Freetail seeks site on S. Presa

New laws mean brew pubs like Freetail can distribute beer — up to 10,000 barrels annually — to other retailers. New laws mean brew pubs like Freetail can distribute beer — up to 10,000 barrels annually — to other retailers. Photo: San Antonio Express-News / File Photo Photo: San Antonio Express-News / File Photo Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Freetail seeks site on S. Presa 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

The buzzed-about second location of Freetail Brewing Co. is no longer a mystery. Owner Scott Metzger confirmed that 2000 S. Presa St. is where he's hoping to open another Freetail facility to produce beer to sell wholesale.

Freetail currently only sells beer out of its brewpub at Loop 1604 and Northwest Military Highway.

Metzger confirmed that he is in talks to secure the building and hopes to finalize a deal within a few weeks.

But he was so excited about the new location that last week he posted teaser photos on Instagram and Twitter tagged #freetail2 from the company's account.

Those photos bear an uncanny resemblance to a vacant building at 2000 S. Presa St., just south of the King William and Lavaca neighborhoods, which is within the confines of where Metzger said he is looking.

“Guess my teaser pics weren't obscure enough!” Metzger sent via text message.

Metzger wrote on the Freetail Brewing Co.'s blog last month: “I'm happy to say we've identified a property we are really excited about and are engaged in negotiations with the building owner for a lease or purchase.”

Metzger has said he is looking for a larger space to brew, bottle and can beer to make Freetail available for wholesale. Opening a second brewery is an important step for Freetail, whose current location at 4035 N. Loop 1604 West, Suite 105, is operating near full capacity to keep just the brewpub's tanks full.

He declined to comment further when reached by phone Wednesday.

The San Antonio native was instrumental in changing state laws to allow small brewers to sell and distribute their beer.

The site on South Presa Street is about 30,000 square feet, according to Bexar County records, and it has what appears to be a 20-plus-foot ceiling, so the structure would be able to house a significantly larger brewery for Freetail and allow it to maximize production, which is capped for brewpubs at 10,000 barrels a year by the new law.

The search for a suitable building has had a number of twists and turns.

According to Metzger's posts on Twitter, negotiations for one building fell through at the last moment after the owner realized that leasing a building to a brewery entailed alcoholic beverages being manufactured at the site.

jmcinnis@express-news.net