Popular microbrewery Batch Brewing Company announced today that it has acquired a building in Detroit’s North End neighborhood and plans to convert it into a new packaging and distribution facility and with a second taproom and an expanded sour ale and cider making program.

The 5,000-square-foot building located at 2841 East Grand Boulevard was previously occupied by Chap Automotive Distributors. Batch’s co-founder Stephen Roginson tells Eater the taproom will occupy around 1,200-square-feet at the front of the building facing East Grand Boulevard with a glass garage door separating the dining area from the brewing facility.

The taproom will be geared towards special events hosted by local organizations and non-profits. “More than anything we’re trying to make this space approachable to the neighborhood that it’s in,” Roginson says. “We really want to make it a community gathering space.”

The space is expected to seat between 50-65 customers and may eventually include a small outdoor seating area. Like the Corktown location, the taproom will include kitchen, though it will offer a smaller menu than the original. The menu is still in the very early planning stages, however Roginson says it “is going to be definitely different. We imagine doing pressed sandwiches, some cold salads, and developing a locally-sourced charcuterie and cheese plate.”

Roginson says the new production facility will allow Batch to double its brewing capacity to roughly 2,500 barrels per year and an additional 300 to 400 barrels of cider. The plans call for a so-called “Funk Room” for brewing and aging sour beers and ciders using wild yeast fermentation.

Batch intends to build out the new space slowly over the next year and a half. The brewery and packaging systems should be up and running by the end of 2017 with the taproom coming on line in late-spring 2018. The owners hope to see everything fully operational by the end of 2018.

Roginson and partner Jason Williams opened Batch Brewing Company on Porter Street in February 2015. The self-described “nano brewery” one the Hatch Detroit small business grant contest in 2013.

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