The Crafter Space was born in 2014 with the mission of creating a better environment for craft beer and craft brewers to thrive in Milwaukee, WI. Our mission was motivated by the unique heritage Milwaukee has as the cradle of craft beer in the U.S. The birthplace of Miller, Pabst, Blatz, Schlitz, to name a few, Milwaukee was an early hot bed of brewing. The new wave of craft breweries has surged around Milwaukee and catapulted cities like San Diego, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Asheville, and others ahead. Through monthly programming focused on community creation and education, rather than happy hours and bottle releases, we endeavor to create a movement succeeded in getting over 200+ event guests and bringing the Beer Bloggers Conference to Milwaukee in 2017.
John led all three Barley to Barrel classes, with the assistance of Michael, Kyle and Jason and has helped launch Copper State Brewing, Sweet Mullets Brewing and the New Barons Brewery Cooperative, in addition to several other breweries in the making. John is currently the manager of trade and consumer communications at Fromm Family Food, where he manages communications from the home office to retailers as well as end users.
Michael co-lead the first year of event programing and also co-launched the Barley To Barrel Program. Michael currently runs Wonderist Agency, a San Diego based marketing agency he founded with his wife that focused on serving dentists. Michael brings a proven track record of business success to the team. As CMO, Michael will lead the overall marketing and growth strategy for the brewery.
Kyle discovered his love for beer and brewing while in college in Durango, CO. Most recently he was the Oak Manager for Aspen Brewing Co. where he identified his passion for the art of barrel aging and blending. A Milwaukee native, Kyle wanted to bring what he has learned in Colorado home to share with the beer lovers of Wisconsin. He currently owns and operates 1840 Brewing Company. Kyle brings a wealth of brewing knowledge to The Crafter Space team!
Jason is currently The Director of IT at PKWARE. He is an avid home brewer and also an Alumni of our very own Barley To Barrel Program. After graduating from the program Jason joined the team in 2016 to help run the Barley To Barrel Program. Having lead the office build out for PKWARE Jason will be instrumental in helping The Crafter Space team build out the brewery space and will be involved in the ongoing management and sales for the brewery.
