E-Malt.com News article: USA, NV: Lovelady Brewing Co. getting ready for opening in Henderson

Lovelady Brewing Co. hasn't opened its doors yet — let alone its taps — but one downtown Henderson merchant is already buzzing with anticipation, Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on February 26.

"I'm going to be the main taster," joked Flemming Pedersen, owner of Chef Flemming's Bake Shop, which is across the street at 7 S. Water St.

Construction on the 6,000-square-foot brewery at 20 S. Water St. is expected to be completed at the end of this month, and the family-run business hopes to open by March 17 following its inaugural round of beer production.

"If all goes well, we're starting brewing the last week of February, and then we'll open three weeks from then," said co-owner Richard Lovelady.

Lovelady's three brothers, Robert, Jeffrey and Jerry, will be helping to run the business.

The facility, which broke ground in August, is scheduled to include a tap house with large windows overlooking Water Street, as well as outdoor patio seating. Food trucks are set to park near the business on a regular basis, Lovelady said.

He said the initial plan is to get the tap house up and running with six varieties of craft brews: sour ale, hoppy lager, double India pale ale, Belgian red, Belgian apple and coffee porter, a dark ale infused with cold-brewed coffee.

"As we go on, I could add more variety," he said.

Keg distribution to restaurants, bars, grocery stores and liquor stores also is set to start early on.

"I foresee if we're busy in our tap room, we're going to have to hire some bartenders," he said. "If the volume of distribution increases, then I'll have to hire people to help with the brewing."

Ultimately, the plan is to also distribute beer in bottles and/or cans. But that can't happen until after the business gains insight into what varieties are most popular among tap house customers.

"The first month or two, we should know what sells," Lovelady said. "Before you get to bottles and cans, you need to figure out what your big sellers are."

Lovelady, a 20-year Henderson resident, is not new to craft brewing. He was head brewer at Gordon Biersch, 3987 Paradise Road, and was employed there for 19 years. He left that job Jan. 1 to dedicate himself fully to his new venture.

He said he wanted to open Lovelady Brewing in downtown Henderson to help support revitalization efforts there. In addition, he has family ties to the neighborhood.

"My grandmother lived up the street here," Lovelady said.

He said his grandmother also taught at Basic High School, 400 Palo Verde Drive, and his mother graduated from there.

Flemming said he was looking forward to any boost the brewery can provide in terms of attracting people to downtown Henderson and increasing business at his bakery.

"I bought the place in 2008 right before the (market) crash here," Flemming said. "I've been kind of breathing heavily for a long time."

He and Lovelady have been talking about the possibility of collaborating, where Flemming would provide certain types of baked goods for the brewery to sell to its tap house customers. Lovelady said he is researching whether that would require any special permits or approvals.


02 March, 2016