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Area brewery taps its niche

By GEORGE ROGERS
of The Gazette
Anheuser-Busch it's not, nor does the Central Waters Brewing Co. want to be. It's not even the Point Brewery. "Point spills more beer than we brew," said Jerome Ebel, one of the partners in Central Waters, which is located, improbably, in Junction City.

Ebel and the other partner, Mike McElwain, started brewing there in 1998. They're looking for a niche and seem to be finding it. You can buy their products at a number of local taverns and stores.

The brewery is on Junction City's Main Street, west of the railroad tracks. Why Junction City? "Because it's smack dab in the middle of our territory," said Ebel, their territory being Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield and Stevens Point. This makes distribution easier.

You might also find their products in Madison, Minocqua and Eau Claire, but you'll have to look hard.

Ebel, of Knowlton, and McElwain, of Dancy, aren't trying to be the biggest, just good. They make a half-dozen different brews, of which the most popular is Mud Puppy Porter. Porter is a dark beer. Mud Puppy? That's an amphibian, a kind of salamander. Ebel's wife thought up the name.

For beauty, the mud puppy is not in the class of the whitetail deer nor the rainbow trout, and Ebel said "people who know what mud puppies are kind of cringe. But most people think it's kind of cute."

Ebel, who said the secret of good beer is cleanliness, calls Central Waters "a home brewing hobby that got out of hand." He and McElwain had been brewing for quite a few years before deciding to make it a business.

Late in 1996 they bought a building in Junction City that had, over the years, housed a barber shop and other businesses. "The roof was caving in and the ceiling was falling down," Ebel said. "We pretty much bought a project." So 1997 was spent fixing up the building and going through state and federal hoops and hurdles, which Ebel said was a pain.

At first they sold the beer only in kegs. Then they added 22-ounce bottles. At one point they put a batch of a special brew, Y2K Catastrophe Ale, in 12-ounce bottles, and they'd like to do more 12-ouncers for the restaurant trade. That'll come, since they're planning to double their brewing capacity, now about 300 barrels a year.

But Ebel said they're really not interested in expanding their geographic territory. Already, he said, "We're spread out more than I care to be."

McElwain is part-time at the brewery. The rest of the time he works in the dairy industry as a sales and technical representative. Not coincidentally, a lot of the paraphernalia in the brewery is used dairy equipment. Ebel is full-time. Also working at the brewery are Paul Graham and Anello Mollica.

Ebel credits McElwain with getting the brewery started. They both have their talents. "He's got the sales and biology background," said Ebel, "and I've got the technical background." He worked for Worzalla Publishing for 15 years before getting into the beer business, and is handy with refrigeration equipment and wiring.

Over the last 140 years or so, Stevens Point has had five commercial breweries, not counting those that functioned illegally during Prohibition. In the 1930s, after Prohibition ended, about every Wisconsin town the size of Stevens Point had one. Some smaller ones did, too, though maybe not as small as Junction City (population 502, 1990 census). But most small town breweries succumbed to competition from giant brewers and only Point and a couple of others survived.

There's been a shift in the other direction lately with the growth of micro-breweries like Central Waters and brew pubs like Stevens Point's Isadore Street Brewing Co. Central Waters' relations with Point, Isadore Street and the brewing industry in general have been good, Ebel said, and "everybody in this industry has been real helpful." He admits he was worried when Isadore Street opened, but it turned out to be a plus because it increased people's awareness of micro-brews.

Why buy Mud Puppy Porter or any other Central Waters product when you can drink Budweiser?

Ebel doesn't knock Bud. "If you like Budweiser you should drink Budweiser," he said. "What they do, they do very well." He and McElwain, he said, are brewing the kind of beer you can only get locally. "We're bringing back the day when every small town had a brewery."

Big brewers pasteurize and filter their beer to extend shelf life. Shelf life is of no concern to Central Waters, so it does neither. "Our small batch size and delivery area means our beer is always fresh," Ebel said. Most of the yeast settles out, but because it's not filtered, a little remains. That gives the beer a slight haze but improves the flavor, said Ebel.

Brews made by Central Waters, other than Mud Puppy Porter, are Whitewater Weizen, Lac DuBay India Pale Ale and Satin Solstice Stout, which are seasonal brews, and Ouisconsing Red and Happy Heron Pale Ale. A couple of others are in the hopper.

Are McElwain and Ebel having fun?

"It depends on which day of the week you ask, but yeah, we are," said Ebel. He'd be even happier if he could dump the paperwork and stick to brewing.



