MONROE - At age 44, Ethan Kister decided to follow his dream and stop the hour-long commute to Madison and instead provide Monroe with a taphouse of locally brewed beer.
Bullquarian Brewhouse sat empty for more than a year as Kister and his wife, Michelle, tackled hurdles of local, state and federal licensing requirements. The "coming soon" signs on 1128 17th Ave. had passed their promise since being posted in September.
But patience paid off for the couple: Bullquarian Brewhouse is set to open May 22.
"It's just been month after month after month of licensing and waiting for things like that," Kister said. "I got final approval from the Department of Agriculture on April 3, so I've been brewing since then to get enough beer together to open. It's just about ready. "
Hours of sweat equity were invested in the space. Formerly an office, wall paneling was swapped out for paint and new tables and chairs were dispersed throughout the space. Decorative pieces add personality to the room, courtesy of Michelle's trips to home goods store Pier 1. A bar with specialized taps was installed along the south wall inside the entrance, and most important, brewing tanks now stand in the backroom.
A native of Racine, Kister has lived in Monroe for 18 years. His passion for brewing ale began on sort of a fluke, when his college roommate walked by a brewing kit in a store window in Milwaukee and purchased it before losing interest and passing it along to Kister. From there, he brewed different types of ales from home for some 20 years, growing his hobby into a business.
Bullquarian will host eight in-house varieties and two guest beers on tap. That's the goal anyway, though Kister concedes that the lesser-known Wisconsin beers don't distribute too far from home, making the goal of bringing new brews to the area more difficult. Still, they plan to try.
"I want to take a lot of input from the customers as to what they like and gear it toward what people like," Kister said. "I'm trying to focus on other really small breweries."
The endeavor to bring the brewhouse to Monroe began in July 2015, when Kister and his business partner Ervin Peters joined together. By September of that year, they had found the perfect building just a block from Monroe's downtown Square. Facing paperwork, the group forged ahead by summer of the following year, placing a standout red, blue and green Bullquarian logo on the pale yellow facade of the building.
Kister plans for the brewhouse to be different than the city status quo. The name of the brewhouse even has a personal touch to it - Bull for his astrological sign Taurus and an adaptation of Michelle's Aquarius.
Not a bar or a restaurant but more of a taproom, patrons can hang out and enjoy unique beer at their own pace. The business will provide free wifi for those looking to troll the internet as they enjoy a brew.
"We want it to feel a bit more like a cafe than a bar," Michelle said. "Just make it a comfortable space."
While traditional bar food like pizza, pretzels and popcorn will be available, the couple plans to allow those who order a cheeseburger down the street or a sandwich from the deli to bring their meal in to enjoy with a beer. Soda will also be sold. The couple plans to provide a family-friendly atmosphere.
"There's kind of a core group of beer geeks in Monroe, so it's good there's been a little bit of buzz about it," Kister said. "It's been a long time (waiting). We're really excited."
Bullquarian Brewhouse sat empty for more than a year as Kister and his wife, Michelle, tackled hurdles of local, state and federal licensing requirements. The "coming soon" signs on 1128 17th Ave. had passed their promise since being posted in September.
But patience paid off for the couple: Bullquarian Brewhouse is set to open May 22.
"It's just been month after month after month of licensing and waiting for things like that," Kister said. "I got final approval from the Department of Agriculture on April 3, so I've been brewing since then to get enough beer together to open. It's just about ready. "
Hours of sweat equity were invested in the space. Formerly an office, wall paneling was swapped out for paint and new tables and chairs were dispersed throughout the space. Decorative pieces add personality to the room, courtesy of Michelle's trips to home goods store Pier 1. A bar with specialized taps was installed along the south wall inside the entrance, and most important, brewing tanks now stand in the backroom.
A native of Racine, Kister has lived in Monroe for 18 years. His passion for brewing ale began on sort of a fluke, when his college roommate walked by a brewing kit in a store window in Milwaukee and purchased it before losing interest and passing it along to Kister. From there, he brewed different types of ales from home for some 20 years, growing his hobby into a business.
Bullquarian will host eight in-house varieties and two guest beers on tap. That's the goal anyway, though Kister concedes that the lesser-known Wisconsin beers don't distribute too far from home, making the goal of bringing new brews to the area more difficult. Still, they plan to try.
"I want to take a lot of input from the customers as to what they like and gear it toward what people like," Kister said. "I'm trying to focus on other really small breweries."
The endeavor to bring the brewhouse to Monroe began in July 2015, when Kister and his business partner Ervin Peters joined together. By September of that year, they had found the perfect building just a block from Monroe's downtown Square. Facing paperwork, the group forged ahead by summer of the following year, placing a standout red, blue and green Bullquarian logo on the pale yellow facade of the building.
Kister plans for the brewhouse to be different than the city status quo. The name of the brewhouse even has a personal touch to it - Bull for his astrological sign Taurus and an adaptation of Michelle's Aquarius.
Not a bar or a restaurant but more of a taproom, patrons can hang out and enjoy unique beer at their own pace. The business will provide free wifi for those looking to troll the internet as they enjoy a brew.
"We want it to feel a bit more like a cafe than a bar," Michelle said. "Just make it a comfortable space."
While traditional bar food like pizza, pretzels and popcorn will be available, the couple plans to allow those who order a cheeseburger down the street or a sandwich from the deli to bring their meal in to enjoy with a beer. Soda will also be sold. The couple plans to provide a family-friendly atmosphere.
"There's kind of a core group of beer geeks in Monroe, so it's good there's been a little bit of buzz about it," Kister said. "It's been a long time (waiting). We're really excited."