Under new ownership, Mother's Brewing Company to expand event space, distribution and food

Sipping on a Winter Grind, Jeff Schrag began to tear up as he announced his retirement to a crowd in the Mother's Brewing Company TapRoom on Wednesday morning.

Formerly the chief executive officer, Schrag is handing over the business to Jeff and Lindsay Seifried. Schrag will continue to assist with sales and operations until his retirement and will remain a minority investor in the company.

In the following months, the Seifrieds plan to expand the Barrel Room, the brewery's event space that was opened during the pandemic. Currently, the Barrell Room serves as an event space and a storage area. Jeff Seifried said he plans on opening up the entire room to function as an event center that may host business meetings or even weddings.

Even with the addition of larger events, Seifried said he does not anticipate the brewery to ever be fully closed for an event. As it is now, if a private or ticketed event is held in the Barrel Room, the TapRoom and yard will remain open to the public.

Looking toward the future, Seifried said folks may also expect outdoor service, staff serving drinks and food outside, and a full food menu prepared at the brewery itself. Seifried said he wants to continue working with local food trucks for offerings in the yard, but he wants to bring a "consistent" menu to the brewery. Seifried said they also hope to expand the brewery's distribution.

"Lindsay and I couldn't be more proud of such a strong tradition, brand, and frankly beer than Mother's," Seifried said.

Twelve years ago, almost to the day, Schrag launched Mother's, Springfield's second microbrewery, at a time when the microbrewing industry looked quite different, even on a national scale.

"You had to explain to people why they should try the beer," Schrag said. "They wanted to know why it tasted like anything because they were used to beer that tasted like nothing."

Schrag said when he opened Mother's, the brewery was No. 1,751 in the country and offered only four beers. Today, there are 10 craft breweries in Springfield and about 10,000 nationwide. Schrag said this year, he anticipates Mother's to offer about 70 different beers, a dozen of which will be distributed, about 30 that will be exclusively packaged and sold from the brewery, and others available only in the TapRoom.

"I think where we have really evolved is bringing new flavors first to the Ozarks and then really working on perfecting those flavors as we distributed out," Schrag said.

Mother's was the first brewery to distribute an IPA in the Ozarks and the first to package and distribute a Hazy IPA in the Midwest. Schrag added that he believes Winter Grind, Mother's coffee beer, is considered a standard in coffee beers nationwide.

"I thought I was going to be one of those guys who would not retire, and then all of a sudden it just hits you like a switch," Schrag said. "I'd like to do some other things with my life and don't have to be so tied to my career."

In retirement, Schrag said he wishes to spend more time with his three grandchildren and travel with his wife Mary. Additionally, the two recently purchased a new house and have that to look forward to.

To keep the celebrations rolling, Mother's annual Mother's Day Festival kicks off Saturday at 1 p.m. This weekend's festivities feature a music lineup of Rob Leines, The Creek Rocks, The Hooten Hallers, Me Like Bees and Casual Cal. Food trucks The Almighty Sando Shop and Tinga Tacos will be available. The Mother's Day Festival is held over the first three Saturdays in May.

Festival tickets are available online at bit.ly/3LxEvVd. Admission is $10 if preordered, $15 at the gate, $25 for the full festival and kids under 12 are free. No pets are allowed at the festival for the safety of patrons.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ownership of Mother's Brewing Company is switching hands