	Area brewery taps its niche By GEORGE ROGERS of The Gazette Anheuser-Busch it's not, nor does the Central Waters Brewing Co. want to be. It's not even the Point Brewery. "Point spills more beer than we brew," said Jerome Ebel, one of the partners in Central Waters, which is located, improbably, in Junction City. Ebel and the other partner, Mike McElwain, started brewing there in 1998. They're looking for a niche and seem to be finding it. You can buy their products at a number of local taverns and stores. The brewery is on Junction City's Main Street, west of the railroad tracks. Why Junction City? "Because it's smack dab in the middle of our territory," said Ebel, their territory being Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield and Stevens Point. This makes distribution easier. You might also find their products in Madison, Minocqua and Eau Claire, but you'll have to look hard. Ebel, of Knowlton, and McElwain, of Dancy, aren't trying to be the biggest, just good. They make a half-dozen different brews, of which the most popular is Mud Puppy Porter. Porter is a dark beer. Mud Puppy? That's an amphibian, a kind of salamander. Ebel's wife thought up the name. For beauty, the mud puppy is not in the class of the whitetail deer nor the rainbow trout, and Ebel said "people who know what mud puppies are kind of cringe. But most people think it's kind of cute." Ebel, who said the secret of good beer is cleanliness, calls Central Waters "a home brewing hobby that got out of hand." He and McElwain had been brewing for quite a few years before deciding to make it a business. Late in 1996 they bought a building in Junction City that had, over the years, housed a barber shop and other businesses. "The roof was caving in and the ceiling was falling down," Ebel said. "We pretty much bought a project." So 1997 was spent fixing up the building and going through state and federal hoops and hurdles, which Ebel said was a pain. At first they sold the beer only in kegs. Then they added 22-ounce bottles. At one point they put a batch of a special brew, Y2K Catastrophe Ale, in 12-ounce bottles, and they'd like to do more 12-ouncers for the restaurant trade. That'll come, since they're planning to double their brewing capacity, now about 300 barrels a year. But Ebel said they're really not interested in expanding their geographic territory. Already, he said, "We're spread out more than I care to be." McElwain is part-time at the brewery. The rest of the time he works in the dairy industry as a sales and technical representative. Not coincidentally, a lot of the paraphernalia in the brewery is used dairy equipment. Ebel is full-time. Also working at the brewery are Paul Graham and Anello Mollica. Ebel credits McElwain with getting the brewery started. They both have their talents. "He's got the sales and biology background," said Ebel, "and I've got the technical background." He worked for Worzalla Publishing for 15 years before getting into the beer business, and is handy with refrigeration equipment and wiring. Over the last 140 years or so, Stevens Point has had five commercial breweries, not counting those that functioned illegally during Prohibition. In the 1930s, after Prohibition ended, about every Wisconsin town the size of Stevens Point had one. Some smaller ones did, too, though maybe not as small as Junction City (population 502, 1990 census). But most small town breweries succumbed to competition from giant brewers and only Point and a couple of others survived. There's been a shift in the other direction lately with the growth of micro-breweries like Central Waters and brew pubs like Stevens Point's Isadore Street Brewing Co. Central Waters' relations with Point, Isadore Street and the brewing industry in general have been good, Ebel said, and "everybody in this industry has been real helpful." He admits he was worried when Isadore Street opened, but it turned out to be a plus because it increased people's awareness of micro-brews. Why buy Mud Puppy Porter or any other Central Waters product when you can drink Budweiser? Ebel doesn't knock Bud. "If you like Budweiser you should drink Budweiser," he said. "What they do, they do very well." He and McElwain, he said, are brewing the kind of beer you can only get locally. "We're bringing back the day when every small town had a brewery." Big brewers pasteurize and filter their beer to extend shelf life. Shelf life is of no concern to Central Waters, so it does neither. "Our small batch size and delivery area means our beer is always fresh," Ebel said. Most of the yeast settles out, but because it's not filtered, a little remains. That gives the beer a slight haze but improves the flavor, said Ebel. Brews made by Central Waters, other than Mud Puppy Porter, are Whitewater Weizen, Lac DuBay India Pale Ale and Satin Solstice Stout, which are seasonal brews, and Ouisconsing Red and Happy Heron Pale Ale. A couple of others are in the hopper. Are McElwain and Ebel having fun? "It depends on which day of the week you ask, but yeah, we are," said Ebel. He'd be even happier if he could dump the paperwork and stick to brewing.