A Race Against The Holidays!

Well, we’ve done it now! We just signed a lease for a retail space on Front Street! 933 Front Street, Suite D to be precise. Same building as Patterson Cellars, the Fudge Hut and a little boutique shop. Suite D is in the hall behind Patterson and across from the Fudge Hut…and everyone’s favorite Zoltar machine….get your fortune today!

Notes on the location….it used to be the “Your Family Name” store where you could get all sorts of items with your family name and even get your family crest custom printed on merch. The main flor is about 460 square feet and there’s a mezzanine along one side that adds another 120 square feet upstairs. So in total, less space than the current brewhouse, but that’s if you count the fermentor room in addition to the brew room and tasting room. So for customers, this new location will be a significant upgrade on space, but still not so big.

Our hope is to be able to find a way to maintain the cozy and communal atmosphere that’s been the hallmark of the original location. Graffiti walls, dollar bills for the dogs, a foreign currency space, photos, stickers…etc. Brewer Joel is excited to have a place to hang all the flags he’s collected from his international travels as he’s not allowed to hang them up in the house!

Our goal is to be open by the start of December, but we make no guarantees as we will need to coordinate with a couple contractors as well as deal with City, Health Department and Liquor Board permits. We’ll also need to hire some more staff so we can run both bar spaces. The new unit will require some minor remodeling as it currently does not have any plumbing. So a concrete guy to cut a hole in the slab to access the drain line, a plumber to run lines for sinks and dishwasher, an electrician to run power outside for a mini-split AC unit and some under-bar outlets, and an HVAC tech to install a mini-split for our keg cold storage which we are currently planning to install in the under-stair space. Then we’ll have to build out bar counters and some seating arrangements. And decorate! A lot to do and we’ll do it as fast as we can manage. In the meanwhile, keep visiting us at the original location. Buy some beer and merch….we need the funding!

Regarding license type, initially the new location will be licensed as a Tavern. No food service required. Dogs allowed. However, it will mean it is 21+. Not kid-friendly. But the original location is kid-friendly so you’’ll still be able to enjoy Doghaus with the family in tow. Long-term we plan to change the new location to a Brewery license, but for now Tavern will give us flexibility of not being required to pour our own beer if we are unable to find a new brewhouse space before the lease runs out on the original location.

Real exciting….and terrifying times. A big leap to the main drag and we’ll attempt to run the new tasting room concurrently with the original location at 321 9th St, in the basement. We are looking forward to having great neighbors with wine at Patterson Cellars, fudge at the Fudge Hut, and unique souvenirs at the boutique.