Port Washington’s Inventors Brewpub is getting a $250,000 boost for its expansion project in the form of a state grant. The funding is coming from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s (WEDC) Community Development Investment Grant Program, which supports community development and redevelopment efforts in downtown areas.
“We are excited to complement the Heart of the Harbor. The city and Main Street Port Washington have done a fantastic job with this project, and we are excited to serve the community with a much-needed event space, more local craft beer, and to provide a central location where the community can gather and build Port Washington into a Great Lakes destination,” said Cameron Huck, owner and manager of Inventors Brewpub.
Inventors Brewpub founder and head brewer Adam Draeger first announced plans to move from the company’s original location – a shared space at 435 N. Lake St. in Port Washington – at the end of 2021.
Draeger said downtown Port Washington currently lacks a large meeting space for events, due to the loss of Viking Room and Newport Shores. The new location for Inventors Brewpub will host year-round special events.
The new location at 305 E. Washington St. will be a 27,000-square-foot, two-story building. The 10-barrel craft brewery will occupy 2,000 square feet of the space. A restaurant/bar area with seating for 160 guests will occupy 3,200 square feet. There will also be an additional 80 seats for outdoor dining allotted within this space.
A 250-seat event space will take up a portion of the lower level of the building with 100 additional seats on a mezzanine above. Also on the second level, there will be 8,500 square feet of office space available.
Inventors Brewpub hosted a groundbreaking for the new location in July. The project is scheduled to be completed next spring.
