Hacienda originated in the family-run Door County Brewing Company, which was founded by John and Angie McMahon beginning in 2012 as a way of luring their sons Danny and Ben back to their Door County, Wisconsin, roots.[3] In 2017, Danny, Ben, and three other DCBC employees founded Hacienda, giving an intentional branding for experimental and non-conventional beers—what a local Door County magazine called "bolder flavors".[4][5] According to a later Hacienda general manager:
Hacienda was their attempt at doing more experimental stuff [like US] East Coast hazy IPAs, milkshake stuff, juicy IPAs ... things that are really popular out there. Door County was doing ... more straightforward stuff.[6]
Hacienda launched in February 2018, having waited for the equipment needed to finalize a new 15-barrel brewery and taproom in Baileys Harbor.[4]
In November 2018, Hacienda announced that had signed a lease with Milwaukee developer Josh Jeffers to open a taproom of their own on the city's Upper East Side. The space was formerly used for G-Daddy's BBC Bar and Grill, but was gutted inside in preparation for the new operators.[7][B] Beer for the new location would be brewed in DCBC's 15-barrel brewery.[9]
The Milwaukee taproom opened in June 2019, and becoming part of a wave of new openings that reinvigorated the surrounding district and cemented a shift in the area's patronage from college students to young well-heeled professionals.[8] In November of the same year, the brewery added two lines of roasted coffee for sale,[10] and overhauled their food menu.[11] In 2021, the McMahons departed DCBC and Hacienda.[12]
In late 2022, Angie and Joe Sorge of Sidework Hospitality, the new operational managers of Hacienda, announced a brand "re-introduction" with the goal of making it less intimidating to casual visitors. Changes included a new exterior sign to highlight the taproom's kitchen offerings, another menu shake-up under new executive chef Ashley Turner, and the addition of hard seltzers.[13][14][15][16] In 2023, Hacienda won the Wisconsin IPA Fest with a beer called Back to the Flow, a hazy IPA.[17]
At the beginning of 2024, Sheyboygan's 3 Sheeps Brewing began contract brewing and packaging all of Hacienda's products.[18] By the middle of the year, Hacienda's taproom brought in 3 Sheeps to supplement Hacienda's meager customer base. The space, renamed "Triple Taproom & Kitchen", featured Hacienda and DCBC on one side of the bar and 3 Sheeps on the other side, separated by a wall.[19] Chef Ashley Turner departed during these changes.[20]
Hacienda's 4,500-square-foot (420 m2), 125 seat Milwaukee taproom is located in a 1913 building at 2018 E. North Ave.[8][21][15] The interior, gutted prior to Hacienda moving in, was designed by Milwaukee-based 360 Degrees. They aimed to create "a blend of casual, whimsical, yet hardworking, sophisticated and timeless qualities."[21]
Primary colors in the new taproom included blue, green, and orange.[22] The builders left cream city brick walls deliberately exposed while large hanging orbs to light the space.[6] Seats on the Prospect Ave. side of the building were upholstered with Madras fabric.[2] The way to the bathrooms is marked by a highly visible neon sign reading "flush vibes".[22]
Beer
Hacienda focuses on juicy IPAs, pale ales, and sour beers.[22] At its opening, it served around twelve beers, including:[8]
Everything Eventually, a New England–style pale ale and its best-selling beer[1]
Does Anyone Work Around Here?, an unfiltered lager[22]
There is No Other Way, a gin-barrel aged farmhouse ale[22]
^Hacienda has been described as being "spun off" from the Door County Brewing Company,[1] or as that company's "experimental arm."[2]
^Hacienda was the first brewery to open a Milwaukee taproom unconnected from beer-producing facilities. They were permitted to do so under a Wisconsin law allowing breweries to operate up to two taprooms: one at their production facility, and another at a single remote location within the state.[8]
^Skiba, Alyssa (December 7, 2020). "The Art of the Beer Label". Door County Living (published October 23, 2020). Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
