Gathering Place Brewing hires Dane Mariani head brewer, Mitch Bultman taproom manager

Riverwest’s Gathering Place Brewing announced on Feb. 16, 2026 that Dane Mariani has been named head brewer and Mitch Bultman will serve as taproom manager. The hires follow former head brewer Matt Cisz’s announcement that he departed at the end of 2025 after nearly five years with the Riverwest-based brewery.

Gathering Place noted its footprint includes an East Tosa taproom in Wauwatosa and ownership of Sahale Beer in Grafton, and the new appointments are framed to cover brewing and front-of-house operations across that footprint. The announcement did not list Mariani’s official start date or whether Bultman will be based at Riverwest, East Tosa, or oversee both locations.

Mariani arrives from Good City Brewing, where he served as head brewer and brewery operations manager, and brings prior experience in beer production and retail at Sprecher Brewing Company. Joe Yeado, founder of Gathering Place Brewing, commented on Mariani’s hire: “I have known and had the opportunity to work with Dane over the years and I’m excited that he is joining our team. His passion for beer, commitment to quality, and outgoing personality perfectly align with our company and mission.”

Operationally, Mariani will lead brewing for Gathering Place and Sahale alongside Assistant Brewer Nick Salo. The announcement says Mariani “will lead the brewing operations for Gathering Place and Sahale,” and lists Salo by name as the assistant brewer who will work with him.

Bultman arrives from Madison’s Working Draft Beer Company, where he was events coordinator and taproom lead. On joining Gathering Place, Bultman said, “I’m incredibly excited to join Gathering Place; it has always felt like more than just a brewery – it’s a true community hub.” The announcement’s wording was ambiguous about which taproom Bultman will manage, with mention of both Riverwest and Wauwatosa in the same sentence, leaving the exact day-to-day location unclear.

Gathering Place also posted to its Instagram account gatheringplacebrewing with the caption: “We're thrilled to announce the hire of of Dane Mariani as Head Brewer to lead our brewing operations and Mitch Bultman”, the caption as supplied appears truncated and duplicates the word “of.” The brewery did not provide additional timeline details in the announcement, so Mariani’s first pours and Bultman’s opening shifts have not been scheduled publicly.