Editor
The Old Firehouse Brewery in Williamsburg recently purchased two buildings next to the brewery with the intention of expanding into both this year.
The brewery, located at 237 W. Main St. purchased the two buildings between the brewery and the corner of Main and Second Street, one of which is the former Baskets and Treasures Flower, which moved across the street. The sale was finalized on Feb. 5.
The plan is to move a lot of the production side into those buildings. Owners Lori Ward and Adam Cowan plan to build a walk-in and drive-in cooler, which will allow them to double-stack pallets of kegs for the first time. The buildings will give them more storage and freezer space.
Ward hopes to have everything done in the next four to six months. The added space will also allow the brewery to expand the outdoor seating and put grain silos in the back. Nothing in the current taproom will change.
The company currently is using a mobile canning company, but hopes to also put a canning line in the new buildings, which Ward plans to make visible to passerby by putting it in front of a large window.
Old Firehouse Brewery, which opened in September 2014, will begin canning this year. The canning company will produce the first cans in March and those cans will be released in stores in April, Ward said.
She plans to can four of the brewery’s year-round beers: the Pin Up Girl, a blonde ale, Code 3, a red ale, Flash Point IPA and Probie, a porter. Probie will not be canned until the fall, however, because most people only drink porters in the fall, Ward said.
“Canning is really a natural progression,” Ward said.
She hopes this will allow Firehouse Brewery to reach people who enjoy beer but do not go to bars. Ward is not sure what stores the cans will be in, but expects that it will be stocked in the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area for now.
Ward and Cowan also plan to bottle their seasonal and limited edition brews, which they will sell commercially and at the brewery.
Business has been going well since Ward and Cowan opened.
“Because we are a husband and wife ownership, we choose to grow it slowly and organically because we want to make sure that the beer is really what it needs to be. It’s all about the beer, it’s not about massive production, it’s not about how much can we sell, it’s about quality of the product and quality for the customer base,” Ward said.
The building purchase will bring additional jobs and tax revenue to the village, Ward said.
“We’re trying to grow a small town,” Ward said.
Before Old Firehouse Brewery opened, there was no one in downtown Williamsburg after 6 p.m. Now, someone coming downtown at 9 p.m. won’t be able to find a place to park, Ward said.
Main Street Pizza, where brewery customers tend to eat since the brewery doesn’t serve food, had to hire more employees because of the added business, she added.
Ward hopes that the recently announced industrial park will bring in more houses, restaurants and other businesses to the village. She wants to see the village thrive as a small town again.
Craft beer as an industry has been doing very well because many people want flavor profiles in their beer. Craft beer breweries tend to draw people as a tourist attraction, Ward said.
Firehouse doesn’t just attract beer lovers near and far, it attracts locals who don’t like beer because the brewery is very community-oriented.
“It’s a neat way for people to connect,” Ward said.
Ward believes strongly in the value of sitting down and spending time with friends and neighbors, and believes Firehouse gives residents a place to do that. She has chalk, a Wii and other games for children to play with when they visit and she stocks sodas.