And We are Just Getting Started!

It's been just over 3 weeks since we launched Harlan County Beer Company on Wefunder and we have been absolutely overwhelmed by the response. To the 161 of you who invested, thank you for believing in Harlan County, Eastern Kentucky, and rural America. To those still on the fence, please join us. Harlan County Beer Company is not only a solid investment, but it is also an opportunity to bridge divides that are tearing our country apart. With $135,000 invested, we are already more than halfway to our goal of $250,000. There is no doubt that a new brewery will open in Harlan County in the coming year. Now, here are some updates from the past few weeks.

Demo Complete

It's been no secret to the folks in Harlan County that work has been going on in the building that will house the brewery. Founders Gill Holland and Geoff Marietta purchased the building in December of 2019 and began the clean up and demo process. Here's what it looked like back then. There were several major leaks, the ceiling was falling in, and no business had occupied the building for almost a decade.

State of the Building in February 2020

A hard-working crew of Harlan Countians began the demo process and have been working on it for months. They removed all carpet, damaged ceiling, metal, rotted drywall, and so much more. Really nothing can stand in the way of Harlan County workers (not even WWI or WWII)! The building is now getting back to the way it might have looked way back in the 1920s when it was very first built. Those pillars you see are pretty much trees; the 10 inch by 10 inch posts still have some bark for proof.

Building in February 2021

Architectural Plans Submitted and Contract Bidders Visit

People doing construction or renovation work in rural areas know how hard it is to find an architect or engineer. There isn't even a practicing architect in Harlan County. That makes putting together plans that adhere to state regulations all that more difficult (and expensive). Fortunately, we knew of a well-seasoned architect in neighboring Letcher County. Bill Richardson of Richardson Associates Architects has been practicing in the region for more than 40 years. His name and professional stamp are behind a fair number of buildings in Eastern Kentucky. We got Bill on the job months ago and he worked his magic on producing a beautiful layout for the brewery. You'll see the brewery is prominently displayed towards the back of the building with a direct line of sight to the front door. Surrounded by glass walls, it will also be visible from the wall of windows along Central Street and First Street. A beautiful handcrafted bar provides perfect vantage point to listen to live music or just relax after a day of hiking or off-roading (yes, you can do both in Harlan County).

Layout of Brewery

Last week we also had a tour of the building from contractors bidding on the project. We are absolutely committed to hiring contractors from Eastern Kentucky to do the work, and are hopeful one from Harlan County emerges. Fortunately, we saw some familiar Harlan County faces during the bid tour, folks who have done great work electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work.

Featured Press

If you missed the great coverage our launch received, be sure to check out some of the following articles:

Next Steps and Future Updates

Bids on the brewery are due next week and we'll be announcing who won. Of course, we are also still actively raising funds on Wefunder to hit our target of $250,000. There's a lot of future topics we'd like to cover in our updates, including:

History of the building and the secret basement we found
Planning the menu and naming the beers
Describing our brewery system
Highlighting Harlan County and Eastern Kentucky
And of course, construction updates!

Plan to hear updates from us about every week. Next week we will be highlighting some of our early investors why they believe in Harlan County and Harlan County Beer Company. Thank you and remember: say thank you to Harlan County and drink a beer.