An old-world cabinet of curiosities meets a modern working brewery: this project is all about escaping into the mind of our client, a creative brewmaster. Our shared philosophy was to feature the beer-making process in a theatrical way, and to create a space that encourages visitors to be curious and embrace new and sometimes unusual styles of beer. Located in an historic adaptive reuse development, the volume of the space our client selected was perfect for the requisite large stainless steel brewing tanks. Our biggest challenge was working with the small but tall footprint to accommodate our client’s desire to maximize guest seating. So, we designed a mezzanine that allows for the complete beer-making process to be viewed from a variety of vantage points.
Upon entry, a series of repurposed factory windows delineate the tasting room and draw the curtain back on the production area like a performing arts stage. Rows of polished tanks are arranged below a custom golden mural which artfully hints of the molecular science behind beer-making. Like Alice heading down the rabbit hole, gleaming high gloss blue paneling throughout harkens to old railway carriages, capable of transporting you to another place and time. Following upstairs along a tactile, leather-wrapped handrail, the upper level is tucked beneath the structure of the old building where we created a lounge dotted with intimate seating and glowing lighting. Similar to a theatre mezzanine, here guests can appreciate the art of brewing from above as they peer into the production area. We designed a smaller scale bar upstairs as a true cabinet of curiosities, complete with apothecary paraphernalia and monk figurines, a nod to the Trappist beermasters of Europe. Custom wallpaper features the brightly colored fruits and herbs used to make the flavorful beers produced in the brewery.
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