Robin Shepard
Clinton Lohman, head brewer (left) and co-owner Ryan Browne of Working Draft Beer Company.
“Everything feels like Christmas,” says Clint Lohman of all the goodies he’s been getting recently — in the form of brewery equipment. Lohman, who is well known in the local beer scene, was recently named head brewer for Working Draft Beer Company and has been putting in long hours at the yet-to-open brewing operation.
Owners Ben Feifarek and Ryan Browne, who’ve been working alongside Lohman, hope to open Working Draft, 1133 East Wilson St., in February. Lohman calls the process of creating the brew house “fun, nerve-racking, but exciting.”
The brewhouse currently consists of a seven-barrel brewing system and a series of fermenters and bright tanks that are waiting to be hooked up to electricity, water and drainage lines. Lohman estimates the brewery will turn out around 800 barrels of beer in the first year, with room to grow to around 2,000 barrels in the starting configuration.
Construction has focused on creating an open design that merges the tasting room with the adjoining brewhouse, with few interior barriers. The bar area will include large communal tables and a bartop all made with reclaimed wood from the lanes at Madison’s former Badger Bowl.
Lohman, 29, lives in Madison with his wife and young son. He’s held a variety of brewery jobs with stints at Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona, Vintage Brewing and House of Brews in Madison, and also at the homebrew hub The Wine and Hop Shop. That’s where he met Feifarek, the shop’s owner, and Browne, who also works there.
“I started with homebrewing because I wanted to get a job in brewing,” says Lohman. “I’ve always wanted to do something where I could share it with people and see them appreciate it.”
Lohman already has a few styles in mind for Working Draft. “We’re definitely going to do a lot of hoppy stuff,” he says. “The world needs more hoppy beer.” Lohman likes hoppy beers that are flavorful but not overly bitter.
Lohman says his first beers will likely include a West Coast IPA, a German pilsner and a schwarzbier.
Working Draft will also have a one-barrel pilot brewing system with which Lohman can make experimental batches. “The name Working Draft is more than just a name,” he notes. “We plan to evolve our beer.”
