In Milwaukee Record’s “Meet A Brewer” series, we aim to introduce you to some of the professionals behind the scenes who are responsible for making your favorite local beers. The recurring series continues with Vennture Brew Co. co-owner and brewer Rob Gustafson.
Milwaukee Record: What’s your brewing background? How’d you get to your current position at Vennture?
Rob Gustafson: I was an obsessed home brewer that opened a brewery about seven years ago with my business partner, Simon.
MR: What’s your favorite style of beer to brew? And what’s your favorite to drink if you had to narrow it down to one or two?
RG: Brewing is hard one for me. In terms of ease, give me a lighter beer and let me cook. If I’m looking for a challenge, toss a higher ABV Hazy IPA with all kinds of hop additions. If I don’t feel like going home anytime soon, toss a heavily-adjuncted stout at me. Maybe toss in 200 pounds of doughnuts for good measure. My favorite to drink really is situational for me. If I’m out with friends at a dive bar, it’s whatever light beer I can get in a bottle. If I’m at the brewery, it’s a pale ale.
MR: Talk about some of your favorite local breweries? What are some of your favorites and why?
RG: I love a bunch [of local breweries] for a ton of different reasons. Again, it is very situational for me, but one of my recent favorites is Amorphic. 1840 will always hold a special place in my heart. When we were in the process of opening Vennture, I was underemployed for a while after having my job outsourced. This freed up a ton of time for me. I would up getting connected with Kyle Vetter as he was opening 1840 and wound up helping him package his sours and helping out his public release days.
MR: Any go-to macros?
RG: High Life, High Life, and High Life.
MR: If you were on a deserted island, what beers would you want to bring with you?
RG: High Life, High Life, and High Life. And also two of our own beers. We have a Citra hopped Pale ale called Pontoon Life and also a Strata and Mosaic hopped pale ale called North Ave. They are different in that they just hit wonderfully if I need hops in my life
MR: Outside of brewing, what are some of your hobbies?
RG: Cycling. I love to hop on the bike and just ride to lose myself. Sixty miles randomly? Sure, why not? I’ve also started playing basketball three nights a week: Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. These keep me super active and in shape enough to be carrying around kegs at 40 years old. And Fly Fishing. A few years back, I picked this back up as a hobby. I love fishing in the Driftless region of the state. I take my 9-foot, 4-wt rod out with a small army of flies that I tied and see how many fish I can fool that day. I normally have a rule that I need to fish for at least as many hours that I drove. Three hours out, fish six to eight hours, then drive three hours back.
MR: Do you have any favorite TV shows? Either stuff you’re enjoying right now or comfort shows you can watch over and over?
RG: Oh man, I don’t watch a ton of TV these days. I went from pretty much January until October of this year without turning the TV on. But if I do, Seinfeld is always an option.
MR: Who are some of your favorite bands or musical artists?
RG: I’ve recently started getting into a bit more folk-y and country stuff. Zach Bryan has been on repeat for a while. Dylan Gossett and Tyler Childers are also up there. In January, I flew to Lexington, Kentucky for 36 hours to catch Tyler Childers perform, and think I might head to Tulsa, Oklahoma to catch Zach Bryan.
MR: What are some of your favorite local bars?
RG: Walters’ is my ride or die. I live close. I have had so many life moments go through there for some reason, and so many great nights there with friends. It’s kind of wild how something as simple as a local bar can inadvertently become part of your life.
MR: Do you have any short-term goals, long-term aspirations, or dreams in the realm of brewing? Maybe something like having your beer on draft somewhere special or having a specific person drink something you brewed?
RG: Short term: We acquired a second location back in February and have been playing catch-up since. Between demand and some mechanical issues that have arose along the way, we always feel like we were playing catch-up. So simply put, I’d like a few months of smooth production. Long term: I would love to get our wholesale program up and running smooth and transition into more of a sales role. Not to long ago, I was talking to someone about having a beer with George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton because of the wild stories you now they have. It would rock my socks to have a President—sitting or former—drink a beer that I brewed.
MR: Finish the sentence. Brewing in Milwaukee is…
RG: In an interesting space right now. The overall beer industry is in an odd space right now. Milwaukee’s brewing scene will soon look a bit different with some soon to be staples leaving the market.
