John Ingle

Times Record News

Matt Bitsche had a dream more than 10 years ago of taking what he learned with home-brewed craft beers and turning it into a business in downtown Wichita Falls.

But, it just didn't feel like the right time to start brewing his own blends in his hometown, so he got his start in the industry in Austin in 2012, a place known for its eclectic culture and breweries. He and some buddies started Infamous Brewing, which turned into a success that has seen their beers distributed to all parts of Texas.

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The Rider High School grad and his wife, Brooke, have come back home with their children with one goal in mind -- fulfill his dream of bringing something unique and new to Wichita Falls with Wichita Falls Brewing. There was no other place to be than downtown, he said, so he will open up the establishment later this year in the old Muehlberger’s Menswear, affectionately called "The Hub", at the corner of Seventh and Indiana.

"There hasn't been a brewery here," he said Tuesday. "Why not be the first."

Bitsche said he has always loved the downtown area and its history, which is why he chose Wichita Falls Brewing for the name and an industrial look of wheels and cogs that embraces the city's manufacturing past that was associated with the oil industry. The only thing left was finding a location downtown.

The couple moved back in 2016 as the movement to revive downtown Wichita Falls was growing by the day with several other projects going on. The Hub was offered as a possible location for his new business venture, and the spacious 7,200-square-feet first floor and another 3,000 upstairs provided something others didn't -- room for growth in the future.

"I've seen a lot of brew pubs and breweries shoehorn themselves into a space and paint themselves into a corner where they did well and it was time for them to expand and grow, and they couldn't," he said. "A brewery is not one of those things that you can move in a weekend or two weeks."

Work is being done on the facility to bring certain features up to code, but here is much more work to be done, Bitsche said. The brewing equipment, which is a 10-barrel system has been ordered, but it will be roughly six months before it is delivered. He said the stainless steel equipment will be placed along the front windows so passersby can see it while walking by and guests in the brewery can see employees making fresh brews.

The brewery will feature at least six house beers on tap, he said, and they'll range from lighter crisp beers to pale ales, porters, lagers and more. He said they are in the process of obtaining their license from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission as well as a license through the federal government's Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a process which takes longer than the TABC license.

Coming up with the blends of craft beer shouldn't be too difficult, Bitsche said. He said after 16 years of making his own, that's the easy part. One thing he does want to do to create buzz and get the community involved is hosting naming contests for each brew.

"They feel like they're involved. We're just making it fun," he said. "The minute we're not having fun, everyone else can tell, so we want people to have fun with us.

"Wichita Falls is growing, downtown is growing. Come grow with us."

Brooke said it wasn't a tough decision to make or support when they considered moving back to Wichita Falls in January 2016. She said the hustle and bustle of life in Austin and spending hours in a car everyday commuting to work or back home left little time for anything else, especially since their children were getting of ages that they were interested in doing more activities.

"It was really important to have the kids around family because we left when they were 5 and 2," she said. "It had been quite some time and Austin has grown exponentially to where you can't get to them to get them into activities ... so, it just made sense."

The couple said they are intent on making Wichita Falls Brewing a family friendly business that will host movie nights, have a board game section and offer ice cream for children. He said there are more than enough bars in Wichita Falls, and they have no desire of being another one. The business, in addition to craft beer, will serve wine as well as sodas, tea and more.

Follow John Ingle on Twitter at @inglejohn1973.