Microbrewery to set up shop in McCordsville

McCORDSVILLE — McCordsville will soon be home to a microbrewery, the second craft-beer establishment to be announced in the county in the past five weeks.The McCordsville Board of Zoning Appeals last week approved a special exception for Scarlet Lane Brewing, which will produce specialty beers at 7724 Depot St., the former home of Crown Coatings, which moved to Fortville.

“First and foremost, our mission is to bring intelligent beer to our customers,” said Scarlet Lane’s CEO, Eilise Servies.

Her husband, Nick Servies, said craft beer is becoming increasingly popular and is responsible for 109,000 jobs in the United States. In the past few years, craft beer sales and production have increased significantly, though Indiana has been a little slow to catch on, Nick Servies said.

The Servieses said they believe there is an undeveloped market in the area and that McCordsville was the best fit for them. The microbrewery will be production-based and will not incorporate a restaurant or a bar. They will target the north side of Indianapolis and the surrounding area.

Their plans include a 15-barrel brewhouse with a 30-barrel storage capacity in the form of six tanks. The couple said they would like to work with local farmers who might grow hops, a plant used as flavoring and as stability agent in beer.

“One of the things we’re looking forward to (is that) craft beer has the potential to bring in other business besides just what we’re doing,” Servies said. “Restaurants usually follow.”

The business will focus on kegs and bottles and over the course of the first few years would add a handful of jobs. The Servieses also plan to have a food truck available outside the building. External enhancements to the facility will be minimal. Stainless steel steam stacks 2 to 4 feet in height will be added to the building.

The spent grain used in the brewing process will be going to local businesses for landscaping, farm use or to create other food products.

“We’re very interested in the community and joining town outreach and being part of this town. It’s one of the things I’m most passionate about; building the community up in addition to creating beer for everybody to drink,” Eilise Servies said.

The McCordsville BZA was unanimously supportive of the project. Nick Servies said they hope to begin brewing in January or February 2014.

The brewery is the second one this fall to announce plans to open in Hancock County. In October, Wooden Bear Brewing Co. announced it would open a small brewery at 21 W. North St. in Greenfield. Wooden Bear plans to have a bar setup in concert with its brewing operation. Wooden Bear is looking at opening in spring 2014.