Could not one but two breweries be coming to Main Street in the heart of Springfield?
Hyperion Brewing appears to have settled on a site. Owner Alexandra McKeown issued a statement to Springfield Preservation and Revitalization that she had decided to sign a lease at 1740/1744 N. Main St. for her project. She said she didn’t want to comment further.
In earlier discussions, she said her plans were for a small brewery that makes small batches, with no plans to distribute. All the beer would be made for the tap room.
That site will require rezoning.
Meanwhile, a block south on Main Street, a new place called Main and Six Brewing is hoping to open at 1636 N. Main St. It’s also seeking rezoning because of its proximity to churches and a school.
Dennis Espinosa will own it with his mother, Cindy Lasky. He said he’s been homebrewing for several years and won a couple of competitions along the way. He plans to start with a conventional core group of beers, then expand as time goes along.
When and if he gets the rezoning, Espinosa said they’ll buy the building. With that, the renovation and the six-month lag on ordering tanks and fermenters, it’ll probably be 18 months before he’s open.
All the engineering and site planning still need to be done, but he’s hoping for 75 to 100 seats in the tap room, and there’s some open space next door they might try to buy.
As for having breweries only a block apart, he said it’s worked for Intuition and Bold City. Besides, cities such as Asheville and Seattle have multiple breweries on the same block.
“I think we’ll complement each other,” he said.
