After planning to revive Yoerg Brewing Co. in a St. Paul space on the city’s West Side, the owners have decided to change course.

Yoerg Brewing Co. originally planned to go into a former bar space on the northwest corner of Wabasha Street South and Isabel Street, but the owners decided changes needed for a brewpub were too much of an undertaking.

Instead, they have been searching for a new home, and Carol Minogue and Thomas Keim have found it. They’ve signed a lease to move into the former Strip Club Meat & Fish restaurant space (378 Maria Ave.; yoergbeer.com) on St. Paul’s East Side.

“We loved that building when the Strip Club was in there, and there was so much space they weren’t using that we could,” Keim said. He said they plan to make some subtle changes to the interior.

Under a brewpub license, Yoerg Brewing will not produce beer for resale outside of the facility; it will be produced for in-house use only. A growler license will allow Yoerg to sell the small-batch beers in growlers and 32-ounce crowlers.

Yoerg Brewing will continue to produce its packaged beers out of Octopi Brewing in Wisconsin, and the St. Paul location will offer experimental beers such as a Rauchbier (smoked beer) and a hoppy Roggenbier (rye lager).

Keim will also incorporate his passion for wine into the new operation. “We just added the on-sale wine license that to us is equally as important,” he said, adding that offerings will include eight to 10 wines by the glass and a rotating list of 80 to 100 wines by the bottle. “I’ve been in the fine wine business for 41 years, so our wine program is going to be pretty special.”

Related Articles Pearl and the Thief is back, for now, and it’s worth the price of admission

The beer industry looks for ways to help black brewers

Hastings bar owner: $7K state fine for alleged mask violation is ‘outrageous’

Restaurant updates: Jameson’s Irish Bar debuts, Tria and others reopen for dining

Surdyk’s adds bar and eatery called Sidebar In addition to beer and wine, the brewpub will offer cheese and pate plates as well as a full menu of “mainly Old World foods,” Keim said. If all goes well, Yoerg Brewing could open Sept. 1.

A few years ago, Minogue and Keim revived Yoerg Brewing after securing the trademark rights to the St. Paul institution. In 1848, Anthony Yoerg, a Bavarian immigrant, opened what became Minnesota’s first commercial brewery. The brewery ran until 1952. Since reviving Yoerg, Minogue and Keim have been producing the beer’s flagship steam lager in Wisconsin. It is available at liquors stores and bars.