Thursday, February 28 – Launch Party at Dexter’s Pub from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Friday, March 1 – Closing Launch Party at Longtable Beer Café from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

In addition to these events, the team will be hosting samplings at select retail locations around Madison, including but not limited to Woodman’s, Hy-Vee, Trixie’s, Total Wine, Riley’s, Steve’s and more. A full list of retail locations and availability can easily be found using the Beer Finder tool on the brewery website starting as soon as the first cases are shipped on February 18th.

“We’re incredibly excited, not only because this is our first major territory expansion, but also to be entering such an unbelievable craft beer market like Madison,” said Third Space Brewing co-founder, Andy Gehl. “As both our Brewmaster Kevin Wright and I are graduates of the University of Wisconsin, Madison holds a very special place in our hearts. We are looking forward to the chance to share our passion and product with a new group of craft beer connoisseurs in our capitol city. “

Third Space Brewmaster and co-founder Kevin Wright, echoed Gehl’s sentiment.

“The Madison market has been very vocal about us needing to bring our beers west, however we wanted to be confident that we could properly support the demand prior to expansion,” said Wright.  “We made significant investments in our production capabilities to increase our capacity without compromising quality and we are thrilled to now add this additional territory.”

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 Brewing offers five core beers: Happy Place Midwest Pale Ale, Upward Spiral IPA, Unite the Clans Scottish Ale, That’s Gold! Kölsch and Acres Edge Toasted Oatmeal Stout. This core lineup is complimented by a rotating schedule of seasonal, special release and barrel-aged brews.

Third Space will be extending its partnership with New Berlin based Beechwood Sales and Service to distribute its beers in the new territory, bringing Third Space’s total coverage in the state of Wisconsin to 19 counties across the full southern portion of the state.

For more information about the expansion or Third Space Brewing, please visit thirdspacebrewing.com

More Information on Third Space Brewing – History

Third Space Brewing was founded by two long-time friends, Kevin Wright and Andy Gehl. Kevin is the Brewmaster and runs the operations side of the business and Andy is the Director of Sales and Marketing. Andy and Kevin met nearly twenty years ago while working together as summer camp counselors at Camp Minikani outside of Milwaukee. Kevin and Andy also attended UW-Madison together. Both founders are Milwaukee-area natives who left Wisconsin for career pursuits in other states but returned and reunited to build their business in their home state.

Kevin earned his Brewing Diploma from the Master-Brewer program at UC-Davis and was awarded the 2009 JS Ford Award for obtaining the highest score in the world on the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Brewing Diploma Exam. After brewing school, Kevin went to work as an Assistant Brewer at Hangar 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands, California. Within a year he was promoted to Head Brewer and ran the brewing operations at Hangar 24 for the next 6 years until returning home to open Third Space Brewing.

Andy attended law school at UW-Madison and practiced corporate securities litigation for a large global law firm in Chicago before shifting his career plans to open Third Space with Kevin in 2016.

In its first full year, Third Space sold nearly 2,200 barrels of beer, self-distributing every case and keg in a small territory surrounding the city of Milwaukee. In 2018, Third Space partnered with Beechwood Sales and Service, expanding its territory to the seven counties of southeastern Wisconsin and selling 5,300 barrels of beer. Over 1,200 accounts in southeastern Wisconsin have purchased Third Space Brewing’s products including several large venues where it has been extremely popular, including Miller Park, Lambeau Field, Fiserv Forum, the Wisconsin State Fair, and the Pabst and Riverside Theaters.

Third Space has already won several National and Local awards. Third Space has won three medals at the Great American Beer Festival®.  In addition to two medals for Unite the Clans, Third Space won the first ever Great American Beer Festival® medal in an IPA category by any brewery in Wisconsin with a 2018 bronze for Unbridled Enthusiasm Juicy Double IPA in the Imperial IPA category. Third Space has also been voted the Best Microbrewery in Milwaukee two years in a row in the Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee Awards (2017 & 2018), was named the Best New Brewer in Wisconsin by RateBeer in 2016, and its Upward Spiral IPA was voted Best IPA in Wisconsin at the 2018 Wisconsin IPA Fest, which featured IPAs from across the state.

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.