Tremendous Brewery wins St. Peter old fire hall bid

Brian Arola, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
Updated ·2 min read

Sep. 26—ST. PETER — After weighing three finalist offers for the city's old fire hall, St. Peter Council members voted to move forward with a sale to the Tremendous Brewery project Monday.

The concept was one of two breweries in consideration to buy the building at 227 W. Mulberry St., with the other being a partnership between LocAle Brewing Company and River Rock Kitchen and Baking Company. The third finalist was the Islamic Center of St. Peter.

Tremendous Brewery, a partnership between Kurt Stoel, Ben Findley and Greg Melchoir, offered $300,000 to convert the fire hall into a brewery.

They plan to retain the building's historic character and envision the brewery being a venue for music, comedy and storytelling events, Findley said. The plan is to open in summer 2024.

"Our hope is that we would be open and pouring around the Fourth of July," said Findley, who owns Insty-Prints in Mankato.

He thanked council members for their diligent selection process and said the business partners were honored to be selected.

The brewery won't prepare and serve food but will look to collaborate with St. Peter Food Co-op across the street. Patrons also will be welcome to bring other food on site.

The old fire hall went up for sale through a request for proposal process as construction on the new fire hall entered its final stages. The new fire hall is at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Sunrise Drive.

In a memorandum to the council, City Administrator Todd Prafke noted the two breweries would've been permitted uses on the site while the mosque would've been a conditional use. The council, however, did indicate a strong desire to help the local Muslim community find a new home due to space constraints at the current mosque location.

Another difference considered in the proposals was the fact that the two breweries would be taxable and the Islamic Center would be tax-exempt as a religious organization.

Between the two brewery ideas, Tremendous' purchase offer was $300,000 compared to LocAle/River Rock's $50,000. The latter also factored in $550,000 in renovations and $250,000 in equipment costs on top of its purchase offer.

Tremendous would likely be the second brewery to open in St. Peter. Paddlefish Brewing Company is on track to open sooner at 108 S. Minnesota Ave., after the council Monday approved a liquor license taking effect Tuesday.

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Follow Brian Arola @BrianArola