Journeyman Distillery launching Sea of Monsters brewery, hires award-winning head brewer

The distillery, which Valpo native Bill Welter and his wife Johanna Welter founded in Three Oaks in Southwest Michigan in 2010, has been adding onto its recently opened $40 million campus in the former Anco windshield wiper factory in Valparaiso, which includes a distillery, tasting room, wedding venues and the Union Hall restaurant. It plans to launch Sea of Monsters craft brewery this summer.

Journeyman Distillery at 258 S Campbell St in Valparaiso hired Greg Winget to craft the debut line of craft beers that will feature “hyper-local ingredients and whiskey inspiration.”

Journeyman, which won ASCOT’s Whiskey of the Year award-winner in 2022 and 2023, hired Wignet, a former journalist and copywriter who became a craft brewer and has amassed a decade of experience.

He earned a craft brewing certificate from Wake Technical College in North Carolina after getting his start in the business on the beer sales and distribution end. He worked at Big Boss Brewing and Fortnight Brewing Company before becoming brewery director at Wye Hill Brewing.

He crafted more than 100 beers and won many awards, including Gold Medals at the North Carolina Brewers Cup and the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

He will helm Sea of Monsters, which will have a standalone beer bar in the American Factory campus. The brewery’s 10-barrel system, which was made in Wisconsin, will be visible at the bar and in the Union Hall Restaurant so guests can watch the beer being brewed.

The brewery’s name was inspired by early maritime explorers and mythic creatures from the deep. Its slogan is “Face Your Fears.”

Sear of Monsters will make IPAs, stouts, porters and barrel-aged beers that will be steep in Journeyman’s whiskey barrels and use similar mash builds as its whiskies. The new craft brewery also will make its own versions of beer styles from across the globe and resurrect ancient recipes.

Its craft beer will exclusively be served on the premises, at least initially.

For more information, visit www.journeyman.com or find the business on Facebook or Instagram.