March 26, 2019

The new Fernson Brewing Co. downtown location will have an appropriate name – Fernson Downtown – and has plans to open April 8.

The taproom is relocating from East Eighth Street to the former Bros Brasserie Americano at 334 S. Phillips Ave.

“We felt keeping Fernson Brewing Co. part of it (the name) was important,” CEO Joel Thompson said, adding some minor construction and installation snags delayed the opening by a few days.

The menu “is finished, and it’s amazing,” he added. Chef Ryan Tracy, who owned Bros, has stayed on with Fernson and created a menu of small plates and appetizers mostly designed for sharing.

It includes his take on a classic South Dakota chislic, fried chicken, French fries, a couple tacos, chicken skewers and “Italian doughnuts,” which Thompson describes as a doughnut hole with ricotta cheese “to make them super moist.”

“We shaped it so it’s not like you’re coming to order an appetizer, an entree and dessert, but we recognize his talents and want to show those off a bit,” Thompson said.

The space is wrapping up construction, which has included lightening up the look, exposing more of the brick and highlighting some of the more historical elements of the space.

The plan is to make Fernson Downtown a social space, which includes games. There will be board games and shuffleboard to start, with more to come.

“We’ll start with that and get our feet under us and hopefully add some in the future,” Thompson said.

Fernson will hold a farewell event at its Eighth Street location beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday featuring We All Have Hooks For Hands and Tenenbaums.