OKOTOKS, AB – A brewery that has been in the works since 2015 in Okotoks, a town on the Sheep River just southeast of Calgary, has revealed its planned location.
Hub Town Brewing is being established by Lisa and Mark Watts, a couple of have been selling homebrew kits and other beer gear via mail order while looking for a spot to open their own brewery.
As explained in a detailed blog post by Lisa, they have had plans to set up in four different locations that all fell through for various reasons before finally striking a partnership with a local gallery:
We have spent months planning and sorting out details, and have landed on a dual split of the Boothill Gallery location where Hub Town will occupy the main floor with the brewery, taproom, offices and even a vault (this building was once an ATB Financial Institution) and the gallery will occupy the upper level. We will build a beautiful rooftop patio with a stairway from the outside of the building for the amazing summer nights we enjoy between June and September and throw a bunch of tables out front too so that on all event days people can enjoy overlooking the festivities while having a pint of the freshest beer around!
The post goes on to note that a municipal land use bylaw will need to be changed for the brewery to open and operate in this location, and a first reading of the required amendment took place at a Town of Okotoks council meeting on July 16th. The second and third readings are scheduled for August 10th at 7:00 PM in the Municipal Centre Council Chamber, and Hub Town is encouraging locals to come out to the meeting to show support for the brewery.
For more details, see the full blog post on the Hub Town Brewing website.