Austin Beerworks Seeks Crowdfunding Support for New Taproom
Austin Beerworks has purchased 64 acres of land in Austin, Texas, which will be the future home of “Austin Beerworks’ world headquarters,” the company announced last month.
Austin Beerworks announced the news on Facebook. Financial details of the purchase were not disclosed.
“Everything is on the table right now” for what the company will do with all the land, but the first step will be a second taproom, according to a company website dedicated to the project. An event center, boutique hotel, winery, distillery and destination brewery are all possible future additions. A “competition-level disc golf course” is also in the works with Austin-based disc golf company Mint Discs.
To support the taproom construction, Austin Beerworks has launched a membership-style crowdfunding campaign: Beerworks For Life (BW4L). Members can pay $1,000 to join BW4L, which will go to the taproom construction fund. With the membership, visitors can then get their “first drink for free at the currently existing brewery. Forever.”
“Let’s just say buying 64 acres of land in Austin is not cheap,” the company wrote. “It’s expensive. Like, scary expensive. But this has been our dream all along: to be an independent craft brewery that brews world-class beer — forever. And owning the land upon which we brew that beer is critical.
“This investment is good for the long term, but leaves us needing immediate help to get the new doors open and the taps flowing,” the company continued. “And that’s when we saw the opportunity to get our super-supportive community involved.”
The new taproom will be constructed out of a building already standing on the 64-acre property. Austin Beerworks’ existing taproom will remain open, and will continue to be the company’s “working brewery.” The taproom’s lease is through 2025 and the company plans “to keep brewing beer and serving that beer” in the location “as long as we can.”
Austin Beerworks recorded its highest production volume in 2018 with 20,169 barrels of beer, according to the Brewers Association (BA). In 2021, the company produced 17,402 barrels, a +12% increase year-over-year (YoY), after YoY declines in 2019 (-2%) and 2020 (-23%) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Philadelphia’s ‘First Black-Owned Brewery’ to Open in Summer 2023
The founders of Two Locals Brewing Company have signed a lease to open Philadelphia’s “first Black-owned brewery and taproom.”
The taproom, scheduled to open by summer 2023, will be at uCity Square, a mixed-used development on the Drexel University campus in Philadelphia’s Innovation District. The 6,000 sq. ft. facility will serve Two Locals staples and new releases, including stouts, IPAs, lagers and fruited tartales, which “aim to bring unique flavors influenced from their [the co-founders’] culture,” according to a press release. It will also offer a full food menu and Pennsylvania-made ciders, wine and liquors.
“We’re excited about our first location being in uCity Square,” Two Locals co-owner and head brewer Richard Koilor said in the release. “We will be in West Philly, close to where we grew up; have a highly visible location that will allow people to enjoy our beer and our culture; and we plan to give back to the community in any way that we’re able.”
Richard Koilor and his brother Mengistu Koilor began homebrewing in 2016. The two hosted tastings around the city, collaborating with several local Philadelphia breweries, but “quickly realized the glaring lack of diversity in the industry” and decided to establish Two Locals, drawing inspiration from their West Philly culture and Liberian heritage.
Two Locals now contract brews with fellow Philadelphia brewery Mainstay Independent Brewing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Its core beers, Nubian brown ale and Prolific hazy IPA, are available at local supermarkets and taverns, including Local 44 and City Tap House, as well as at Lincoln Financial Field during Eagles games, according to the release.
City Barrel Brewing Acquires Bier Station in Kansas City, Missouri
City Barrel Brewing has acquired fellow Kansas City, Missouri-based beer establishment Bier Station, the latter announced on Twitter last week.
City Barrel had been “very interested in opening a second taproom” in the Kansas City neighborhood Waldo and reached out to Bier Station about future opportunities, according to the social post. Bier Station, a popular craft beer bar, decided to take the offer this fall, which included the sale of Bier Station’s building and bier garden to City Barrel.
