when is your taproom open?

our taproom & bakery are currently closed for winter break, reopening in spring.

are you a brewery or bakery?

we are first and foremost a brewery. we make all of our beers in the lower level of our building, below our new taproom.

we also happen to serve morning bakery + coffee. all of our bakery is made in house by our talented baker jackie.

do you sell alcohol other than beer?

yes, we have a small menu of gluten-free, alcoholic beverages from other producers (hard seltzer, hard kombucha, etc.).

are you kid friendly?

of course! we welcome well-behaved kids of all ages.

are you dog friendly?

yes! well-behaved and leashed dogs are welcome outside in the beer garden only. Please clean up after your pet.

per health code, dogs are not allowed inside our taproom.

Do you serve flights or tasters?

no, we strongly believe that our beer is best represented in larger pour sizes that lead to an overall better drinking experience for our customers.

due to their limited pour size, flights/tasters don’t have the ability to allow for proper head formation, carbonation, or aromatic development—and so they are unable to offer a reliable snapshot of a beer’s true character.

we can confidently find you a beer that will suit your preferences without the need for a flight or taster.

Do you fill Growlers or Howlers?

yes, we will gladly fill a 32oz or 64oz growler if you bring one to us that is clean and has its cap (or another closing mechanism). we do not sell the empty glass jugs, so we need one to fill one.

do you have an ipa?

at this time, no.

although ipa has grown to be one of the most popular styles of craft beer, we focus on making beers that are easier to drink and lower alcohol than ipa. each of our beers that we’ve made so far is under 5.5% abv, and ipa is typically in the range of 6.5-8% abv. we do, however, have a few hoppy beers that ipa drinkers should find enjoyable.

we also encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

why is there so much foam on my beer?

Foam is an essential part of quality beer service—it influences the aromatics and flavor and adds an enjoyable texture to beer. you deserve more foam on your beer.

Where did the name “sway” come from?

sway is a reminder to enjoy the little things, to not take life too seriously, to live in the moment. it represents our ethos on beer—simple, easy drinking, balanced—and relates to our minimal intervention approach to making beer. sway with us.

what is a side-pull faucet?

side-pull faucets are ubiquitous in the czech republic, used for serving traditional czech lager. we use these faucets to pour many of our lagers and other sessionable beer styles.

A “normal” faucet found in a typical american craft brewery is similar to an on-off switch—It’s either on or it’s off. The side-pull faucet is closer to a dimmer switch, where you can pour with various degrees of foam.

In addition to more control over a pour, this faucet has a small screen inside to help create a wet, dense foam—sort of equivalent to cappuccino foam. this foam does a great job protecting the subtle aromas in our beers.

what is a foeder?

foeders (prounounced food-er), in their simplest form, are just large barrels. Due to their size, foeders have a higher beer to wood ratio compared to smaller barrels, and so they allow beer to mature/develop more gradually, with more mild and consistent character. ⁣

the foeders we use were manufactured by foeder crafters from st. louis, missouri. We treat these vessels much like regular fermenters—and they have many of the same bells and whistles (manways, spray balls, racking arms, sample valves, etc.). rather than racking, managing, and storing numerous barrels, foeders save us space and time.

Fermenting and aging beer in oak can provide nuanced and complex flavors, and many times, can create more mellow and well-rounded beers. Wood allows beer to be slowly exposed to oxygen, which when done incredibly slowly can round out bitterness and allow other flavor notes to shine through a beer.

what is can/keg conditioning mean?

Because we don’t have advanced equipment for packaging, many of our beers are canned (and kegged) by hand and carbonated directly in their package. Many breweries do this for bottled beers, in a process called bottle conditioning. This process allows for higher levels of carbonation and tighter (or smaller) carbonation bubbles. It also improves the shelf life of these beers.

We love taking beer on adventures around Door County—to the beach, out on the water, or on a hike. Bottles aren’t good for that, and so, we decided to condition many of our beers in cans. This is a fairly unique process, but one that is painstakingly slow. Although it’s time consuming, we find it important to keep our beers approachable.

All of our can conditioned beers can be left at room temperature, before chilling overnight and enjoying. we indicate which of our beers are can conditioned on their labels.

we also package fully carbonated beers. All of our lagers and some other styles are packaged fully carbonated and are not conditioned in the can or keg. These beers should be kept cold as much as possible to help retain their freshness and subtle flavors.