Griffin Swartzell

Brewer's is gone, but not for long

Award-winning craft beer bar Brewer's Republic closed suddenly on Wednesday, Dec. 20, but it won't be closed for much longer. Once-and-future owners Jerry Morris, Tom Halfast and Joshua Adamski, who also co-own Cerberus Brewing Company , will reopen the spot soon (along with co-owner Cindy Geiser), under the extended moniker: Brewer's Republic: A Cerberus Taproom. Morris hopes to reopen before Feb. 1.“We didn’t really intend to take it back or want it back, but when you get lemons, you make lemonade,” Morris says. He explains that he and Halfast sublet the Brewer's/Underground Pub/Tremors Nightclub complex to now-former-owner Jeff Haigh. The business closed before the lease was up.“We’ve got our hands full with Cerberus," Morris adds. "It’s wildly busy — substantially busier than it was a year ago... We would have loved nothing more than to have had [Haigh] be successful.”Between now and Brewer's reopening, the space will be undergoing extensive repairs and renovations, including a full remodeling. They're also bringing back the old Brewer's leadership, re-hiring Meredith Champion as manager and teaming her up with Cerberus brewers Adamski and Taylor Donner to curate the beer offerings.Cerberus executive chef Mark LeFebvre will design the new menu and, given his Culinary Institute of America-forged chops, customers can expect some elevation from the old pub-style menu, though Morris says the popular pizzas aren't going anywhere.Morris says, though, that they will not be reopening the Underground Pub or the Tremors Nightclub. The Underground will be used as a banquet space, drawing on LeFebvre's experience as a banquet Chef de Cuisine at the Broadmoor. Tremors will act as a much-needed expansion for Cerberus' brewing operations, hosting its barrel-aging program. The former dance floor will also be used as a yoga studio.