SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- A downtown Sioux Falls brewery is expanding east.
Steve Hartman helped found Woodgrain Brewing Company, which opened its doors in 2015, in downtown Sioux Falls. He became the brewery's sole owner last fall and is now growing the operation.
"We love downtown. There's
a lot of businesses opening up, a lot of activity down there, there's also a lot more competition," Woodgrain Brewing Company owner Steve Hartman said.
That led Hartman to the east edge of Sioux Falls and the former Obscure Brewing Company just off Arrowhead Parkway.
"I grew up on the east side, I love this side of town, and it's just an underserved market currently and we hope to fix that," Hartman said.
Hartman is in the process of upgrading the tap room, starting with a fresh coat of paint, and also plans to improve the outdoor space. He has new patio furniture on the way, but it doesn't end there.
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"We have the luxury of having some grass here so we'll do yard games and hammocks and just a place for people to run around, we can do some car shows and stuff like that as well," Hartman said.
With more than three times the brewing capacity, the new location will also allow Hartman to can and sell his product outside the walls of Woodgrain.
"We have a massive cooler. The cooler is the size of the taproom, and that allows us to do some canning. We have some canning equipment on the way, so yeah, we will have some beer in stores by the end of the year," Hartman said.
As for when the new location will open, Hartman is shooting for late spring.
"We'll be set to serve beer by May, it just depends on our licensing," Hartman said.
Hartman is also looking forward to having automation, meaning they won't have to hand-stir the mash during beer-making, and "break our backs", which he said with a smile. ...read more read less
