Empire National Brewery project announced

For some time, Brilliant Stream has identified Clarksburg WV as ripe for craft beer brewery development. It’s in a county that has long been an alcohol-friendly region with plenty of bars and liquor-licensed restaurants.

The area is home to multiple beer distributor operations and scores of beer-licensed carry-outs and grocery stores. It clearly has a population sufficient to support a couple of brewpubs.

So when will a local brewery open up in Clarksburg? That’s a question that may soon be answered if the folks who purchased a downtown office building there have their way.

Welcome to Empire 1907

Plans announced for the city’s former Empire National Bank building, now renamed Empire 1907, include the development of a small brewery and restaurant, which would be licensed as a brewpub. 

“We purchased the building last September in an auction,” says Geremey Engle, managing member and spokesperson for the Nesting Owl LLC ownership group. He says their first action was cleaning out the seven-story building, which had been sitting basically unused for a while and was full of stuff that had to be removed. 

Over the ensuing months, they completed the clean-out and began working with an architect and other consultants on a phased redevelopment plan. 

Lots of work ahead

“It’s a 120-year-old building with a lot of things that have to be brought up to code,” said Geremey. Things like HVAC, fire alarms, sprinkler systems, windows, doors, cosmetics, elevator and more will have to be installed, repaired, or substantially updated. New floor plans must be designed and built out for new uses.

It’s a huge redevelopment plan that they have broken down into three phases. The first phase covers the restoration and build-out of the first two floors, which would include building out a brewery & restaurant on the first floor. 

Empire National Brewery coming

Geremey says their timetable would like to see the brewery installed and the restaurant ready to open by the first of next year. While this buildout timeline may seem optimistic and may take longer to accomplish than expected, we love their enthusiasm and faith in a Clarksburg brewery operation. When it opens, it will be called Empire National Brewery.

Assistance needed

Since none of the building owners have experience in installing or operating a brewery, they are currently seeking assistance from others and plan to hire a head brewer to assist them in developing the brewery part of their project.

If you are an experienced professional brewer who would be interested in working with the building owners to help them develop their Empire National Brewery, please send your inquiry/resumé by email to: Geremey Engle at info@empire1907.com

Breweries as a tourism investment

As to why this group decided to invest in a brewery in downtown Clarksburg, you have to understand their faith in tourism- and hospitality-related industries.

“We know a brewery brings in tourism, which is needed in downtown Clarksburg,” Geremey said. He adds that because the Empire1907 Building is one of the true gems of the city, they think that a remodeled and repurposed structure would be a great hub for increasing tourism downtown. A brewery would certainly bring more foot traffic and much-needed economic activity to downtown.

The developers are also considering plans to build out some mid-floor space in the seven-story structure for short-term residential and/or Airbnb/Vrbo-type rentals. This type of over-brewery lodging has proven very popular in other cities around the world. The building’s upper floors are targeted for premium apartment development.

Commitment to downtown development

“We’re not looking to create jobs for ourselves,” Geremey said. “We’re looking to create jobs for the area.” Their interest in supporting local economic development is strong. ”We want to hire a restaurant manager; we want to hire a brewer, a kitchen manager, and staff to help that.”

They want to pay homage to the original purpose of the building by preserving as much of the architectural features, fixtures, and feel from the old Empire Bank. These items will be incorporated into the brewery and restaurant. They want the name, Empire National Brewery, to be more than just a name. They want it to preserve some of the proud history embedded in the Clarksburg community.

Banking-themed beer names

Expect their restaurant’s dishes and the brewery’s beers to have banking or local history-related names. Beyond selling their own beers, they also hope to incorporate an exchange with other West Virginia brewers, so you may also see some different brewer’s beers at Empire National Brewery.

They’ve already decided that the food emphasis of the restaurant will be Tex-Mex and that their beer will be marketed under a Liquid Assets theme. Just what beer styles might we expect to see at the new brewery? Look for food-friendly beer styles that complement the Tex-Mex theme and also for representatives of other very popular beer styles of the day.

One thing the developers have expressed is an interest in installing a beer wall —which is a line-up of computer-controlled, self-service beer taps installed along a wall. While this type of self-service installation is legal in many states, the WV Alcohol Beverage Control Administration has not yet allowed it in West Virginia.

“That would be awesome if we could do something like that,” explained Geremey. He says he sees the popularity of these types of installations in neighboring Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. (We can only hope.)

Belief in Clarksburg’s future

Being a downtown redevelopment pioneer doesn’t phase the building’s development team. They say they have faith in the high-tech and aerospace industries continuing to grow in the Clarksburg region. They also see a strong future for federal government employment, such as at the current FBI center.

“We really do think it will be a good area,” Geremey says of their take on the economic outlook for the region.

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Connect with the Empire 1907 Building and Empire National Brewery developers at their project website: https://empire1907.com

Interesting Note: The Empire National Bank Building has its own Wikipedia page