Local brewer to close downtown taproom
Aug. 30, 2024
A local brewer is giving up its downtown taproom to focus on making craft beer and expanding its distribution.
Covert Artisan Ales’ plan is to open a tasting room at the brewery at 605 N. Watson Ave. in spring, it announced in a news release.
The brewery decided not to renew its lease at the East Bank Depot on East Eighth Street and will close that location in mid-November.
“Over the last five years, downtown Sioux Falls has changed at lightning speed, and while that’s great for the city, we kind of miss the old days,” said Daniel Berry, who started Covert with his wife, Stacey, in 2019 and expanded with the taproom in 2020. “So rather than renew our lease, we’re directing our efforts toward consolidating operations into one location, our original production facility on the west side of town.”
Before expanding downtown, Covert had a small space in the brewery that was open to the public two days a week. That will be expanded, according to the news release.
The consolidation will encourage growth through distribution, the brewery said. Covert’s beers can be found throughout Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Brookings, Yankton and Aberdeen, along with Nebraska, online retailer Tavour and events in North Dakota.
“Covert Artisan Ales is not closing. Our Attache membership program is not going away. We are simply evolving with the craft beer market in Sioux Falls,” Berry said.
The taproom at 434 E. Eighth St. is open Wednesday through Sunday.
It’s the second taproom to announce in recent weeks that it will be closing. Minnesota-based Lupulin Brewing Co. is shutting down its Sioux Falls location this fall.
