USA, IN: Grand Junction Brewing Company hosting grand opening of its new brewery on March 17

Westfield-based Grand Junction Brewing Company is hosting a grand opening of its new production facility at 1189 E. 181st St., west of U.S. 31 and just south of Grand Park Sports Campus on March 17, NUVO Newsweekly reported.

Co-owner Jon Knight said the 10,000-square-foot production facility and tap room was designed to have an industrial vibe to it, while being Monon Trail user, kid and dog friendly. Free water stations will be available along with Grand Junction’s regular and seasonal lineup of beers.

The original Grand Junction brewpub at the corner of Main and Union streets features a full in-house restaurant in an historic 1800s building and was designed to be a community gathering place. In contrast, the built from the ground up Production facility was designed to serve visitors to Grand Park with a choice from food trucks. The Production facility has a large parking space and an outdoor patio for patrons to enjoy Grand Junction pints with food truck offerings.

Partners Jon Knight and Charlie Wood opened Grand Junction in downtown Westfield in April 2014. Almost immediately they felt “pinched for space” and began plans for an off-site production facility initially to increase production from 672 barrels per year to 1,400 barrels. They expect to reach 4,000 barrels by 2018.

The original downtown brewpub at 110 S. Union St. will remain open.

“That is where this all started,” Knight told NUVO in December 2015 when expansion plans were revealed. “We love our historic 1800s building.”

But the reality of expanding required an off-site facility while maintaining the original neighborhood, locally sourced ingredients and small batch focus.

GJBC Head Brewer Shawn Kessel began his brewing career as a home brewer, honing his skills as a part of the Great Fermentations team. GJBC’s “Mulligan Scotch Ale” won a silver medal at the 2015 The Indiana State Fair Brewers' Cup.

16 March, 2017