USA, IN: New Corner Brewing Company moving into new home this spring

New Corner Brewing Company will move into a new home this spring, Ball State Daily reported on March 22.

The brewery will move into downtown Muncie in May to 800 S Liberty St. from its current location at 1900 W. Mt Pleasant Blvd.

Owner Sean Brady started the production brewery after finishing full-time active duty with the National Guard in 2013.

His friend gave him his first brewing kit in 2005, and Brady fell in love with it. He wanted to try to make the same beer he and his friends enjoyed drinking from places like Savage’s Alehouse and the Fickle Peach, where New Corner’s beers are now available.

“It just kind of went from occasional brewing to 'Wow, I almost have a commercial brewing system' when I got off active duty,” Brady said. “I had a secured retirement at that time, so I decided why not make the leap and give it a shot?”

Brady said he has always wanted his company downtown, which is close to the craft beer scene with a target market of informed, discerning craft beer drinkers.

Brady said he doesn’t want to compete with other retailers, but he doesn’t view the market as competition because his beer is different than other retailers' beers.

The move will allow the company to be closer to the marketplace. Brady said they are just excited to be a part of the Muncie community. He wants to expand people’s understanding and appreciation for locally produced and handcrafted products.

“I just loved the idea of getting into that old building, restoring it, being able to be part of Muncie’s revitalization and redevelopment,” Brady said. “I think that the industry is going back to where local brewers are… a part of the fabric of the community. Having a local brewery and that relationship with the community is an important part of it."

Brady said he will work to target Ball State students by forming relationships with them, and seeing if they're interested in learning about the brewing process. He said it's important that people know who makes the product they are consuming.

“They want to come and they want to see the brewing process, they want to understand how it works," he said. "We can talk to them about the different flavors that are going into the beer that they’re drinking and I think that that just is appealing not only to everybody, but especially to students who are in that learning kind of environment."

The new location will feature 1,000 feet of retail space and an outdoor area where customers can sit outside, drink beer and order food from food trucks.

There will also be a community garden outside where Brady plans to plant herbs and perennials.

The current location does not have a dedicated space for people to hang out and drink, and beer by the glass is not served. Brady took the food truck idea from Sun King Brewing in response to a state law that required food to be onsite in order to have beer sold by the pint. The law has since been changed, but Brady still wanted food trucks incorporated into the new location.

“To have a certified food handler and have to do all of the things that would be required to maintain a food establishment are difficult, but you have a food truck whose job is to provide food onsite and it’s just a match made in heaven,” Brady said. “We get to sell by the pint and they get to serve their food and it generally goes excellently with beer."

Brady doesn’t have an exact opening date for the new location, and will meet with the Board of Health to finalize the plans. He said he wants to do things right and not fast, because he can either do it right, or do it twice.

23 March, 2016