July 21, 2022

As Remedy Brewing Co. celebrates its fifth year, it’s preparing to open a second taproom – and you can get a sneak peek Saturday.

Remedy at 611 will be in the brewery’s main production facility at 611 N. West Ave.

“Basically what we’re doing is we wanted to create an adult playground in a dive bar form,” said Matt Hastad, who started Remedy’s downtown brewery and taproom in 2017 with friends Tyler Jepperson and Jason Davenport and the help of investors.

“Downtown is a lot more laid back, and this one is going to be more fun with darts, pool tables, oversized beer pong, and it’s going to be budget friendly. … This will be a place to come hang out and play games with friends and get to know the neighborhood a little bit.”

The area is home to a few other drinking establishments that embrace their “dive bar” ambience: Ken’s Korner, The Log Cabin and The Garage Bar.

“Think of walking into your dad or grandfather’s garage. … It’s not polished, it’s not pretty,” Hastad said of Remedy at 611. “We’ll have repurposed furniture with a nice mix of places to sit.”

When the partners created the production space in 2019, they envisioned opening a second taproom. The COVID-19 pandemic that hit less than six months after the first cans came off the bottling line derailed that.

Crews work to set up the Remedy brewhouse in 2019.

Now, Remedy at 611 is expected to open next week after final approval from the city, but customers can get a sneak peek Saturday during Remedy’s anniversary party. Most of the celebrating will be at the original brewery at 8th & Railroad Center — five new beer releases, a special food menu, games and a concert — but there will be a parking lot party at 611 from noon to 10 p.m.

From 1 to 6 p.m., partygoers downtown can hitch a ride for free out to 611 on the new SuFu Tractor, a dance floor and bar on a trailer pulled by a tractor.

Anyone who stops by can tour the new taproom, which will have seating for 160 when it opens, Hastad said.

Eventually, there will be room for more people outside once the beer garden is ready, he said. They’re hoping to have that open in the weeks to come.

Remedy at 611 won’t serve the brewery’s new releases, Hastad said, keeping the focus on that downtown, where the one-off batches are brewed. The new taproom will serve Remedy’s core beers on tap and in cans. It also will sell the new line of sparkling hard teas and will have a couple of nonalcoholic beers and soft drinks.

For food, there will be light bar snacks, and food trucks will be invited out on the weekends, Hastad said.

Remedy at 611 likely will start with hours of 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.