Breweries have been popping up all over the Tristate. One of the newest is Municipal Brew Works, which will be Hamilton’s first craft brewery since the 1930s. The brewery will be housed in Hamilton’s old municipal building at 20 High St.
Featuring plenty of Art Deco touches both inside and out, the building is currently being renovated to accommodate the brewing equipment, tasting room and meeting space. “It’s been 80 years since there’s been a craft brewery in Hamilton,” says Matt Munafo, one of Municipal Brew Works’ six co-founders. “We’re trying to pick up right where it left off—from the ambience to our facility to the design work.” The building, which used to house fire engines, will have indoor and outdoor seating and faces RiversEdge Amphitheater, giving summertime concert-goers the opportunity to stop by for a drink before or after the shows.
All six partners bring something unique to the table, including logistics, finance and entrepreneurship. This professional diversity, according to Goodman, will be vital to the success of the brewery. “It has helped us ensure that our business model and our plans are comprehensive and detailed,” he says.
To start, the brewery anticipates offering four to six year-round beers in addition to some special flavors. Goodman says that some of these seasonal or specialty beers may come from a guest brewing program, in which a representative from a local charitable organization would have the opportunity to work with Willingham to create their own beer. A portion of the proceeds for that beer would then go back to the organization.
Municipal Brew Works has also spoken with several local restaurants about brewing in-house beers for them. Munafo says that people should come to the brewery for “the experience of a lifetime.” And it sounds like that’s how the six co-founders feel about opening Municipal Brew Works, as well.
The founders hope to open the brewery by the end of the year.