E-Malt.com News article: USA, NV: Five beer enthusiasts aim at opening Henderson’s first nano brewery by next spring

Five local men with a passion for craft beer want to bring a nano brewery to Henderson, The Gleaner reported on August 26.

“One of the common threads that all five of us have is our pride in Henderson," said Rob Toerne. "We want to make this a showcase, an example of what can happen in Henderson."

Toerne said he and his business associates, Sean Wilder, Doug Laramie, Austin Vowels and David Osborn, met in somewhat of an unusual manner. Most of the group met online via the Facebook group, The Henderson Beer Club.

"A lot of other cities around here have breweries, Hopkinsville and Paducah," said Wilder. "So we thought, why not Henderson?"

The business proposal was hashed out, naturally, over beers one night.

“We’re still kind of in the planning stages, getting things set up and all that," said Wilder. "But it’s going to be what they call a nano brewery, which is even smaller than a microbrewery. Doug will be brewing the beer in the back and we’ll be pushing it across the bar in the front. It will only be available in our facility to start.”

The nano brewery will serve a variety of beer.

“We’ll have some core beers that we offer all the time but we’re going to do some rotating selections as well," said Laramie, who's been brewing for seven years, though this will be his first time to brew professionally.

Aside from beer, they also plan on serving cold snacks like popcorn and chips. They would like to attract food trucks, which would be allowed to park on their property but not in the streets.

The proposed nano brewery would be located at 737 Second Street, in the building occupied by Petals & More flower shop.

An interesting note: That same location once housed the Bright Spot tavern from 1953 to 1983. The building was then converted into a church and later a diner called Mc's Restaurant, according to The Gleaner archives.

While the business partners haven't purchased the property yet, it's under contract contingent upon an approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Some hurdles have already been cleared.

The Henderson City Commission approved the second reading of an ordinance that would allow craft distilleries and microbreweries in the Gateway Zone and Community Business District, but as a conditional use, during a special meeting Friday morning.

Vowels, who is a Henderson City Commissioner, recused himself from voting on the ordinance.

Meanwhile, the business partners met with the Gateway Design Advisory Committee Friday afternoon for a pre-application conference.

They hashed out details regarding signage and parking during the meeting. Customer parking would be along Alvasia Street in perpendicular parking spots, including one that is ADA compliant.

During the meeting, Toerne also talked about some of their renovation plans. The back section of the building would house brewing equipment, while the front section would be the tap room.

They need to construct a bar and bring in brewing equipment. They also are likely going to take out the existing ceiling and go back to the original woodwork above, to allow for high ceilings.

But comments, representations or expressions of any nature made at the Gateway Design Advisory Committee meeting shall not be binding, said Planning Commission Executive Director Brian Bishop.

The next step for the business partners is to get approval from the Board of Zoning Adjustments, which will discuss the matter at its Sept. 13 meeting.

The entrepreneurs would then need to put together a formal submittal to the Gateway Design Advisory Committee. In turn, the committee would review the project within 21 days of the submission and present their findings in a written report to the Codes Administrator and the applicant.

The Codes Administrator would then grant final approval based on the committee's recommendation.

The goal would be to have the nano brewery ready by next spring.

"We're hoping to be open for March Madness," said Wilder. "There's a lot between now and then to get done."

The business partners also want to embrace the history of Henderson, said Toerne.

To that end, the business partners are looking into various names that represent Henderson, some of which may have been used at the turn of the 20th Century.

Toerne said they want the nano brewery to be Henderson's place.

“We want young people in Henderson, older people in Henderson, anybody who enjoys a craft beer to come here – something they can be proud of," he said. "When they go across the river, they can say, ‘You need to check out our craft beer.’ ”


29 August, 2017