Daily Inspiration: Meet Bart Gabbard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bart Gabbard.

Hi Bart, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got into this business the same way a lot of people do, but I stayed in it for very different reasons. I started as a homebrewer after an old friend bought me a kit.

What started as curiosity turned into a love and an obsession pretty quickly, and that eventually became a career. Before beer, I was a hospitality professional. That foundation shaped thew whole way I look at our taproom. I understood how a room should feel, how service should flow, and what keeps people coming back. It’s been a blast to plan everything from scratch this time around.

As I got deeper into beer, I worked my way up on the production side. Homebrew shop manager, cellarman, brewer, and eventually a taproom GM. Over time, it became very clear that my strengths were better suited on the operational side, and maybe not so much the manual labor that comes with production brewing.

Meeting Caleb Brown (my brewing partner) made all the difference. From day one, we were aligned on what this should be. We both cared about doing things with intention, the history and cultural importance of different beer, not just chasing trends or putting out volume for the sake of it. It didn’t take long to realize we were going to open a brewery together. That’s what led to Mosaic.

After meeting Toby Hagedorn and Ed King, it really solidified things. That’s when it felt like we found a home. Like-minded people who care about the same things, community, historical brewing traditions, and the educational side of this industry. That alignment is rare, and it made the decision to move forward together pretty straightforward.

We didn’t set out to just open another brewery. The goal was to build something that felt intentional from day one. A space rooted in history, but not stuck in it. A place where the beer matters, but the community and experience matters just as much. Community isn’t a talking point for us. It’s the whole point. We brand ourselves as Neighborhood Beer. Tremont just made so much sense.

At the end of the day, it’s obviously about making great beer, but It’s truly about creating a place people feel connected to. If we do that right, hopefully everything else follows.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
By no means was it easy! That’s what’s truly great about the journey though, right? Building something from the back of your brain with your friends is what I would think everyone dreams about.

I’d say the biggest struggle for me personally is of course balancing the immense workload, and making sure that I’m taking care of myself. A lot of sacrifice to get here, but I’d say its 100% worth it. Watching the space fill up every day with smiling faces enjoying what we’ve built is truly a special feeling.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core, most would say that I’m an operator?

I oversee the overall health of the business. That includes concept planning, event strategy, staffing, systems, and making sure everything runs the way it should on a daily basis. A lot of my time is spent building structure behind the scenes so the guest experience feels seamless on the floor. If we’re doing it right, people don’t notice the work. They just feel that things are dialed in. Everything from graphic design, to marketing, to planning, and even bussing the tables when we’re busy. I’ve often joked that I’m either the Head busboy or the Director of Arts and Crafts on any given business day.

What I’m most proud of is the culture we’ve built. We’ve created a place where people feel comfortable, where they can learn something if they want to, and feel welcomed. We have a little something for everyone.

What sets us apart is intention, and a real commitment to our immediate neighborhood. The Tremont neighbors have been the best supporters since before we even opened our doors. Without them, I don’t think we’d be having as much fun as we’ve been having.

We’re focused on these four walls and the community right around us. We’re not looking to distribute or fight for shelf space in a grocery aisle. We make decisions based on what fits our identity and what’s sustainable long term for the neighborhood. That applies to the beer, the food, the space, and how we operate. A lot of places lose that over time. We’re trying to bring back hyper local brewpubs that have a clear focus on community, and being a leader within it.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I don’t view myself as a reckless risk-taker. My partners would say that I tend to overthink everything!

Opening a brewery in 2025 is, by definition, a major risk! There is absolutely no way around that. Capital, construction, timing, staffing, market conditions, you’re making long-term bets with a lot of variables you can’t fully control. We took that on knowing exactly what we were stepping into. That was the biggest risk.
But beyond that, most of the decisions we’ve made don’t look like traditional “risk-taking” from the outside, I’d say. In a lot of ways, we’ve gone against the grain, sure. Having low abv lagers and opening with our first beer being an English Pub Ale on Nitro was quite the decision, but we’re proud of it. The Community has responded as well!

How I think about risk is pretty simple. It needs to be intentional, and it needs to be tied to something that matters, and something you’re passionate about. I truly believe that if you do whatever it is that you love to the fullest, it’s not a risk. It’s Living.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mosaictremont.com
• Instagram: @mosaicbrewingtremont
• Facebook: @mosaicbrewingtremont

Image Credits
Headshot: Derek Fierst, @bigfigwasp