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The new entrance of the Springfield brewery – and the first on the west side of the city – is expected to open in mid-June, the owner said.
The Springfield Beer Company, located in the same building as Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers along Wabash Avenue, will be the region's seventh-largest brewery since 2012.
Like other recent additions to the craft scene in the region, it will be a microbrewery with an on-site press room. But unlike the recent additions, it will not be located in an accessible downtown location.
Instead, the 2,500-square-foot brewery will offer Western residents a taste of freshly brewed craft beer without having to leave their home country.
"I just wanted to create somewhere in the West End where you can come out with a group of friends and go out, bring your own food and have a few beers before watching a movie," said owner Ryan Kunken.
Kunken said he caught the craft beer virus after taking a brewing class at Lincoln Land Community College about seven years ago. Since then he had been brewing at home. That's to say until he decides to put his degree in business at work and open a microbrewery.
Five years after writing his business plan, Kunken is almost ready to open. Its brewing equipment – including seven fermentors – is ready for operation, its metal sign was installed a few weeks ago and its hand-made wooden tables are in place. And 20 faucets are visible behind the concrete bar.
Kunken said it was waiting for its brewery license to be approved by the state.
The renaissance of craft beer in Springfield began with the opening of the Obed and Isaac brewery and brewery in 2012, just west of the Lincoln Home Historic Site. 72. Last year, Buzz Bomb Brewing Co. and Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling, two microbreweries equipped with meeting rooms, began production in the city center.
While beer sales in the United States overall declined by almost 1% in 2018, craft beer sales increased by almost 4%, according to the National Brewers Association. Handicrafts now account for about 24% of the US $ 114.2 billion beer market.
And craft breweries are opening up more and more stores to meet this new demand, with the number of craft brewers in the United States increasing from 2,420 in 2012 to 7,346 in 2018.
If a suburban setting on the outskirts of the city is not the type of place envisioned to represent a microbrewery, Kunken thinks it's an untapped market. And even if the inhabitants of the region are no longer beer drinkers, he thinks he can convert them.
"I mean you're looking at a grocery store now, in Walmart there are tons of craft beer," Kunken said. "Ten years ago you would have Sam Adams and that was probably everything. So I think it shows the popularity of craft beer. And I think if I can just get people out the door trying some of the most important craft beers, maybe I could turn somebody who does not drink craft beer into a craft beer drinker. "
Kunken said that he was going to have plenty of these "bridge" craft beers available to newcomers, while offering options to more serious craft beer connoisseurs. Beers range from lighter offerings such as a cream beer, Bohemian pilsner and Mexican lager to heavier stouts and lighter hops from India.
Although it has the capacity to hold up to 20 beers, Kunken said it would probably start with around 10. However, this ability will allow it to offer a wider variety of products. 39; options.
The brewery's equipment occupies a large part of the space, the faucet room is smaller than in other places, accommodating 50 people. Kunken said that an outdoor beer garden that would double capacity is a possibility.
Mr. Kunken has planned to distribute it, but he will see how the waiting room will behave first. He hired three employees to work with him and his wife, Rebecca.
Kunken, who works as a subscriber at Wells Fargo, plans to keep his job even after the brewery opens. Although the hours are long, he said that the chance to follow his passion was worth it.
"It's different when it goes from a hobby to something you have to do," said Kunken. "It forces you to do it right and analyze it in a more technical way. But it's a passion and something that I appreciate. It's nice to be able to serve someone the beer that you prepare, whether at home or in a commercial space. "
He said that he wanted it to be "just a place where you can just go out and feel relaxed".
"It's not pretentious," Kunken said. "No one will judge anyone if you come in and you do not know anything about beer. It will be our job to find the beer you like.
Contact Brenden Moore at 788-1526, [email protected], twitter.com/brendenmoore13.
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