Episode 054 - Ayla & Tim Guild - The Hive Taproom

The Taproom is a lot like their hives. From the outside it looks pretty laid back, but when you look inside there is a buzz of activity. Many breweries talk of community and buying local, but this brewery is different in so many ways. There are few that can say they have 2 thriving communities they serve. The one they live and work in, and the one that produces the honey they use to make their session meads.

What started out 4 years ago with 10,000 honeybees has grown each year with care and love for their bee community. Over the winter of 2021-22 they had a 92% survival rate of their bee community. This is very impressive when you learn the industry average is only 40 – 50%.

It is that love and care you not only see in their relationship with each other, but in their family, their staff, customers and their community. You can see it in the taproom that has not TV’s, no WiFi, and because of the buildings structure no cell service. In this community you engage with the people around you.

Our guests are not Wisconsin natives. One is from California and the other from Philadelphia. They met while in college and the rest as they say is history.  One is a veterinarian and the other an engineer. They learned of the community that would become their home in the days before opening. As they stressed trying to get things done in time to open, people would stop by to ask when they would be opening. Then, to the surprise of our guests, they would ask, “Do you need any help?” Each with a different skill or trade experience, pitching in to lend a hand. These people would not only become their customers, but their friends.