Former Third Space Brewer Plans Neighborhood Taproom in Milwaukee's Enderis Park

Nick Guthery had already knocked on more than 150 doors in the blocks surrounding 7100 W. Center St. before he ever went public with his plans. The response from neighbors was consistent enough that he could summarize it in one line: "The biggest question we got was, 'When's it opening?'"

Guthery announced Tree Line Brewing Company on Facebook earlier this week, opening his post with "Well friends some big news," and walking through a career arc that started in emergency services, ran through some of Milwaukee's most respected brewhouses, and is now planting itself in the Enderis Park neighborhood where he grew up. He grew up in the adjacent Cooper Park neighborhood and still lives in the area with his wife and daughter.

The address, 7100 W. Center St. on Milwaukee's West Side, is a building Guthery said he fell in love with after months of touring properties. An automated news summary from The Daily News Now identified it as a former 1950s bank and noted a collaboration with Galbraith Carnahan Architects on the build-out, though those details have not been independently confirmed by local print outlets and are worth verifying before treating as settled.

What is confirmed across multiple local sources: Tree Line will open with eight taps covering a light lager, pale ale, IPA, double IPA, hazy IPA, and white ale, "just to cover all the bases for beer drinkers," as Guthery put it. Beyond the core lineup, expect a rotating menu of experimental brews, an outdoor patio, and a small stage for local bands. Guthery has described the project on Instagram as "focusing on sustainability" and has said he wants to keep operations as local as possible.

The brewer behind the concept has the resume to back up the ambition. Guthery worked at Third Space, Lakefront Brewery, and Broken Bat before taking the head brewer role at Broken Bat in Walker's Point around mid-2024. In nearly two years there, he led experimental releases and collaborations and said he helped improve the brewery's overall beer program. Broken Bat owner Tim Pauly offered a clean sendoff: "We're happy for Nick and excited for him to have his own place after helping stabilize our beer program."

Guthery plans to stay at Broken Bat through the summer while pushing Tree Line forward. He has tentatively circled September 18 for a friends-and-family preview, though he stopped short of naming a firm public opening date. UrbanMilwaukee reported the brewery is set to open in September; Hoodline was more cautious, noting no confirmed public date had been released as of their coverage.

Before brewing, Guthery worked as a firefighter and paramedic. He told UrbanMilwaukee the pivot to craft beer came with a clear sense of direction from the start: "I had the dream of opening my own place the second I started working in the brewing industry. I just kind of knew it, and now felt like good timing."

For a neighborhood that's been waiting on that building to come alive, the timing looks about right.