John McMahon of Door Co. Brewing Hacienda Beer Co.

The Door County Peninsula is among the top cherry producing regions in the U.S.; it’s also an increasingly popular tourist destination, sporting a burgeoning modern food and beverage scene, picturesque lake views and a growing collection of boutique wineries. 

Door Co. also happens to be home to the largest Belgian-American settlement in the country, making it the perfect spot for a brewery like Door Co. Brewing, a Wisconsin brewery dedicated to brewing beer using local resources, local influences and local heritage. 

In this week’s podcast, we talk with Door Co. Brewing founder John McMahon about his journey from Texas to Wisconsin and his evolution from a career in technology to heading up one of Wisconsin’s most creative beer brands. He shares the unexpected challenges of operating a beer-based business on a peninsula as well as insights into the brand’s rapid expansion to include its new experimental brewing arm, Hacienda Beer Co. Along the way, we discuss the art and craft of wild yeast, the innovation Hacienda is bringing to market and the motivation behind the new Hacienda Beer Co. tap room on Milwaukee’s East Side.