“This decision certainly does not come easily,” Bier Station owner John Couture wrote. “Bier Station became so much more than a beer pub with a national reputation and beer to-go. It’s a fixture in our neighborhood (my family lives here, too) and has developed into a focal point for community giving and civic engagement.
“While I enjoy beer, my true passion lies with political activism and working for wonderful causes,” he continued. “I feel I have more to offer in the community and I want to move in that direction. I also believe City Barrel is a terrific, local company that will build on the craft beer focus Bier Station had developed.”
Bier Station’s last day will be December 31, “almost 10 years to the day” since its grand opening. City Barrel expects to reopen the location by early summer 2023, under the name City Barrel Pizza and Patio, Fox 4 Kansas City reported.
“City Barrel plans to preserve and honor the work of John, his family, partners, the Bier Station team and customers by providing what Bier Station patrons already expect through friendly service, locally focused food options, fresh AF beers, craft cocktails and unique wines,” City Barrel co-owner Joe Giammanco said in a statement. “You will see the familiar faces of Joe, James and Grant in the taproom while chef Benjamin Wood will continue to provide tasty treats and fun experiences to the masses.”
City Barrel produced 2,120 barrels of beer in 2021, a +48% increase YoY, according to the BA.
Hop Butcher Opens First Taproom in Chicago
Chicago-based Hop Butcher For the World opened its first taproom last month – a project more than a year in the making.
News of the planned taproom was reported in November 2021, when Hop Butcher reached an agreement with Half Acre Beer Co. to purchase its Lincoln Avenue brewery and taproom in the Windy City. The location includes a 13,000 sq. ft. production brewery, taproom and retail space. Half Acre brewed and sold beer out of the location beginning in 2008.
“Half Acre built a beautiful space for drinkers to enjoy beer, so a lot of the foundation was in place,” Hop Butcher co-owner Jeremiah Zimmer said in a release. “Our goal upon taking over the space was to inject a giant dose of who we are as a brewery. Some updates act as a nod to our predecessors’ 10-year tenure in the space, while others aim to showcase the unique spirit of Hop Butcher and what we stand for as a brewery.”
Hop Butcher operates a production brewery in Bedford Park, Illinois, but the Lincoln Avenue location is its first public taproom. The new space will brew pilot and small-batch recipes for consumption on-site, “before taking them into retail distribution,” according to the release.
“We are excited to dive into new styles and experimentation, something we previously didn’t have the capability to do,” Hop Butcher co-founder Jude La Rose said in the release. “Hoppy lagers, experimental Belgian beers, hybrid styles – you name it. Now, we can kick out small batches and get real-time feedback from our most-devoted fans in our own taproom, who will help determine which beers deserve a broader audience.”
Hop Butcher produced an estimated 10,000 barrels of beer in 2021, a +25% increase YoY, according to the BA. The company self distributes its beers, and plans to continue to do so “to better craft beer retailers throughout Chicagoland – as it has since 2015” according to the release.
Left Hand Opens Location in Denver’s River North Neighborhood
Longmont, Colorado-based Left Hand Brewing Co. opened a new taproom and restaurant in Denver last month.
The 7,400 sq. ft. location is located in Denver’s River North (RiNo) neighborhood, and is Left Hand’s first brick-and-mortar outside of Longmont. The company operates its flagship brewery and a beer garden in Longmont.
The location was expected to open on November 6, but postponed the grand opening to November 16 due to “things outside our control,” The Denver Post reported. The location serves core Left Hand beers, including its Left Hand Milk Stout, as well as draft wine and cocktails. The facility also hosts a pilot brewing system for specialty releases.
Operating since 1993, Left Hand produced 53,576 barrels in 2021, a +5% increase YoY, ranking as the No. 47 largest BA-defined craft brewery by volume, according to the BA. Last year marked the first production increase for Left Hand in at least four years, after volume declines in 2020 (-16%), 2019 (-6%) and 2018 (-8%) and 2017 (-5%).