World of Beer
One of the fastest growing chains of craft beer taphouses has plans to come to the Madison area. World of Beer hopes to open at Middleton's Greenway Station by spring 2015. The upscale beer bar offers a tavern-like atmosphere with 40-50 taps, more than 500 bottled beers, and off-site sales that allow customers to take home mixed six-packs.
World of Beer currently has more than 60 locations among 19 states across the country. A franchise of the Florida-based company recently opened in Wauwatosa, and another has operated on Brady Street in Milwaukee since 2012.
"Our Middleton location will look and feel a lot like the Wauwatosa location, because it will be a new building with lots of businesses and hotels nearby, and the traffic exposure from the Beltline," says Adam Chwala. A Greendale native who lives in Tampa, Florida, he will co-own the taphouse with Jeff Ferchoff of Milwaukee. They are also partners in the Wauwatosa and Milwaukee locations, and plan to open another in Appleton this December. Chwala says he hopes to launch more World of Beer franchises in Wisconsin and Minnesota over the next few years.
The World of Beer in Middleton will provide 4,200 square feet of space in a new building that is being planned for 225 Greenway Boulevard, just west of the Beltline and on the southern edge of the Greenway Station shopping center.
World of Beer is known for a standard décor with lots of brick accents, high-back stools, a long bar with rows of taps, and beer coolers that showcase the hundreds of bottled brews on offer. The Middleton location will also feature garage doors that can be opened in warm weather months to link the interior with an outdoor patio. Besides beer, its bar service will include mixed drinks and signature cocktails. There will also live entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
While many World of Beers do not serve food, the Middleton location is expected to have a light tavern-oriented menu. The selections at the World of Beer in Wauwatosa include appetizers for sharing, flatbread pizza, and a half-dozen or so sandwiches.
The growing bounty of craft brewing is really what World of Beer is all about, though. "You can come in every day and have a different beer for two years," laughs Chwala. The Middleton location is also expected to have an infusion tower (sometimes called a Randall, as developed by Dogfish Head) through which select tap beers can be poured through for additional layers of fresh hops, spices or other ingredients.
The company also takes advantage of tablets and smart phone applications to help in beer selection, as well as in communicating with regular customers. Those who visit a World of Beer are handed a tablet to browse the current bottle offerings, making the list of 500 plus beers easy to search by country or style. The World of Beer app adds to that by allowing loyalty club members to search for other locations, learn more about what's on draught, and track all of the beers they drink at the taphouse, complete with tasting notes.
Constructing on the new site in Middleton is expected to begin in December. Once completed, the building is expected to also house a couple of other businesses, including a barbeque restaurant and a small food market/culinary supply store.
Most World of Beer locations are found on the East Coast, with more than 30 in Florida alone. By the time it opens in 2015, Middleton will likely be among more than 75 total locations in the company's growing list of U.S. franchises.
Because World of Beer offers so many craft beers and imports in bottles that can be purchased for take-out as singles or mixed six-packs, these taphouses can rival some of the best liquor stores, at least in the eyes of craft beer hunters who are always looking to try something they've never tasted before. This also makes them particularly attractive stops for travelers seeking local and regional brews to bring home. (Full disclosure: I'm a member of World of Beer's "100 Club," and have visited more than 20 locations around the nation.)
World of Beer is not a brewery, but franchises seek to build relationships with local brewers and distributors. Chwala notes that given the growing market for craft beer in and around the Madison region, he expect the Middleton location to host tap takeovers and special release parties.
"That's why we're called World of Beer," says Chwala. "There are plenty of local breweries, and the craft beer craze has definitely been in Madison for quite some time, and our concept works very well in neighborhood friendly environments."
